In a disaster or emergency, households can take steps to purify drinking water.
Articles on Safe drinking water
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Two litres of tap water in the regional New South Wales town of Walgett has as much sodium as an entire large bag of sea salt popcorn.
The White House proposal represents a dramatic retreat from the national goals of clean air and clean water enacted in federal laws over the past 55 years.
The US economy has always been a mix of government regulation and market forces. The balance between those has shifted over time, but never has one side or the other been substantively removed.
Raw water may not be as safe as it looks. Like raw milk, untreated water comes with dubious health claims and high risks.
There is renewed concern about PFAS or ‘forever’ chemicals in drinking water. Here’s how we keep track of more than 250 potential contaminants to ensure our water is safe to drink.
The debate over adding fluoride to drinking water is almost as old as the practice itself.
A review of Australia’s drinking water guidelines has recommended reducing the levels previously considered safe for four PFAS chemicals. But the impact on human health is likely to be minimal.
Providing information about risks and easy-to-use test strips made people more likely to check their water quality. But there’s not much support for people whose water turns out to be tainted.
A specially coated foil removed more than 99% of E. coli bacteria from water in laboratory tests.
It is difficult and expensive to effectively remove ‘forever chemicals’ from your drinking water at home. And you also don’t want to get rid of the health-giving minerals water contains.
Filtering out PFAS is only the first step. These ‘forever chemicals’ still have to be destroyed, and there are many questions about how to do that safely.
There are a lot of myths and strongly held beliefs around one of life’s simplest activities – drinking water.
Our research shows the world is not on track to achieve any of the Sustainable Development Goals. But with decisive action, we can still achieve a fairer, more sustainable and prosperous future.
The action by the Environment Protection Authority follows alarming results from testing of rainwater tanks and the blood and hair of residents living near to the mine.
The current cholera outbreak is not necessarily an issue with potable water. It’s the result of a combination of factors including dysfunctional and non-compliant wastewater treatment works.
The bottled water industry can undermine progress of projects aimed at creating safe-water systems for all, by redirecting attention to a less reliable, less affordable option.
Every household is more likely than not to have dusts containing PFAS chemicals at low concentrations. But how worried should we be about the risks to our personal health?
Water sharing arrangements have the potential to enhance water security, but they require strong communication and co-ordination between community leaders in addition to adequate financial support.
If you’re on holidays, the water may taste different. But is it safe to drink?
Top contributors
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Associate Professor in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University
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Associate Professor and Water Management Expert, University of South Africa
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Professor of Earth Sciences and Executive Director, Environmental Resilience Institute, Indiana University
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Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University
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Professor of Chemistry, RMIT University
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Senior Lecturer Emeritus, Stellenbosch University
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Distinguished Research Professor and Director, Great Lakes Center for Fresh Waters and Human Health, Bowling Green State University
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Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame
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Ph.D. student, Social Work and Indigenous Peoples, Carleton University
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Professor of Science, University of Technology Sydney
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Professor, Director, Griffith University
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Director and Professor, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor
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Associate Professor in Public Health, The University of Queensland
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Assistant Professor, Governance, Law and Management, Athabasca University
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Reader in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Aston University