Alabama Water Quality Information System

— Choose a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) —


	211.-		I saw a report showing that my drinking water has small amounts of lots of chemicals. Are all these chemicals in my drinking water bad for me?


	212.-		I saw a test of my water and now I am worried about particular contaminants. What should I know about these contaminants?


	213.-		If a granular activated carbon (GAC) filter unit is being used to remove radon from water is exposure to this unit a radiation health risk?


	214.-		If Cryptosporidium oocysts are very resistant to inactivation by chlorine disinfection of water, how can they be removed from drinking water?


	215.-		If di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) can leach from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic or polybutylene (PB) plastic plumbing components, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has determined that DEHP is a potential human carcinogen, why have so many household plumbing systems and water distribution systems made such widespread use of plastics that contain phthalates?


	216.-		If fluoride is good for your teeth why is there a drinking water standard limiting the amount of fluoride put in drinking water?


	217.-		If I am infected by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria from a contaminated drinking water source, how long will the infection persist without treatment?


	218.-		If I am on a municipal water system, can I be sure that my water supply is free of parasitic cysts?


	219.-		If I have a private well, is nitrate one of the regular tests I should get on my water?


	220.-		If my hydrogen sulfide (H2S) problem is associated with sulfur bacteria in my well water supply, what can I do?


	221.-		If my neighbor has coliform bacteria in his well water is it likely that my well water is also contaminated?


	222.-		If my private water source or public drinking water supply has perchlorate below the interim health advisor level of 15 parts per billion that is considered safe but I still wish to lower my potential risk from exposure to this chemical, what type of water treatment device should I purchase?


	223.-		If my private well water is clear and smells OK can it still have bacteria or other microorganisms?


	224.-		If my water has a blue-green tint, does that mean my water contains lead?


	225.-		If my well water has tested positive for coliform bacteria, should my family drink bottled water?


	226.-		If neighborhood wells in my area are contaminated by bacteria, should I absorb the costs for hooking up to a public water system to ensure the safety of my drinking water?


	227.-		If normal lead (Pb) concentrations in freshwater are much lower than the standards set for drinking water, how does lead concentration get high enough in drinking water to become a health issue?


	228.-		If public drinking water is safe, how come so many people got sick in Milwaukee in 1993 from tap water?


	229.-		If raw water sources contain dissolved organic chemicals, trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAA5) can form when chlorine is used for preoxidation or disinfection treatment of this water. Can air-stripping be used as an effective process for removing both the THMs and HAA5 from this water to meet current drinking water standards?


	230.-		If sodium is of little concern in public drinking water systems, why did EPA include it on their Contaminant Candidate List (CCL) for potential regulation in the future?


	231.-		In determining the biological safety of water for drinking, recreational contact or wadding, what do the terms CFU and CFU/100ml represent?


	232.-		In towns and cities, what is the major cause of pollution of drinking water sources?


	233.-		In water, manganese is considered to be a nuisance type contaminant and not a health related contaminant. Can over-exposure to manganese cause health problems?


	234.-		In what form does arsenic most commonly exist in ground water sources?


	235.-		In what forms are metals usually found in raw water or wastewater sources?


	236.-		Is all scale that comes out of hard water the same?


	237.-		Is all water hard as I was recently told by a sales rep for water softeners?


	238.-		Is biological treatment a suitable method for remediation of soil and water contaminated with perchlorate?


	239.-		Is Cryptosporidium a potential threat to all water systems?


	240.-		Is exposure to asbestos more of a threat in air or water?

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This website was developed by the ACES Water Quality Team, under the leadership of Dr. James E. Hairston. It is funded, in part, by USDA-CSREES water quality grant support under Section 406 of the Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Reform Act of 1998.