Vision Magazine - Reviews

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Reviews - June 2007

What's in Your Water?

An excerpt by Colin Ingram

In the United States, water treatment has concentrated on the elimination of acute (short-term) health risks, such as bacterial, viral, or parasitic infections, or acute poisoning from a sudden, large dose of lead or mercury. In this regard it has been fairly successful; serious acute waterborne diseases have been mostly eliminated. At the same time, those responsible for water quality have, until recent years, turned a blind eye to the long-term health effects of polluted water.

One of the excuses given for not confronting water pollution problems is that pollutants in very tiny amounts are often dismissed as inconsequential (However), just 1 part per trillion of hormones in human blood cause changes. Similarly, 1 part per billion of a pollutant in water may do a lot of harm.

For certain individual pollutants, safety thresholds have been established, meaning that if a pollutant is below a certain concentration (say 1 part per trillion) in water, it's considered to have no harmful effect. Federal drinking water standards, known formally as the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations, establish limits to some ninety pollutants. These water standards apply to public water systems that provide water for human consumption with at least fifteen service connections or those that regularly serve at least twenty-five people.

The limit for each pollutant is referred to as the maximum contaminant level (MCL). With regards to the toxic THMs (trihalomethanes) that are in every public water supply, these regulations currently establish 100 parts per billion as safe a level. This is an educated guess with a built-in safety factor. But, in fact, no one knows what level of THMs is safe over the long termnot government health officials, not scientists, not doctors. No one.

Epidemiologists, toxicologists, and pathologists often talk about increased health risks from single sources of pollution, but they seldom address (at least publicly) overall environmental risk. Overall environmental risk is the effect on our health based on all the things we come into contact with each day. With regard to water quality, while there have been many studies of individual pollutants, there have been almost no studies of the combined, or synergistic, effect of pollutants. If, for example, your tap water contains toxic THMs, fluoride, pesticide residues, and asbestos fibers, how do these pollutants, in combination, affect your long-term health?

In fact, there's no way to know for sure the health risk for any given individual from any single environmental cause or combination of environmental causes. Thus, we have to rely on common sense, and what common sense suggests is this: You can reduce your overall health risk by reducing your overall toxic load. In other words, reduce your exposure to all types of pollutants in your environment. Water quality is an important factor in that overall equation. Rather then accept so-called safe levels of pollution, you should try to remove or at least reduce levels of as many pollutants as possible from your drinking water.

books

Fifty Places to Sail Before You Die
By Chris Santella | Published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang

Have you ever dreamed of taking a year-long sabbatical to sail around the world? If so, Fifty Places to Sail Before You Die is the ideal guide to help you begin planning your adventure. Exploring exotic coastlines from Croatia to New Zealand, along with a handful of inland waters, this book offers first-hand accounts and recommendations from 50 different sailing aficionados. Sail is an outstanding guidebook on the art of sailing, complete with instructions on how to get to each destination, the best time to visit, mooring options, charter operations and recommendations for on-shore accommodations. Water occupies over 70 percent of planet Earth and this book navigates many of the planet's remote and well-known watery corners including the Channel Islands off the coast of California, the tropical refuge of Illha Grande, Brazil and Italy's Costa Smeralda. Even if you are not a sailor, this publication would also make a terrific coffee table book with its gorgeous color photographs that transport the viewer to one beautiful location after another.

Chris Santella's work has been seen in Travel & Leisure and The New Yorker. For more information, visit www.stcbooks.com GVK

film

Water Dreaming
A short film by Ulli Hansen

While at a spiritual retreat in Gunnedah, Australia (about a six hour drive north of Sydney), sound and visual artist Ulli Hansen took a short walk into the surrounding wilderness and was beckoned by the sweet callings of the birds. Following their angelic singing, she came upon a sacred waterhole where beautiful patterns of light danced on the water. Completely entranced by the visuals, she set her video camera rolling. The result is this nine-minute short film with its mesmerizing images floating before our eyes. The colors and images seem to create an incandescent effect, as if they were conveying an important message.

"The visuals were like a musical score," commented Hansen, who also organically composed and performed the soundtrack for the film on her electronic keyboard. This lovely, meditative film has also been used at dance performances and as a scenic backdrop at special music events in Australia. The artist dedicates the film "in gratitude to the consciousness in water and its magic."

Filmed in 2005, Water Dreaming features visuals and sound by Hansen with editing by Miriah Marusic. For more information, you may contact her at hotsound@optusnet.com.au. - GVK