1. Water Quality By Taylor Vigil, Zachary Borrego, & Kenneth Trujillo

2. What is pH? The pH level of your drinking water reflects how acidic it is. pH stands for “potential hydrogen,” referring to the amount of hydrogen mixed with the water. pH is measured on a scale that runs from 0-14. Seven is neutral, indicating there is no acid or alkalinity present. A measurement below 7 indicates acid is present and a measurement above 7 indicates alkalinity.

3. What is nitrate? Nitrate is a compound that is formed naturally when nitrogen combines with oxygen or ozone. Nitrogen is essential for all living things, but high levels of nitrate-nitrogen in drinking water can be dangerous to health, especially for infants and pregnant women. Nitrates are also made in large amounts by plants and animals, and are released in smoke and industrial or automotive exhaust. Silver Nitrate

4. Chlorine and Your Drinking Water The drinking of chlorinated water has finally been officially linked to an increased incidence of colon cancer. Long-term drinking of chlorinated water appears to increase a person's risk of developing bladder cancer as much as 80%,

5. What is Phosphorus A highly reactive, poisonous, nonmetallic element occurring naturally in phosphates, especially apatite, and existing in three allotropic forms, white (or sometimes yellow), red, and black. An essential constituent of protoplasm, it is used in safety matches, pyrotechnics, incendiary shells, and fertilizers and to protect metal surfaces from corrosion. Atomic number 15; atomic weight 30.9738; melting point (white) 44.1°C; boiling point 280°C; specific gravity (white) 1.82; valence 3, 5.

6. Test Results (PPM)

7. Test Results PPM (continued)

8. What do the results mean? The pH value determines whether water is hard or soft. The pH of pure water is 7. In general, water with a pH lower than 7 is considered acidic, and with a pH greater than 7, basic. Alkalinity is a measure of the capacity of the water to resist a change in pH that would tend to make the water more acidic. The measurement of alkalinity and pH is needed to determine the corrosiveness of the water. Excessive nitrate (NO3) in drinking water can cause human and animal health problems, particularly for small babies. The United States Public Health Service has established a specific standard of 10 milligrams of nitrate nitrogen per liter as the maximum concentration safe for human consumption.

9. Are there any health issues associated with our findings? In general, water with a low pH (< 6.5) could be acidic, soft, and corrosive. Therefore, the water could contain metal ions such as iron, manganese, copper, lead, and zinc...or, on other words, elevated levels of toxic metals. In concentrations as low as 10 to 20 mg/1 nitrate nitrogen has caused illness and even death among infants under six months of age. If such water is used for supplemental or for complete bottle feeding, it may affect the ability of the blood to carry oxygen. This oxygen starvation is called methemoglobinemia, or more commonly, the "blue baby" condition. This serious illness in infants is caused because nitrate is converted to nitrite in the higher pH conditions existing in the stomachs and intestinal tracts of infants under six months of age. Nitrite interferes with the oxygen carrying capacity of a child's or baby animal's blood.

10. Are there any health issues associated with our findings? (continued) People who are adding chlorine to water for disinfection must be careful for two reasons: 1) Chlorine gas even at low concentrations can irritate eyes, nasal passages and lungs; it can even kill in a few breaths; and 2) The formation of THM compounds must be minimized because of the long-term health effects The drinking of chlorinated water has finally been officially linked to an increased incidence of colon cancer. Long-term drinking of chlorinated water appears to increase a person's risk of developing bladder cancer as much as 80%

11. References http://www.holistichealthtools.com/chlori ne.html http://www.watersystemscouncil.org http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/healthyw ater/factsheets/nitrate.html http://www.webelements.com/