Are You Drinking Safe Water?

Are you? As you know, many bottled waters and tap waters differ in amounts of E.Coli, but which water is the best?

For a description on E. Coli: Escherichia coli - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, basically, fecal poisoning.

Well, last year, I did a test for my science fair project to see which brand of water is better in terms of E. Coli, the waters I tested were

• Arrowhead
• Fiji
• Dasani
• Aquafina
• Regular Tap Water

I ran my experiment by buying special discs to grow E.Coli. I put 1000microliters of each water sample at 65 degrees in each disc. I let them incubate in an incubator for 2 weeks. The growth of E.Coli would show up as tiny colonies on the gel inside the discs. I ran my experiment twice, (I didnt have enough discs for a third trial)

The results: (for both trials)

• Arrowhead- Many colonies of E.Coli, basically, everywhere
• Fiji- One colony of E.Coli
• Dasani- No colonies
• Aquafina- No colonies
• Tap Water- No colonies

Basically, Tap water is okay to drink in terms of E.Coli, :thumbsup: other bacteria Im unsure of. For a simple precaution, do not drink Arrowhead.


;)

From what I was reading at school in a public health publication, tap water is, as a general rule, much safer if it comes from a municipal water supply because in the United States, municipal water is filtered and treated and is required by law to be regularly sampled, tested and inspected. Bottled water, on the other hand, is completely unregulated. There's no telling what's in those bottles, and there's no oversight to make sure it's safe and clean. Interestingly, although the water itself is generally safe to drink, water from public drinking fountains is notoriously contaminated from saliva- and skin-borne bacteria and viruses because people put their faces and mouths down too close to the spigots. There've been several tests of public water fountains in the Dallas area, and the results are never good. (News stations here in Dallas like to do stories on this subject during ratings-sweeps periods.)

I drink water that originates from our municipal water supply, and it's filtered through the filter in my refrigerator before it comes out the front of the refrigerator door. I like the way that water tastes better than any other I've tried.

i don't worry about all that crap o.0 if i was actually scared of being sick or dying over everything that could get me sick or kill me..

well technically i'd be living in giant hermaticly sealed bubble... then i'd still have problems cuz of water, food, even the air i breathed... o.0 i just say screw it.. i'm not gonna drink pond water or something, but short of that, screw it lol...

The FDA strictly regulates most of this stuff....most companies bottle water at high temps with ozone injected in them...which after 30min or so just breaks down to O2. Tap has Cl to kill bacteria along with cyanide and tons of other goodies....drink treated water that has been scrubbed with activated carbon and put through a RO filter for good water.

Was your experiment done in an aseptic environment? If not then the source could come from other than the water.

Id bet arrowhead is simply a better catalyst for growth...I dont believe there is a food that only E Coli can grow on...I bet there was a few different types of bacteria growing on there

Im not trying to be an ass, just wanted to point out some stuff.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cyclonite

Was your experiment done in an aseptic environment? If not then the source could come from other than the water.

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yes, and e.coli just doesnt grow on water, it grows on whatever it can

I know..im just saying the water might be a catalyst for growth. Im assuming the food is the gel on the petrie dish. That is interesting though....do you know its E Coli and not other bacterial growth?

I wish I had a clean room other than work to experiment in...your lucky.

I would think that it would be highly regulated though.

good to see aquafina has no colonies lol

i wonder about 'poland spring'

My tap water comes from a city well,,, I get an annual government test report on what is in the water... no ecoli here:hippy: :hippy: :hippy:

No E.Coli in the water here, but a few years ago, they discovered high contents of lead in the drinking water in DC, and where I live in Arlington.

Let's say I'm not very comfortable drinking the water.

I guess you have not seen what they pour out of the faucet here in Los Angeles, it comes out of the tap looking like piss and smells like Clorox bleach.
You cannot drink the water out of the tap here and I still feel dirty after a shower because of all the minerals in the water here.
My water is extremely filtered, even my Braun coffee pot has a Brita water filter in it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cyclonite

I know..im just saying the water might be a catalyst for growth. Im assuming the food is the gel on the petrie dish. That is interesting though....do you know its E Coli and not other bacterial growth?

I wish I had a clean room other than work to experiment in...your lucky.

I would think that it would be highly regulated though.

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yes, they were special for E.Coli growth only, I paid like $40 for them from a science catalog

Brooklyn tap water is very good.

I use a Brita filter for drinking water, tea, etc. just to further improve it.

My sister in law, about 10 years ago, did a test of varioius waters with her cats. She put out bowls of different bottled spring waters, plain Brooklyn tap water, and a bowl of Brooklyn tap water filtered by a Brita. The cats preferred the Brita-filtered tap water.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Breukelen advocaat

Brooklyn tap water is very good.

I use a Brita filter for drinking water, tea, etc. just to further improve it.

My sister in law, about 10 years ago, did a test of varioius waters with her cats. She put out bowls of different bottled spring waters, plain Brooklyn tap water, and a bowl of Brooklyn tap water filtered by a Brita. The cats preferred the Brita-filtered tap water.

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I knew you would chime in cause New York water is like the best in the states...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fasterspider

I guess you have not seen what they pour out of the faucet here in Los Angeles, it comes out of the tap looking like piss and smells like Clorox bleach.
You cannot drink the water out of the tap here and I still feel dirty after a shower because of all the minerals in the water here.
My water is extremely filtered, even my Braun coffee pot has a Brita water filter in it.

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You are right man. My tap water is just nasty, I don't feel clean using it to wash.

three letters: T A P... and dasani and aquafina, im e.coli free!! good to know, although i would have probably known if i had ecoli
peace:jointsmile:

Poland Springs has been known to have traces of arsenic in it... Great Bear if you get it where you are has a good rep and I knew Auquafina was good too. I will buy auquafina if I am thirsty and at a convenience store but,,, with an under counter filter my tap is really good,,,it is well water...

ew, fiji water is nasty, it tastes different