Caltech microbiologists have discovered bacteria that feed on manganese and use the metal as their source of calories. Such microbes were predicted to exist over a century ago, but none had been found or described until now.
Materials Science
Jul 15, 2020
4
5919
Hundreds of thousands of Canadians have been unwittingly exposed to high levels of lead in their drinking water, with contamination in several cities consistently higher than they ever were in Flint, Michigan, according to ...
Environment
Nov 04, 2019
0
12
A growing water crisis gripped a US city Thursday after environmental officials discovered high lead levels in tap water, sparking worry and highlighting creaking infrastructure in a major urban centre.
Environment
Aug 15, 2019
0
30
A new method for simultaneous measurement of 71 inorganic elements in liquids—including water, beverages, and biological fluids—makes element testing much faster, more efficient, and more comprehensive than was possible ...
Analytical Chemistry
Nov 19, 2018
1
25
Bangalore is home to some 10 million people. It might also be the next city to experience "day zero": when it runs out of ground water entirely.
Environment
Oct 11, 2018
0
4
The discovery of lead in Flint, Michigan's drinking water drew renewed attention to the health risks posed by the metal. Now researchers at the University of Houston have created an inexpensive system using a smartphone and ...
Analytical Chemistry
Sep 26, 2018
0
162
Water pitchers designed to rid water of harmful contaminants are not created equal, new research has found.
Environment
May 17, 2018
0
10
Bacteria in tap water can multiply when a faucet isn't used for a few days, such as when a house is vacant over a week's vacation, a new study from University of Illinois engineers found. The study suggests a new method to ...
Environment
Mar 29, 2018
1
453
Huge outcry ensued from my recent article about how Brexit would hurt Britain's bottled water industry. The outcry wasn't to do with Brexit. Instead, it was over the very existence of a bottled water business.
Environment
Mar 22, 2018
0
13
Significant amounts of nickel, lead and copper can dissolve into the water from the water pipes and taps in buildings. This was revealed in the master's thesis of Meri Sipilä, who graduated recently from Aalto University. ...
Environment
Jan 25, 2018
0
35
Tap water (running water) is part of indoor plumbing, which became available in the late 19th century and common in the mid-20th century.
The provision of tap water requires a massive infrastructure of piping, pumps, and water purification works. The direct cost of the tap water alone, however, is a small fraction of that of bottled water, which can cost from 240 to 10,000 times as much for the same amount.
The availability of clean tap water brings major public health benefits. Usually, the same administration that provides tap water is also responsible for the removal and treatment before discharge or reclamation of wastewater.
In many areas, chemicals containing fluoride are added to the tap water in an effort to improve public dental health. This remains a controversial issue in the health, freedoms and rights of the individual. See water fluoridation controversy.
Tap water may contain various types of natural but relatively harmless contaminants such as scaling agents like calcium carbonate in hard water and metal ions such as magnesium and iron, and odoriferous gases such as hydrogen sulfide. Local geological conditions affecting groundwater are determining factors of the presence of these substances in water.
Occasionally, there are health concerns regarding the leakage of dangerous biological or chemical contaminating agents into local water supplies when people are advised by public health officials not to drink the water, and stick to bottled water instead. An example is the recent discovery of potentially hazardous nitrates in the public water supply in Phoenix, Arizona.
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