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http://www.wqa.org/sitelogic.cfm?ID=1703+ y( _8 _- h- e6 ?) N: ~% }: U
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Posted 1/17/06
4 G6 e3 h6 C) @0 IUPDATE: Water utility pulls soft water misinformation offline after WQA complaint
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Publicity generated by the Water Quality Association (WQA) has led a major US city’s water utility to remove misstatements about softened water from their Web site.* s e/ b1 x1 |) j2 r7 g
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Last November, a number of WQA members alerted us to an online article entitled “Soft Water: It’s Not for Drinking,” posted by a water utility. The article included a number of incorrect statements about water softening and the affects of consuming softened water.
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( ^% K% V' a& nIn response, WQA Technical Director Joseph F. Harrison, PE, CWS-VI, wrote a letter to the utility’s public information offer, refuting the article’s claims line by line, citing the Environmental Protection Agency research and other sources. Harrison ultimately requested the information be removed from the water agency’s Web site.
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The letter went unanswered until WQA published an article on the matter in the January 2006 edition of WQA Industry Update and on our Web site. That article was later picked up by another water industry publication, which further generated attention.
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1 W2 G" i2 x _As a result, the public information officer for the water agency has pulled the article. She has since asked her staff to work with the WQA to clear up any misleading or inaccurate information about softened water., M9 U6 l9 B4 `/ K+ T+ z$ H- I1 \" i
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Editor’s Note: I light of the water utility granting our request to pull the article, we have removed the names of both the public water utility and its information officer from the original article, below.4 y7 B/ I. l+ Y' ^) B7 R6 w+ s# d
0 T- B4 e, N3 {- WWQA challenges soft water misinformation posted on water utility's Web site' J% V- v% h* d D( V
% ~$ s4 l/ ^" H$ }. O8 POriginally posted 1/9/06, updated 1/17/06& b: \9 n9 ?- [0 a* i
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The Water Quality Association has battled misinformation about water treatment since its inception — and our latest challenge is with a major US city's water department and a number of inaccuracies about water softening.
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3 a- ~. |) q+ T3 i$ l+ sThe department has posted an article on its Web site entitled, “Soft Water: It’s Not for Drinking.” In the piece, a number of biased and inaccurate statements are made regarding water softening devices and why, in the city’s opinion, they should not be used. Among the misleading and/or false statements, the article purports that softened water more aggressively leaches metals from water lines; that softeners should be considered solely for laundry purposes; that zeolite beads may back-siphon into toilet tanks and attack vital plumbing parts; and that softeners can boost a person’s sodium intake.
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9 X) r& O1 _5 b8 Z5 iOn November 9, WQA Technical Director Joseph F. Harrison, PE, CWS-VI, wrote a letter to the utility's public information officer, refuting the article’s inaccuracies and requesting that the agency pull the article and refrain from publishing opinion and misinformation. The following are excerpts from that letter:: {( _' i" X3 U' g; I# F
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Softening of water via cation exchange does not produce water that is corrosive or make water more damaging to plumbing. The germane question is whether sodium in water is corrosive. That is the only addition to ion exchange softened water. The answer, of course, is no. There is nothing about the chemistry of replacing calcium and magnesium ions with sodium ions that affects corrosivity of water.' W: A4 e, c0 D, ?: D& w9 [
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An article from the August 1999 Journal AWWA entitled “Ion Exchange Softening: Effects on Metal Concentrations” ... reported on research done by the US EPA on the question of whether ion exchange softening has an effect on the corrosivity of water. The authors reported as follows: “Results showed that removing hardness ions with a household water softener did not lead to a pattern of higher metal leaching from various home plumbing materials containing lead, copper, and zinc. Furthermore, the water softener did not have a detrimental effect on several significant water quality parameters that influence metallic solubility and the rate of corrosion, i.e., pH, total inorganic carbon, dissolved oxygen, chlorine, temperature, and orthophosphate.”
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V4 f6 k# p: ^( AThis study put to rest the unproven idea that softeners cause corrosion or the leaching of metals from water lines. Nor is there anything about sodium ions in softened water versus calcium or magnesium ions in hard water that affects the health aspects of drinking water. As your Web site says, “A softener merely exchanges one group of nontoxic elements for another group of nontoxic elements.”
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. q" E" S& i5 y, n' C! \! u/ `The amount of sodium content added by ion exchange softening of water (0.46 milligrams per liter of sodium for each one mg/L of total calcium carbonate equivalent water hardness removed) is truly insignificant and trivial from a health standpoint. Did you know one could use home cation exchange water softening to soften water with over 1200 mg/L of CaCO3 or 75 grains per gallon of equivalent total water hardness and still not add sodium amounts exceeding the US Food and Drug Administration’s limit for labeling a “low sodium” beverage?
