Ann Arbor moves to ban bottled water sales from city events
Michigan is known as the Great Lakes State since it borders on four of the five Great Lakes. Much of the state's economy is dependent at least in part on the supply of water from the lakes either to feed industry or tourism. For years that has been concern in the state about large scale bottlers taking the water from the lakes to package and sell at inflated prices. This has been a particular concern in recent years with dropping lake water levels. Now the city of Ann Arbor and the state government are fighting back. The city council recently passed a resolution barring city vendors from selling commercial bottled water at city events. The city will start selling reusable water bottles that can be filled with tap water. Meanwhile the state is dropping the threshold for state approval to withdraw water from 2 million gallons a day to 1 million. Municipalities, utilities and large industrial companies will be required to implement water conservation policies. Needless to say bottlers are not happy about these policies and continue to claim that bottled water is healthier in spite of many studies showing that it is usually no better than most municipal tap water and often worse. Regardless of the qualities of bottled water, the fact is the huge quantities of plastic packaging and transportation consume a lot of energy needlessly.
[Source: Ann Arbor News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
GeraldCox 12:00AM (9/17/2008)
There is no scientific proof that sodium fluoride is safe in tap water.
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A5-14 9:43AM (7/16/2007)
DC tap water is da bomb. 100 year old lead pipes give it a fine patina not found in bottled water.
I can only imagine what tap water in Michigan is like.
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Tim 9:57AM (7/16/2007)
If the municipal water wasn't so loaded with chemicals, the people wouldn't have to buy bottled water. I know we need the chlorine to kill disease, but most health conscious people filter it out of their drinking water. Fluoride is another matter altogether. This is another "let them eat cake" without the cake. Are the great lakes are running dry?
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Karkus 11:10AM (7/16/2007)
I can't believe all of the educated, liberal, generally environmentally conscious people I know that drink bottled water. What a waste of their money and the world's resources!
Newsflash: Many of those bottled water companies fill up their bottles with TAP WATER! You're paying lots of money for something you could get almost for free. There's no guarantee that the tap water (or even the "real" spring water) the companies put in their bottles is any better than what you've got at home. So for at least 90% of the people claiming their tap water is "no good" is a lame cop-out excuse. Get with the program and stop wasting resources. Reuse your %*!& water bottles and drink from the tap unless you have scientific PROOF that your tap water is no good.
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Mike Z 11:39AM (7/16/2007)
Typical liberal idiots thinking they know what is best for people, and therefore taking away their right to make their own decision.
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Drew 9:57AM (7/17/2007)
Get the stupid flouride out of the tap water, and I will gladly drink it. Sorry for not liking aluminium slag-waste in my water (that is where the "Flouride" comes from that is put into drinking water, it is NOT a naturally occuring ion, and is FAR more harmful than beneficial for the body, especially the nervous system [flouride DESTROYS the pineal gland, as well as other brain tissues] and skeletal system - [flouride leaches calcium from bones])
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flossy 2:01PM (8/09/2007)
Here are some facts on the parasite Cryptosporidium that is found in ALL public water sources!
In all of the news stories I have heard no mention of this virus that actually sickened 30 thousand people in (I think) Milwaukee in 1980, and even called a handful of immune deficient people.
Please read this and pass it on to everyone you know. For more info on this parasite please visit:
http://www.cdc.gov/Ncidod/dpd/parasites/cryptosporidiosis/factsht_cryptosporidiosis.htm
Cryptosporidium Infection
Cryptosporidiosis
(KRIP-toe-spo-rid-ee-OH-sis)
Cryptosporidiosis is a diarrheal disease caused by microscopic parasites of the genus Cryptosporidium. Once an animal or person is infected, the parasite lives in the intestine and passes in the stool. The parasite is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive outside the body for long periods of time and makes it very resistant to chlorine- based disinfectants. Both the disease and the parasite are commonly known as "crypto."
During the past two decades, crypto has become recognized as one of the most common causes of waterborne disease within humans in the United States. The parasite may be found in drinking water and recreational water in every region of the United States and throughout the world.
How is cryptosporidiosis spread?
Cryptosporidium lives in the intestine of infected humans or animals. Millions of crypto germs can be released in a bowel movement from an infected human or animal. Consequently, Cryptosporidium is found in soil, food, water, or surfaces that have been contaminated with infected human or animal feces. If a person swallows the parasite they become infected. You cannot become infected through contact with blood. The parasite can be spread by
Accidentally putting something into your mouth or swallowing something that has come into contact with feces of a person or animal infected with Cryptosporidium.
Swallowing recreational water contaminated with Cryptosporidium (Recreational water includes water in swimming pools, hot tubs, jacuzzis, fountains, lakes, rivers, springs, ponds, or streams that can be contaminated with sewage or feces from humans or animals.) Note: Cryptosporidium can survive for days in swimming pools with adequate chlorine levels.
