Clean the Water: When it is muddied by Misinformation

Softened water is bad for your health because it has sodium in it and removes dietary calcium! Distilled or R.O. water leaches essential minerals from your body! Softened water leaches lead from your household plumbing!

It is disturbing for a water treatment professional to hear negative misconceptions like these from anyone but, it is especially chilling when the message is distributed to large numbers of people through the local press or as part of a mailing from the local water utility.

Perhaps it is a misunderstanding in an attempt to present a "well-rounded" news story or perhaps, it is the result of an individual who is hostile towards the industry: in either situation, it can cause serious damage to your business.

In most cases, the person putting out the misinformation does not know that it is inaccurate since some of this misinformation has floated around for fifty years and has occasionally been printed by credible sources.

Fortunately, most of the attacks against the industry, such as the ones which lead into this article, are common misconceptions which can be easily countered with legitimate, third-party information. Here are a few misconceptions that seem to be making the rounds in recent months and the rebuttals to them.

1) The consumption of high purity water results in ill health effects. This misconception involves the theory that water with low concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) causes mineral leaching from the body, intestinal disorders and urinary tract disorders. Low TDS water can occur naturally or as the result of deionization, distillation or R.O. treatment.

The origins of this misconception reach back to studies conducted in the former Soviet Union between 15 and 30 years ago that were summarized in an article that came to the attention of the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO released an unofficial summary of the article (without additional research or follow-up) in 1980 entitled "Guidelines on Health Aspects of Water Desalination" by G.I. Sidorenko and Y.A. Rachmanin.

The WHO summary states that water with a TDS level of less than 100 mg/L disturbs the water-salt balance in the body and results in the leaching of individual salts such as sodium, potassium and chloride, as well as some calcium from the person who drinks it. The document further postulates that the result of the leaching can "cause destructive changes of the gastrointestinal mucosa, can affect the secretory function and muscle tone of the stomach and, can also reduce the thirst-quenching capacity of the water." The most obvious effect of this was said to be diarrhea.

However, the scientific methodology of the Soviet studies is highly suspect. The conclusions on physiological changes were drawn from rat, dog and human subjects. Few specifics were offered as to total water intake, diet, whether high purity water was exclusively consumed or the controls used. In addition, the human subjects were explained to be volunteers undergoing water replenishment after strenuous forced marches in the desert. These extreme conditions are far from typical for the average high purity water consumer and make proper control of diet and mineral intake critical for accuracy. Also, the physiological changes observed on dogs were the same for water containing TDS of both 50 mg/L and 1,000 mg/L. These inconsistencies further strain the reliability of the methodology and conclusions drawn from it.

Fortunately, there is considerable evidence to counter the Soviet studies. Dr. Daniel Menzel, on of the nation's leading toxicologists and the chairman of the Department of Community and Environmental Medicine at the University of California in Irvine, points to homeostasis as one of the reasons that the idea of leaching of minerals by consuming high purity water is an "erroneous assumption".

Homeostasis is the control of ion and water concentrations in the body's fluids. All organs and tissues of the body are involved in homeostasis. When the concentration of an ion such as sodium, potassium or calcium fluctuates, water moves across the cell wall or membrane to equalize it. Therefore, any changes in concentrations from drinking high purity water are quickly and naturally brought to equilibrium. These dynamic bodily adjustments continuously occur - they can be measured and are not an ill health effect.

More evidence comes from the experience of the United States Navy. The U.S. Navy has used distilled sea water for human consumption for approximately 40 years. The distilled water used on board ships generally has an extremely low TDS of 3.0 mg/L. Personnel, particularly those on submarines, drink this water for several months at a time. In all these years, high purity water has not been noticed or documented to produce any negative effects and the Navy Surgeon General's office has stated for the record that no ill effects occur from drinking low TDS water.

Other practical examples are presented by the people who live in Lake Tahoe, California; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; Boston, Massachusetts; and San Francisco, California which have natural TDS levels below 100 mg/L. These areas represent a considerable total population that apparently experiences no ill health effects from the water they consume.

