What's in Your Water?

I've been here at Coastal Carolina Water, or, as we affectionately call it, "water world," for a year now. Just a quick little water tidbit before I continue: Did you know that most drinking water, unless it is distilled, contains arsenic? A bit of a frightening statistic if you ask me. According to a 1999 study by the National Academy of Sciences, arsenic in drinking water causes bladder, lung and skin cancer, and may cause kidney and liver cancer. The study also found that arsenic harms the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as heart and blood vessels, and causes serious skin problems. It also may cause birth defects and reproductive problems. And it gets even more scary. Drinking water provided by most water utility companies meets or falls below the current national standard for arsenic, which is 50 parts per billion (ppb). That standard, however, was established in 1942, before health officials knew that arsenic causes cancer. According to National Academy of Sciences estimates, one out of 100 people who drink water containing 50 parts per billion will get cancer (based on drinking two liters of water per day over the course of a lifetime). That's an extremely high cancer risk. The EPA, which sets the arsenic standard, normally assigns standards for toxins and contaminants that represent no more than a one-in-10,000 risk factor for cancer. Arsenic is not purged by the body, but is cumulative, that is why long-term exposure is so risky. Here at Coastal Carolina Water, we have one customer who has suffered arsenic poisoning and can only drink LeBleu Ultra Pure steam distilled water because it is free of this element. Remember, not all bottled waters are pure. If you can't get LeBleu Ultra Pure steam distilled water in your area, make sure that you are drinking a distilled water product or have investigated the arsenic quantity in your tap water. For more info, visit the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) at www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/qarsenic.asp.

Let me tell you about some wonderful people I have met in my water world journey. The folks at the Historic Jarvisburg Colored School Association come to mind. We just donated 2 cases of LeBleu water for a fundraising event last weekend in Currituck County. This association is working hard to restore and preserve a very important piece of northeastern NC history. Back in 1867, the CurrituckBoard of Commissioners decided to re-establish new townships for voting registration and tax purposes. Each township had its own churches and it seems that some of the churches in each township took on the responsibility of operating a school for the newly freed Colored people next to the churches.There are existing records that indicate that the Jarvisburg School was opened in 1867 in Powells Point, N.C. The school was moved to its present site during the 1890s. The old building was last expanded to its current size as a school in 1911. The Colored Schools were consolidated in the 1950s and the old buildings were sold by the county as surplus. All the schools were integrated in the 1960s and this building would no longer serve as a school. To see how the restoration is progressing and for more info on this exciting project, visit http://www.historicjarvisburgcoloredschool.com/.

Visit my blog again to find out more about the humans and animals that drink LeBleu Ultra Pure water!