Shameful Scam: Drinking Sodium Chlorite Products as a Cure for Autism

Can drinking a chlorine dioxide bleach solution cure children of autism? There is no evidence that it can. Parents of autistic children, however, are being targeted by deceptive online ads for “Miracle Mineral Solution,” “Master Mineral Solution,” and similar products marketed with false claims of curing autism. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a recent warning about these products, noting that ingesting them has made consumers sick and can even lead to death.


Chlorinated Tap Water: Benefits and Risks

It’s hard to believe that an article I wrote almost a decade ago, Chlorine in Tap Water Is Safe to Drink, remains the most popular of our now over 350 perspectives by the Water Quality & Health Council (WQ&HC). An update seemed in order, but based on its long-established (over 110 years) efficacy and safety: chlorinated tap water is still safe to drink.


The Water Quality & Health Council Welcomes Assistant Professor Heather Murphy, PhD, P Eng

The Water Quality & Health Council is delighted to introduce our new member, Assistant Professor Heather Murphy, PhD, P Eng. A recognized expert in the field of water quality and public health, Dr. Murphy is an assistant professor in the College of Public Health at Temple University. She was invited to join the Council during


A New Survey Reveals Americans’ Understanding and Misunderstanding of Pool Chemicals

This spring the American Chemistry Council (ACC) sponsored a survey of over 3,000 American adults to gauge popular knowledge and awareness of a summer mainstay: pool chemicals. Swimmers depend on pool chemicals to help keep pool water safe, comfortable, and enjoyable, but many pool patrons may be unaware that they have a personal role to play in maintaining good pool chemistry. As an outside group of public health and consumer advisors to ACC, we reviewed the survey results and report here on the most surprising, most reassuring, and funniest of these findings.


Drinking Water Safety in the United States: Coast to Coast and Source to Tap

Over the years, the Water Quality & Health Council has written extensively about how most Americans enjoy virtually unlimited, year-round access to safe, treated, and inexpensive drinking water for pennies per gallon. This article highlights how this cornerstone of U.S. public health protection is made possible across our large nation with widely varying climates, landscapes,


The Future of U.S. Desalination for Safe Drinking Water

Safe drinking water is an essential human need. But the vast majority of the world’s water (e.g., seawater) is high in salinity (briny) and dissolved solids, and is unsuitable for drinking and most domestic uses. (Making it potable cannot be accomplished without extensive and costly treatment compared to conventional treatment of traditional freshwater supplies.) According to the United Nations, water scarcity already affects every continent, especially in (semi)arid and rapidly growing coastal areas. And it’s not just California: Freshwater scarcity is already or expected to be a statewide or regional problem in many inland states like Nevada, Montana, and my home state of Colorado.


Lessons Learned from New Zealand’s Drinking Water Debate

It’s been over a year since we last wrote about New Zealand’s largest waterborne disease outbreak. In August 2016, following heavy winter rains, an estimated 5,500 of 14,000 residents of Havelock North fell ill, with potentially up to 4 deaths, after drinking intentionally untreated groundwater from a community well contaminated with Campylobacter bacteria. A farm


The State of Lead Testing in School Drinking Water

Although lead has been banned in U.S. drinking water infrastructure since 1986, it is still present in older lead-soldered copper and cast iron lines serving schools and other buildings. Lead can also be present in some indoor plumbing, solder, and fixtures at older schools, including high-lead brass faucets and in some drinking water fountains. Since


Swimming Pool Sanitizer and Shower Myths

Swimmer hygiene was once a relatively taboo topic. In 2009, we broke the ice by reporting on a survey that found one in five American adults admit to having “peed in the pool.” The floodgates were open! In recent years, we’ve written about the swimming pool as a “communal bathtub” and one in which one


New Study Forecasts How the Flu Spreads Across America

A University of Chicago research team has identified the critical factors that affect the annual spread of the flu across America. In their new study, the researchers compare the spread of seasonal flu to the spread of a wildfire, identifying the “spark,” “dry tinder” and “wind” required to disperse the illness from place to place.