A 1986 project sponsored by the US EPA in San Ysidro, New Mexico, offers an additional rebuttal to the Soviet studies. R.O. units were installed in the homes in this small town in order to reduce a high level of arsenic in the water supply. In addition to reducing arsenic levels, the units reduced the TDS level in the water from 800 mg/L to approximately 40 mg/L. According to Dr. Thomas J. Sorg, the EPA officer in charge of the project, there were no harmful effects observed in the subjects who drank the water. The project lasted an entire year. Finally, WQA commissioned Lee T. Rozelle, Ph.D. to conduct an extensive information search to find any other published findings on this issue. The results of the search supported the position that low TDS water was not harmful to the individual.

2) The minerals found in water have a significant influence on a person's health. A common misconception is that the presence of calcium in hard water is significant from a health standpoint. This misconception seems valid because dietary mineral intake is critical for good health. Therefore, if you remove the calcium, you are impacting a person's mineral intake. What is often overlooked, however, is the fact that scientific evidence suggests that the typical levels of calcium and other dietary minerals in water are significant - even in very hard water.

Two litres of very hard water (the typical person consumes two litres of water per day) with 17 gpg of hardness will only contain about 232 milligrams (mg) of calcium. This is about 10 percent of a person's minimum daily requirement for calcium and would require a person to consume about 20 litres of water to meet their requirement by water alone. Most of a person's total dietary mineral intake comes from food. It should also be noted that the above calculations for calcium content assumed that the hard water contained 100 percent calcium. Typically, only three-fourths of the hardness minerals is calcium which reduces the hypothetical calcium intake even further.

3) Sodium consumption from softened water poses a heath risk to the average person. This is another misconception which contains the grain of truth that allows it to persist -excessive sodium can produce ill heath effects. However, you would be hard pressed to exceed your sodium intake through the consumption of softened water.

There are about 300 mg of sodium present in two litres of water softened from 19 gpg of hardness. This would be labelled a "very low sodium" beverage in accordance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations. Since the average person takes in about 5,000 mg of sodium per day, this is insignificant. Even a person on a low sodium diet ( 3,000 mg/day recommended by the American Heart Association ) has little to worry about with softened water since they would have to drink 20 litres of water to exceed the recommended level.

There is, however, a very small percentage of people who are on diets significantly more restrictive than 3,000 mg/day. These individuals should consult their doctor about the sodium content in their drinking water. They may want to use an alternative source of drinking water or treat their water to remove the sodium or only soften their hot water.

4) Softened water is more corrosive than the hard water it comes from. Unfortunately, the properties of naturally soft water are often confused with those of softened water. Naturally soft water is usually very aggressive since it has a very low TDS level. This water will actively seek to leach lead or most any other substance it comes in contact with until some concentration of TDS is reached. (Again, this should not be compared with lead leaching in the body since TDS is added well before the water enters the stomach.)

There is no reason for softened water to be more aggressive or corrosive than the source water since the TDS level and pH remain relatively unchanged by the softening process. This issue is currently being addressed by the USEPA and the Water Quality Research Council (WQRC) through an on-going study. The initial findings indicate that softened water is not more corrosive and has prompted the USEPA and American Water Works Association (AWWA) to cease making this assertion.

5) Water softeners are troublesome to maintain. While this was a somewhat valid argument for the softener owner of the 1950's, virtually all modern water softeners fully automate the process of starting, stopping, recharging bypass and backwashing. Salt will have to be added to a softener about twice a month (a fair estimate for a typical household unit in very hard water area) in a process that takes no more than several minutes. Many softener dealers will maintain a softener for the homeowner who does not want to be bothered with the minimal maintenance involved. The fee is usually minor and easily accepted by those who place extraordinary value on their spare time.

6) Softener discharge can damage or impair the operation of a septic tank. There is no scientific evidence to support this misconception and considerable evidence is present to suggest otherwise.

Studies conducted at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and NSF International have demonstrated that water softeners caused no problems in the operation of either anaerobic or aerobic home waste treatment plants. The brine was not found to have any negative effect on the biological decomposition action and the hydrologic load added to the system during regeneration was roughly equivalent to the discharge of a washing machine. Only in cases where the septic field is poorly designed, constructed or sized will this additional discharge be a problem.

