Soda Fountain Machines Spew Bacteria Too

While this may be a revelation to many at Aqua Star International this is no surprise.

In a scientific study conducted by microbiologists from the University of Arizona several years ago, researchers collected and tested used filters from our retail water vending machines as a means of duplicating municipal water quality from the tap water recipient's perspective to see how it matched up to water quality reported from the processing/distribution points.

Their findings? Exactly the same as the researchers cited in this article.

clipped from www.nbcwashington.com The study, published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology, looked at "microbial populations" in soda dispensed from 30 beverage fountain machines (both self-service and staff-operated) in restaurants and cafeterias and found coliform bacteria in nearly half of the samples, plus other “opportunistic pathogenic microorganisms” (translation: icky stuff), according to the Smithsonian Magazine's blog.

Millions in U.S. Drink Dirty Water, Records Show

An ongoing investigation by the New York Times reveals the quality of our municipal drinking water systems across the country is not consistent with the information provided in reports to customers.

It appears to be the result of the all to frequent example of the federal government (in this case the EPA) having proper regulations in place and good intentions, but neither the political will or resources to enforce regulatory standards.

Click this link to read the full article at the NYT online.
http://tinyurl.com/ye84h2k

New Research - Like Water for Chocolate?

The findings of this study suggest the brain's repsponse to ingesting anything we find pleasant takes priority over other senses; including pain or discomfort. Interestingly, water works as well as chocolate as a stimulus. Who knew?

clipped from www.sciencedaily.com But the painkilling effect can be turned to our advantage, Mason said, perhaps as a replacement for the practice of using candy to calm children – or even adults – in the doctor's office. "Ingestion is a painkiller but we don't need the sugar," Mason said. "So replace the doctor's lollipop with a drink of water."

Where To Refill Those Cool Reusable Water Bottles

Tucson, AZ
Aqua Star International announces a new addition to its green oriented vending product line.
The Pure-Vend G-2500 model joins the G-2000 in the company's eco-friendly offerings.
Designed for indoor/outdoor installation in public retail, campus or recreation settings, the G-2500 dubbed "b.y.o.b." provides a filling station source for all those environmentally conscious consumers who have given up throw-away plastic bottles in favor of BPA-free reusable plastic or stainless steel drinking water bottles.

With the introduction of this new type of vending machine, people are no longer forced to choose between expensive (and environmentally taxing) purchased water in disposable plastic or tap water carried from home or refilled from a public fountain. The b.y.o.b. will provide the convenience to encourage more people to make the switch from disposable to reusable bottles.

Initial field test installations have been underway for several months with additional sites slated for high traffic public areas in the city of Tucson over the next two months.

During this stage of development the company intends to test several different revenue models locally before launching the product beyond the control of its sister company Arjencia Water, which operates a large number of bulk water vending machines and water station kiosks throughout southern Arizona (see www.arjencia.com for more information)

Versatility in payment systems and water filtration processes are hallmarks of the G-2500. Currently the machines can be operated via, coin/cash, prepaid cards, tokens, coupons or free-vends. Filtration mode can be custom defined by the environment of machine placement; anything from direct vend of tap quality, to multi-stage filtration to full reverse osmosis depending on utility resources and quality of the source water.

For more information please visit www.aquastarintl.com or contact Rick MacNeal @ 800-688-1858 or rick@aquastarintl.com

School Children At Risk From Contaminated Drinking Water

The article reinforces mounting evidence the trust we've naively placed on the efficacy of our municipal water supplies, threatens our home, business and school drinking water sources. "Experts" throw up their hands claiming only massive government spending can resolve the issue. At Aqua Star we know the answer is much simpler. Instead of settling for municipal water supplies of questionable quality and drinking water from vending machines also spewing tons of plastic waste into our landfills, we are launching a green vending product coupled with a "bottle-free" community fund-raising program suitable for any school system. Call us for details 1-800-688-1858

clipped from www.sfexaminer.com CUTLER, CALIF. — Over the last decade, the drinking water at thousands of schools across the country has been found to contain unsafe levels of lead, pesticides and dozens of other toxins. An Associated Press investigation found that contaminants have surfaced at public and private schools in all 50 states — in small towns and inner cities alike. Experts and children's advocates complain that responsibility for drinking water is spread among too many local, state and federal agencies, and that risks are going unreported. Finding a solution, they say, would require a costly new national strategy for monitoring water in schools.

The Fed Begins Investigating Pharmaceutical Contaminants in Drinking Water

The EPA has composed a list of 104 pharmaceuticals that pose potential health threats to drinking water supplies. Click the link below for the complete list.

clipped from www.chloregy.com The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has listed 104 chemicals, including a number of pharmaceuticals, as potential drinking water contaminants to be considered for government regulation. While the agency must evaluate possible chemical contaminants every five years under the Safe Drinking Water Act, this is the longest list ever compiled by the agency and the first time it has included pharmaceuticals. They include estrogens such as equilenin, equilin, estradiol, and mestranol, which are used for hormone replacement therapy and birth control. Also on the list are 12 microbes, including the hepatitis A virus. The EPA evaluated about 7,500 contaminants and biological agents when compiling the list. Researchers will continue to evaluate data on the 104 chemicals and 12 microbes, and by 2013 will determine whether drinking water standards should exist for at least five of them. Click here to read the full list of the EPA’s “contaminant candidates.”

What makes Up The Secret Sauce?

Until the passage of a recent bill, natural gas drilling companies were exempt from revealing the list of chemicals used in the extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing.

Although the industry steadfastly maintains the process has technological safeguards prohibiting the contamination of nearby groundwater resources, it was only a matter of time before the logic of these claims came into question.

Following the details of the article it is hard to conclude the changes to the quality of well water in this rural area of Wyoming could be anything but a cause and effect consequence of drilling.

clipped from www.reuters.com PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - U.S. government scientists have for the first time found chemical contaminants in drinking water wells near natural gas drilling operations, fueling concern that a gas-extraction technique is endangering the health of people who live close to drilling rigs.