Eating uncooked food contaminated with Cryptosporidium. Thoroughly wash with clean, safe water all vegetables and fruits you plan to eat raw. See below for information on making water safe.
Accidentally swallowing Cryptosporidium picked up from surfaces (such as bathroom fixtures, changing tables, diaper pails, or toys) contaminated with feces from an infected person.
What are the symptoms of cryptosporidiosis?
The most common symptom of cryptosporidiosis is watery diarrhea. Other symptoms include:
Dehydration
Weight loss
Stomach cramps or pain
Fever
Nausea
Vomiting
Some people with crypto will have no symptoms at all. While the small intestine is the site most commonly affected , Cryptosporidium infections could possibly affect other areas of the digestive or the respiratory tract .
How long after infection do symptoms appear?
Symptoms of cryptosporidiosis generally begin 2 to 10 days (average 7 days) after becoming infected with the parasite.
How long will symptoms last?
In persons with healthy immune systems, symptoms usually last about 1 to 2 weeks. The symptoms may go in cycles in which you may seem to get better for a few days, then feel worse again before the illness ends.
Who is most at risk for cryptosporidiosis?
People who are most likely to become infected with Cryptosporidium include:
Children who attend day care centers, including diaper-aged children
Child care workers
Parents of infected children
International travelers
Backpackers, hikers, and campers who drink unfiltered, untreated water
Swimmers who swallow water while swimming in swimming pools, lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams
People who drink from shallow, unprotected wells
People who swallow water from contaminated sources
Contaminated water includes water that has not been boiled or filtered. Several community-wide outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis have been linked to drinking municipal water or recreational water contaminated with Cryptosporidium.
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CM 10:28PM (8/09/2007)
No, flossy, Cryptosporidium is not found "in ALL public water sources", and it is not a virus, it is a protozoa. It has been a problem in water from surface lakes and streams, but is rarely found in water from deep wells and artesian springs. It can be filtered out, but that does requre a very fine filter and not all municipalities use that type of filter. Many home water filters can remove crypto.
It is one thing to encourage people to use tap water and reduce the number of empty water bottles in the trash, but banning it is downright silly. Bottled water should be considered a convenience, not a necessity, for drinking when away from home. Most bottled water is simply tap water run through a filtration system to remove chlorine and other contaminants, and that type of filtration is available for home use at reasonable prices.
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Fluoride Action Network 1:47PM (10/02/2007)
Take Action to End Fluoridation
Online Petition to End Fluoridation and call for a Congressional Hearing
http://www.actionstudio.org/public/page_view_all.cfm?option=begin&pageid=8276
Sponsored by the Fluoride Action Network http://FluorideAction.Net
End Fluoridation, say 900+ Professionals
In a statement released August 9, 2007, over 600 (now 900) dentists, physicians, scientists, academics and environmentalists urge Congress to stop water fluoridation until Congressional hearings are conducted. They cite new scientific evidence that fluoridation, long promoted to fight tooth decay, is ineffective and has serious health risks. (http://www.fluorideaction.org/statement.august.2007.html)
Signers include a Nobel Prize winner, three members of the prestigious 2006 National Research Council (NRC) panel that reported on fluoride’s toxicology, two officers in the Union representing professionals at EPA headquarters, the President of the International Society of Doctors for the Environment, and hundreds of medical, dental, academic, scientific and environmental professionals, worldwide.
Signer Dr. Arvid Carlsson, winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize for Medicine, says, “Fluoridation is against all principles of modern pharmacology. It's really obsolete.”
Paul Connett, PhD, Executive Director of the Fluoride Action Network (FAN), announced that an Online Action Petition to Congress in support of the Professionals' Statement is available at FAN's web site.
“The NRC report dramatically changed scientific understanding of fluoride's health risks," says Connett. "Government officials who continue to promote fluoridation must testify under oath as to why they are ignoring the powerful evidence of harm in the NRC report,” he added.
An Assistant NY State Attorney General calls the report “the most up-to-date expert authority on the health effects of fluoride exposure.”
The Professionals’ Statement also references:
-- The new American Dental Association policy recommending infant formula NOT be prepared with fluoridated water.
-- The CDC’s concession that the predominant benefit of fluoride is topical not systemic.
-- CDC data showing that dental fluorosis, caused by fluoride over-exposure, now impacts one third of American children.
-- Major research indicating little difference in decay rates between fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities.
-- A Harvard study indicating a possible link between fluoridation and bone cancer.
-- The silicofluoride chemicals used for fluoridation are contaminated industrial waste and have never been FDA- approved for human ingestion.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a DC watchdog, revealed that a Harvard professor concealed the fluoridation/bone cancer connection for three years. EWG President Ken Cook states, “It is time for the US to recognize that fluoridation has serious risks that far outweigh any minor benefits, and unlike many other environmental issues, it's as easy to end as turning off a valve at the water plant.”
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