COUNTERING THE MISINFORMATION

So now that you know some of the rebuttals to these harmful misconceptions, the question is: how to respond? Each situation will be different and the circumstances under which this information has been disseminated will likely direct your response. This article serves only as a general guide and professional help should be sought if you have any questions on how to respond to specific situations.

If the misinformation was publicized as a legitimate attempt to present a well rounded story or a well-meaning attempt to protect the public, then getting your rebuttal out should be relatively easy. However, if the material was disseminated by someone with a dislike of the industry, then, the process becomes much more difficult. They may not trust you, they will likely be predisposed to disagree with what you have to say and they may look for negative messages to publicize.

With either type of individual, a good place to start is by calling the person who put out the misinformation and explaining how the information is inaccurate. You should be highly professional and avoid allowing the situation to become "personal". Send them support material from third-party organizations to corroborate you point. The information available from CWQA on each of these issues is listed at the end of this article.

If the person who put out the misinformation was well-meaning, then getting a correction should be relatively easy after the support material arrives.

If the person who put out the misinformation is hostile toward the industry, then getting them to come around to your side may be difficult or even impossible. If they agree not to continue the attacks, then it might be best to let it stop there. In some cases, continuing to push for a correction or aggressively confronting the individual in a public forum are not in your best interest. If you do go further and get involved in a public confrontation, the misinformation could be repeated a number of times before it is finally cleared up; and many people may not catch the clear up when it occurs. Also, if the misinformation comes from a hostile reporter or water utility manager, then you are dealing with locally "credible" people who can get their negative messages out much easier than you can effectively respond to them.

One way to make life easier when dealing with hostile individuals is to try and win them over. If their negative reaction comes from dealing with an unethical person in the industry, you should show them most of the industry, including your business, is highly ethical and provides good service to the consumer.

CWQA membership, with its mandatory compliance with the Code of Ethics, is a good way to establish your credibility. Explain the Code and the complaint process. Make copies of the Code and Complaint Form available to the individual. If you or your employees are Certified Water Technicians or Certified Water Installers, you have another means to promote your credibility to the individual. An additional way to promote your credibility is to explain the established capabilities of your products, particularly those that are tested and certified by third-party organizations.

If you feel that the misinformation is damaging your business and the person who publicized it refuses to cooperate, then you may decide to independently push for a public rebuttal.

Even if a reporter refuses to correct the article, most newspapers will print a "Letter to the Editor" where you can state your position.

If the negative message comes from someone outside the media, then you may wish to use the media to get the message out. Again, you have to define how widespread the message has become and determine if additional airings of the issue is in your best interest.

Start by calling the editors and producers of the local media and explain the problem. Tell them how the misinformation is unfairly damaging local businesses and misleading the people in the area. Send any support information you have on the issue to your media contacts by the quickest means possible. Include a follow-up letter and press release if it is needed or requested.

Follow-ups from reporters are possible once you begin this action and you should be prepared with as much information on the issues in question as you can gather. It is also a good idea to review other potential issues which may arise in the interview, most of which are covered by CWQA Position Papers. It is also a good idea to mail a rebuttal to your current customers if the misconception has become widespread and to their attention.

Perhaps the best way to deal with people negative to the industry is to win them over before problems arise. Visit your local water manager with a full packet of information on the industry. Explain the focus and professionalism of your company and the industry. Listen to any complaints he/she may have and respond fairly to the issues they raise. Explain that both industries are best served when people are completely satisfied with your common product, water. Refrain from using negative advertising and fear tactic marketing (in many cases, this may be how the hostile attitude develops). Make them aware of the ethics and advertising complaint process and show them that you are just as concerned about ethics as they are.

For members of the local media, contact editors and producers ahead of time, by phone, and arrange a personal visit. Honestly state local water issues without overplaying them and describe how your industry (and business) can solve them. This will establish you as a source of information when water issues catch the media's attention. An added benefit will likely be highly credible and free promotion for you business (note: do not try to force coverage because you advertise with a media outlet or know the publisher).

A final philosophy to make life easier is to remember that "the customer is always right," even when they are not. A personal confrontation with an angry customer can become a public issue if he or she has enough motivation. Think of them as the equal of your best salesperson, only they are working hard to cost you business. If you can satisfy these customers, even if it is at your expense, it may lead to future sales to the customer or word-of-mouth sales to the customer's friends and family.