Help Society: Conduct Tests for Health Benefits

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around conducting tests to evaluate the health benefits of various substances, particularly focusing on water quality and food composition. Participants explore potential projects that could help society, including testing tap water for contaminants and comparing it to filtered water.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests testing tap water to analyze the ions it contains, raising questions about chlorine levels compared to swimming pools and potential pharmaceutical contamination.
  • Another participant emphasizes the importance of knowing the contents of drinking water and the health effects of long-term exposure to contaminants.
  • There is a proposal to compare tap water with filtered water to assess the effectiveness of filtration systems.
  • Participants discuss testing pH levels of water and the regulatory standards that water treatment plants must meet.
  • One participant mentions the need to test for lead traces and seeks advice on how to conduct such tests.
  • Home-testing kits for lead are mentioned, with a suggestion to contact local health departments for more information.
  • A participant expresses interest in utilizing a swimming pool store for water testing services.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the importance of testing water quality and exploring various contaminants, but there are multiple competing views on the specific methods and tests to be conducted. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best approach to testing and the effectiveness of different filtration systems.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include uncertainty about the sensitivity of measurements for pH testing and the overall quality of home-testing kits for lead. The discussion does not resolve the effectiveness of different water filtration systems or the specific contaminants that should be prioritized for testing.

doc.madani
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hello i have just been received a science task in which i have to conduct studies in which it could help society (e.g. conduct test between foods to see which foods contain the more fats, salts etc... this can help society by people who have hypertension etc...)


could you please help in which can be simple but a very effective project in which i can do and use for this task...

Thank You very much...
 
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have a test of tap water to see the ions it contains... O.o
 
Kushal said:
have a test of tap water to see the ions it contains... O.o

You should find that city water contains a lot of chlorine. I wonder how this compares to the concentration of chlorine used in swimming pools. With Americans using so many pharmaceuticals than every before and extinguishing these chemicals in their wastes, you could determine if any of these are being inputted back into our water supplies and their concentrations. I would guess that this would be more prevalent around cities.
 
and how would this help the society?
 
Wouldn't you want to know what was in your drinking water and the possible detrimental health effects that may occur due to long exposure? What can consumers do to mitigate these effects (e.g. install reverse osmosis/filtration systems) if they choose? I believe that the EPA only did studies on about 15% of the pharmaceuticals that may get recycled into our water supplies.
 
yea i would love to know what is in my drinking water...

or maybe i could test tap water and possibly compare it to filtrated water determining the differences??
 
Yes, that seems feasible. How good are those Brita water-filters? Are they worth the price and cost to replace filters monthly, or should I just spend the extra money to buy the filtration systems that connect directly to the tap?
 
what could i do to test the waters would i have to test firstly their ph levels and then determine if that level is safe of drinking water?
 
doc.madani said:
what could i do to test the waters would i have to test firstly their ph levels and then determine if that level is safe of drinking water?

Sure, you could test pH. Water treatment plants must meet certain regulations and likely already test pH for consumer safety. Still, pH would likely vary across the different water samples, but I don't know how sensitive your measurements would have to be. Research it on the internet; there is a lot of info about water-testing methods and even other water tests for possible study.
 
  • #10
i have been doing some researching and i was informed that i would need to test the water for lead traces...

i was wondering how i can conduct the test of looking for lead traces...

thank you
 
  • #11
and if you know any other contaminants i can test for it would be very helpful...thank you very much...
 
Last edited:
  • #12
doc.madani said:
i was wondering how i can conduct the test of looking for lead traces...

I see that home-testing kits for lead traces are sold in many places, but I don't know anything of their overall quality. Contact your local health department or water utility company and tell them you are doing a school project. They should have some good info...hopefully. =)
 
  • #13
ok cool thank you
 
  • #14
lol.

actually i know a swimming pool store that tests water for chlorine ect...

hope they can test it for me =)
 

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