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Regarding the statement, “If your water is over 7 grains per gallon (gpg), you might want to consider a softener just for the laundry.” Any water hardness will noticeably affect laundry, it is true, but such water hardness also adversely affects hot water heaters, cleaning dishwashing, bathroom fixtures, and bathing. Cleaning agents will less effectively remove dirt and grime. Clothes may become dingy and gray with time, and feel harsh or scratchy. Glassware may begin to spot when dry. In the bath, films may be left on shower doors or curtains, walls, and tubs. Hair washed in hard water over one grain per gallon may look duller and not feel as clean. In the hot water heater, heat will cause any amount of calcium and magnesium in water to form some calcium and magnesium carbonate scale. This scale builds up with time, and can slow the heating process and increase the energy usage.
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Regarding “Zeolite beads from water softening systems may back-siphon into your toilet tanks, and the soft water may attack vital plumbing parts.” These are red-herring distractions about home water softening. It is rare for resin beads to be so released. Modern water softeners have distributor screens to prevent this. If, uncommonly, some fines should sporadically get through, however, it is important to know that these beads are completely inert and innocuous.! W9 I- ^4 }* J8 i* Q! o( h9 `" @5 M9 Q
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Regarding, “A water softener, besides leaching lead and other metals from your plumbing, can increase your sodium intake.” The insignificance of this makes your statement unduly alarming and misleading.( @4 O; w- h% v) G" l% @
- p% Q5 s4 ?+ ^- \- QRegarding ,“These devices can also be costly to run, since they can waste up to 120 gallons for every 1,000 delivered.” Modern efficiency-rated water softeners discharge about 50 gallons or less each regeneration, which on Metro water, would amount to 50 gallons discharged each two weeks for an average family. This is less than the waste discharge from only one load of laundry each two weeks in an automatic washer — not very costly or wasteful!
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Regarding “Soft water is great for laundry, bathing, steam irons, and auto batteries, but definitely not for anything else.” Soft water also:+ g2 \ Z0 c2 z9 d
- R+ K S% g3 d7 K$ l * Makes glasses, dishes, and fixtures sparkle and shine4 r2 u: x8 ~' z
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* Eliminates soap curd precipitate deposits and makes for cleaner (silky feeling) skin and hair
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2 D0 [5 h6 p% F/ u. { * Saves considerable cleaning time
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* Saves up to 50 percent of washing powder and soap consumption, and cuts the use of shampoos, conditioners, and cleaning products
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0 S3 u- X' a$ z6 O5 N; p; R * Can remove existing scale deposits in hot water systems and shower heads as well as scale around taps and stains in baths and basins, H; F& ]) \6 U( l% J8 N# }
. k, U3 z$ k7 @+ V) R * Can help certain dry skin conditions such as eczema! c/ W2 Z% a3 g6 f% r& i
( x/ U+ z. t8 h# s# n) X& S: l * Improves the efficiency of heating systems — just 1/16 inch of scale build-up in heating systems will cause a 12 percent loss in heating efficiency
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Regarding “Who will test the effectiveness of the softener, how often will these tests be run, and how will my drinking water quality be affected?” The effects of softened water can be readily observed by the homeowner. When glasses, clothes, skin, and bathroom fixtures are cleaner and easier to maintain, it is readily observed and appreciated. The same is true with the absence of scale deposits on shower heads and heating elements. However, there are also available very simple-to-use and reliable test strips to accurately measure and quantify water hardness and the effectiveness of the softener operation. Any water treatment equipment company will provide these means for any interested resident.
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% l$ N( H! o- ]8 KIt is important for everyone to accurately understand the process of ion exchange water softening and especially that water softening neither causes nor controls corrosion, nor causes any ill health.
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Harrison closed his comments to the water utility by stating: “This communication [on your Web site] contains statements that are not accurate and are not correct,” said Harrison. “They do a very unfair disservice to homeowners who have installed the products of WQA members or are considering the purchase of water softening equipment. Soft water is neither unhealthy nor undesirable for drinking,” he wrote. y; h- s0 X* x! b& f; ]
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This is just one of WQA’s valuable membership benefits. We have experts on staff that can help debunk myths, correct misinformation, and/or provide an opinion based on years of expertise in the water quality industry.8 o$ j$ x) d" @3 J- ?8 [ l0 Z6 ?
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If you would like one of our on-staff experts to weigh-in and contact an organization on your behalf regarding potential water quality misinformation, contact us at 630 505 0160. |
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发表于 2006-1-19 13:10
发表于 2006-1-20 21:30
agency 的公共信息部门将那篇曲解软水的文章从其网站上取消下来.他们后来还要求他们的与WQA一起工作的员工澄清软化水方面的误解和不实的信息. # {# T& c1 h' w8 R$ j! O2 c