What happened?
According to the Tampa Bay Times, there was an attempt to contaminate the water supply in Pinellas County on Friday, February 5th. Local and federal authorities are investigating after someone remotely accessed the city’s water treatment system and increased the amount of sodium hydroxide by more than 100 parts per million. A small amount of this chemical, also known as lye, is used to control the acidity of water. Sodium hydroxide is commonly used, in larger quantities, in common household cleaning supplies.
The perpetrator was said to have taken control of a computer within the treatment system and increased the amount of sodium hydroxide from 100 parts per million to 11,100 parts per million. An operator quickly noticed and changed it back, avoiding any changes to the water supply. Contact with sodium hydroxide can kill skin and cause hair loss, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Ingestion can be fatal. In 2007, a Massachusetts town reported an accidental increase with the same chemical that led to hospitalizations for burns and rashes.
How to protect your drinking water going forward
While there are protocols put in place to prevent water contamination such as what happened this past week, it is important to be wary of what is in the water you use in daily life. In this case, a PureBlue H2O Reverse Osmosis System would decrease the likelihood of harm caused by a majority of increases in contaminant levels. Reverse Osmosis is the same process used by major bottlers, giving you the purest, best tasting water for your family.
Our Reverse Osmosis systems are certified to NSF/ANSI standards 58 and 372, giving you the power to reduce the most comprehensive list of contaminants from your water, such as:
- Lead
- Fluoride R
- Arsenic
- Cadmium
- Chromium 6
- Chromium (Trivalent)
- Copper Radium 226/228
- Selenium
- Turbidity
- TDS
- Giardia
- Cyclospora
- Cryptosporidium
- And more!
Download the performance data sheet to view all of this system’s capabilities or check out our other water filtration systems to keep your family safe from contaminants.
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