I have been on this ste for several weeks now and have followed most of the posts daily. One thing I notice is there is very little discussion about what might happen (specifically) to the water systems in your particular areas. This topic needs to be breached as it is a "major" concern in our municipality at this very moment. In fact, that is probably an understatement. There is a major "movement" in our community over this issue.

Besides the need to store it for the obvious reason of "lack thereof", I will give you another very valid concern. You can verify what I say, BTW, if you are diligent. The information is there. Here goes.

We have discussed the potential of our municipal systems failing either long term, or short term. Short term (a day or so) seems almost irrelevant. I am here now to say "no", this is potentially "deadly". I say this not to incite panic in individuals, but to make you aware of this latent threat.

Let us consider a "burp", if you will, in the very nerve centre of your municipal water sysem. Specifically, the control panel that regulates the chemicals that are introduced into your drinking water. Among those; Chlorine (in various forms), and Flouride, to name but a very few. Flouride is the concern in this post. BTW, this IS NOT A TROLL. Please, bear with me.

Flouride (sodium flouride specifically), is used in many systems throughout our nation for dental reasons. In your water, it is mixed in minute amounts. It is also found in many foods that you eat, but in only trace quantity. Your question now might be, "so ? We are eating flouride." Here is the problem.

Sodium Flouride in highly regulated trace form is indeed (but arguably) good for dental structure and integrity. But, it is a well known and documented fact that sodium flouride is indeed a fatal poison in larger quantity. It is the active agent in many control agents such as Rat Poison. But, this is in concentrated amounts and nothing like (quantity) you would find in the water you drink. It is EXACTLY the same chemical, regardless.

Now, given this fact, you might ask "if it is a poison, why do they induce it into our water" ? Well, chlorine is indeed poison too, but under tight scrutiny can be safe and beneficial.

So what happens folks, if there is a "belch" in the system and this sodium flouride is accidentally released into your tap ? You will not know it has happened unless notified by television, radio, etc. You cannot smell it. There is no odor. Taste will not divulge it's presence. Anyway, think about it. This is in itself a good reason to have a couple days supply around until the "all clear" is sounded.

I am including a link to a site many of you might want to browse. Feel free to write me and I will get you more info to check on, if you so desire. Thanks for reading and STAY HEALTHY.

http://www.rvi.net/~fluoride/nd.htm

-- Rob (maxovrdrv51@hotmail.com), December 02, 1999

Answers

Do not contaminate my Prescious Body Fluids. (PBF RECALL)

-- Dr. (Strange@Love.com), December 02, 1999.

Good question Rob.

My father has worked for a major pulpmill (water treatment/effluent section) in Prince George, BC, Canada. Northwood Inc. for anyone who knows that name.

I asked him a very similar question, and (point form) this is what he explained to me.

1. City of Prince George uses chlorine to clean water. 2. If power goes, water treatment/effluent goes. 3. If power's up, but plant computers go down, one of 2 things happens: too much chlorination, not enough chlorination. 4. Too much chlorination would make your tapwater smell like pool water, making it unpotable. Note that concentrations of chlorine in tap water would make it unpotable BEFORE levels of chlorine become toxic. 5. Not enough chlorination would be undetectable to your household, and would pose A REAL HEALTH HAZARD. Note that, in winter up here, water needs almost no cleaning to make it potable, the other seasons pose health dangers.

MORAL: talk to your local water treatment plant, once you find out which one it is. Your municipal gov't will know the water treatment/effluent (wastewater treatment) schematics...

FWIW

-- (Kurt.Borzel@gems8.gov.bc.ca), December 02, 1999.

Well we won't have a problem in our town of 80000 because the local city fathers said in the paper that we have plenty of water in the water towers to give everyone their full normal amount even without electricity using gravity alone and it is a full 18 hour supply, so don't worry. Yes they actually said this in an article on the city's Y2K preparation activities.

-- whatmeworry (citywithout@clue.net), December 02, 1999.

It has gotten to the point where water should be routinely filtered anyway. There's filtring for chemicals and filtering for biologicals. Both are advised.

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), December 02, 1999.

Regarding Flouride:

Hitler used it in the water for his concentration camps. Seems that when the prisoners had flouride in their water, they were more docile. This allowed Georing and Hitler to divert valuable SS troops to the front in '43. Flouride allowed Dachau to operate with 36% fewer guards in the first two months.

Now...America has flouride in its water.

-- Rickster (rickvester@yahoo.com), December 02, 1999.

Glad I've got a well :-)

-- clyde (clydeblalock@hotmail.com), December 02, 1999.

Kurt -- excess chlorine can be detected by its odor. Does NaF contribute a recognizable odor? If not, the smell test for excess fails.

Clyde -- Well water is ground water. Depending on location, groundwater is not necessarily free of contamination. Could be biological (septic tank effluent, or runoff from a hog or chicken battery or cattle feed lot) or chemical (industrial waste, agricultural chem runoff).

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), December 02, 1999.

speaking of water filtering ... any comments out there on the Pur Ultimate Water Filters (i.e. compared to other similar units)?

-- hiding in plain (sight@edge. of no-where), December 02, 1999.

I talked to my water utility guy when our water was smelling of chlorine earlier this fall and he said that if you let the water sit for awhile, the chlorine smell will go away. I don't know - is it like a gas or something that will eventually come out of the water if you let it sit?

By the way, when you think about it, aren't you kind of impressed with all the stress you've put up with in the last year or so? It's been 2 and 1/2 YEARS for me. I'm amazed I haven't had a major breakdown or at least a hissy fit, especially considering my DGI Dad and Brother.

Good luck to us all.

-- Clare (clarehamilton@mindspring.com), December 02, 1999.

Sodium Flouride is an industrial by-product, and it comes complete with small amounts of other, nastier gunk as well. It's almost pure when it goes into the water, but not quite.

What if there's a problem in the purification process?

Hmm, I think I'll get bottling.

-- Colin MacDonald (roborogerborg@yahoo.com), December 03, 1999.

My reasoning is different, but I come to the same conclusion.

3 days without water = death.

X days with dirty water = sickness and/or death.

-- Anonymous999 (Anonymous999@Anonymous999.xxx), December 03, 1999.