How Your T-Shirt Can Make a Difference - National Geographic: Did you know that the t-shirt on your back has a major impact on the planet? Producing it took 2,700 liters of water, plus it takes a lot of energy to get it from the cotton fields to your closet. But some of your t-shirt's biggest impacts are in how you care for it. Here's how you can help reduce its effect on the environment.
Showing posts with label water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label water. Show all posts
Apps help improve water quality (video)
Around the globe, more people have access to smartphones than to clean water and sanitary facilities. A competition for smartphone developers, sponsored by the World Bank, could change that. Numerous apps show how the internet can be used to help to improve water quality. Video from Deutsche Welle:
Inside New York City's Rooftop Water Towers: Dirt and E.coli
Rooftop water towers are the primary source of drinking water for many New Yorkers, yet frequently they are poorly maintained, and present a potential health hazard.
Rooftop water towers are a constant on the New York City skyline. And though they may look like relics of a past age, millions of residents get their drinking water from the tanks every day.
But inside these rustic-looking vessels, there are often thick layers of muddy sediment. Many have not been cleaned or inspected in years. And regulations governing water tanks are rarely enforced, an examination by The New York Times shows.
Read the full story here: http://nyti.ms/LflANX
Rooftop water towers are a constant on the New York City skyline. And though they may look like relics of a past age, millions of residents get their drinking water from the tanks every day.
But inside these rustic-looking vessels, there are often thick layers of muddy sediment. Many have not been cleaned or inspected in years. And regulations governing water tanks are rarely enforced, an examination by The New York Times shows.
Read the full story here: http://nyti.ms/LflANX
Water as an essential nutrient
Water has numerous roles in the human body:
- building material
- solvent
- reaction medium and reactant
- carrier for nutrients and waste products
- thermoregulation
- lubricant and shock absorber
The regulation of water balance is very precise, as a loss of 1% of body water is usually compensated within 24 hours.
Healthy adults regulate water balance with precision, but young infants and elderly people are at greater risk of dehydration.
Dehydration can affect consciousness and can induce speech incoherence, extremity weakness, hypotonia of ocular globes, orthostatic hypotension and tachycardia.
Human water requirements are not based on a minimal intake because it might lead to a water deficit due to numerous factors that modify water needs (climate, physical activity, diet and so on). On an average, a sedentary adult should drink 1.5 l of water per day, as water is the only liquid nutrient that is really essential for body hydration.
From Wikipedia:
"Water" is a song which opened the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007. The singers explained the title: "Our folklore is like water. We've chosen this title "Water", because in Bulgarian folklore there are very slow beautiful songs, which are like a lake. But we also have songs, with very fast rhythm which are like a waterfall. And my wish is this song to be like "Water", a gasp of fresh air, for the human spirit and soul. When we recorded the promo video of this song, they poured lots of rain on us, and I felt purified. I want everyone, who hears this song to feel the same way- liberated. This is a very positive song! I'm sure that people will feel it!"
References:
Water as an essential nutrient: the physiological basis of hydration. E Jéquier1 and F Constant2. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2010) 64, 115–123; doi:10.1038/ejcn.2009.111; published online 2 September 2009.
- building material
- solvent
- reaction medium and reactant
- carrier for nutrients and waste products
- thermoregulation
- lubricant and shock absorber
The regulation of water balance is very precise, as a loss of 1% of body water is usually compensated within 24 hours.
Healthy adults regulate water balance with precision, but young infants and elderly people are at greater risk of dehydration.
Dehydration can affect consciousness and can induce speech incoherence, extremity weakness, hypotonia of ocular globes, orthostatic hypotension and tachycardia.
Human water requirements are not based on a minimal intake because it might lead to a water deficit due to numerous factors that modify water needs (climate, physical activity, diet and so on). On an average, a sedentary adult should drink 1.5 l of water per day, as water is the only liquid nutrient that is really essential for body hydration.
From Wikipedia:
"Water" is a song which opened the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007. The singers explained the title: "Our folklore is like water. We've chosen this title "Water", because in Bulgarian folklore there are very slow beautiful songs, which are like a lake. But we also have songs, with very fast rhythm which are like a waterfall. And my wish is this song to be like "Water", a gasp of fresh air, for the human spirit and soul. When we recorded the promo video of this song, they poured lots of rain on us, and I felt purified. I want everyone, who hears this song to feel the same way- liberated. This is a very positive song! I'm sure that people will feel it!"
References:
Water as an essential nutrient: the physiological basis of hydration. E Jéquier1 and F Constant2. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2010) 64, 115–123; doi:10.1038/ejcn.2009.111; published online 2 September 2009.
Fish out of pills - Pharmaceuticals in drinking water
Fish out of pills - Pharmaceuticals in drinking water, NationalGeographic, April 01, 2010. Design Editor Oliver Uberti shows what went into the making of an information graphic about pharmaceuticals that make their way into our watersheds and end up in fish. Click here to see the full-size illustration.
A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans. The concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, far below the levels of a medical dose but the long-term consequences to human health are unknown.
The pharmaceutical industry points out the amount of medication in the water supply is the equivalent of a single pill in an Olympic-size swimming pool. Still, if you a have glass of water in Philadelphia, you are drinking tiny amounts of at least 56 medications.
Antibiotics, anticonvulsants, antidepressants and sex hormones in drinking water of 41 million Americans http://goo.gl/HiXa
AP Probe Finds Drugs in Drinking Water. Associated Press.
Drugs in water causing troubling problems to fish, wildlife. CNN.
In U.S., bottled water lacks drug safeguards. CNN.
Pollution: Fish Pharm. NGM Blog Central.In U.S., bottled water lacks drug safeguards. CNN.
Fishing For Answers: How To Choose Fish and Seafood | Summer Tomato http://goo.gl/0OBf
Something in the water - fluoxetine in this river, antihypertensives in that lake - BMJ, 2011.
Something in the water - fluoxetine in this river, antihypertensives in that lake - BMJ, 2011.
Too much of a good thing? Excess fluoride in water supply causes dental problems
For the first time in nearly 50 years, the government is recommending lowering the fluoride in drinking water. Officials say many Americans are getting too much fluoride and it's causing some kids to have "splotchy" teeth. The AP's Kelly Daschle reports.
The US health department is recommending that water supplies contain 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water, replacing the current recommended range of 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams.
Learn how much fluoride is in your tap water. Call your local water municipality because the level varies from city to city. If it's above 0.7 milligrams per liter, you could consider filtering your water.
References:
U.S. Wants to Reduce Fluoride in Drinking Water. WebMD.
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