SafetyIssues Personal and Public Safety News Articles: Water Is It Safe To Pee In The Pool ... And Other Water Safety ================================================================================ Courtesy of Huffingtonpost on 07/30/11 10:15:00 Each year, people in the United States make hundreds of millions of pool visits -- and this summer is likely to be no different, with a brutal heat wave slamming much of the country. Forty-one percent of children ages seven to 17 and 17.4 percent of adults make at least six trips each year, according to the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention. But while swimming can certainly be a healthy pastime, allowing you to burn calories while staying cool outdoors, the number of recreational water illnesses (RWIs) has been on the rise over the past few years, according to the Water Quality And Health Council. And though we rightfully tend to worry about taking precautions against sunburn and drowning accidents, it's also important to keep an eye out for pool water safety. Test your poolside knowledge here: Water safety rules help boaters have good time ================================================================================ Courtesy of CorrierPress on 07/04/11 08:12:00 The unforgiving sun of the early afternoon glistened on the Ohio River Saturday as Indiana Conservation Officers Mike Kellner and Mike Lamar flagged down a young woman zooming across the water on a jet ski. Emily Kissinger of Evansville had done nothing wrong, but Kellner and Lamar, taking a look at her personal watercraft from their patrol boat some 50 yards away, weren't convinced about the validity of her registration sticker. So they decided to make a friendly inquiry. After a short, cordial visit, Kissinger demonstrated she was, indeed, in possession of the proper paperwork. She then rejoined a friend and sped upriver toward Downtown Evansville. Government recommends lowering fluoride levels in U.S. drinking water ================================================================================ Courtesy of CNN on 01/07/11 08:46:00 The federal government is recommending changing the amount of fluoride in drinking water for the first time in 50 years. The Department of Health and Human Services and Environmental Protection Agency are proposing the change because of an increase in fluorosis -- a condition that causes spotting and streaking on children's teeth. The government is proposing that the recommended amount of fluoride in drinking water be set at 0.7 milligrams per liter of water. The recommended range has been 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter since 1962. The EPA will determine whether the maximum amount of fluoride allowed in water will also be lowered. Harmful chemical found in tap water of 31 U.S. cities ================================================================================ Courtesy of CNN on 12/21/10 12:21:00 Millions of Americans in at least 31 U.S. cities could be drinking tap water contaminated with the harmful chemical hexavalent chromium, according to a report released Monday by the non-profit Environmental Working Group. While the dangerous carcinogen, otherwise known as chromium-6, may sound foreign to most people, perhaps the name Erin Brockovich will ring a bell. Water Safety Issues Threaten PCB Cleanup ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 11/03/08 01:18:00 Three Hudson River towns are threatening legal action that could further delay a dredging project to remove contaminants, unless the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) satisfactorily addresses their concerns. Is Bottled Water Really Purified? ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 09/21/09 05:10:00 Bottled water is supposed to be pure, an image carefully promoted by the bottled water industry, but a two-year study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and the University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory finds them filled with chemical contaminants, making them not much different from ordinary tap water. Is It Safe to Swim Now, Doc? ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 07/21/07 12:30:00 Having a bacterial infection is one thing, and we usually take it in stride. But being infected with flesh-eating bacteria is quite another thing, and, for having it, a man almost lost his stride. Needed: Rapid Testing of Beach Water Quality ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 06/09/08 07:10:00 The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released Tuesday, August 7, its 17th beach water monitoring report covering water quality testing on 3,500 beaches for the whole of 2006. Rare Infection Due To Amoeba In Water ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 08/19/07 05:25:00 A 12-year-old boy was hospitalized in Austin, Texas last Wednesday, Aug. 15. An 11-year-old boy got the same infection and was killed in Orlando, Florida last week. Sewage Water Purified To Safer Water ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 11/27/07 01:55:00 As populations in US cities continue to grow, city planners have been hard put to increase supplies of drinking water, which face challenges from persistent drought and water shortages. It has not been easy getting projects approved. They are costly, and opponents raise formidable health issues and concerns. Are There Drugs in Drinking Water? ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 03/09/08 07:30:00 Without you knowing it, drugs may be entering your system everyday with the water you drink. The Associated Press recently released the results of a five-month investigation which showed that drinking water supplied to more than 41 million Americans contains a cocktail of pharmaceuticals ranging from antibiotics, birth control drugs and sex hormones, cholesterol fighters, anti-epilepsy drugs, mood stabilizers and other drugs.