Drink Water Every Day: Do You Know These Facts?

Drink Water Every Day: Do You Know These Facts?Water, the source of life, is an essential component of the human body. Drinking enough water every day is crucial for maintaining good health

Drink Water Every Day: Do You Know These Facts?

Water, the source of life, is an essential component of the human body. Drinking enough water every day is crucial for maintaining good health. But do you know that behind a seemingly simple glass of water lies a wealth of health knowledge worth our attention?

I. Safe Drinking Water Standards: Is Your Water Up to Par?

In our daily lives, we encounter various types of water, such as tap water, bottled water, purified water, and so on. So, what kind of water qualifies as safe drinking water?

According to the "Standard for Drinking Water Quality" (GB 5749-2022), safe drinking water must meet the following basic requirements:

• Free from pathogenic microorganisms: Drinking water must undergo stringent disinfection to ensure that it does not contain any pathogenic microorganisms that could harm health, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, etc.

• Chemical safety: Chemical substances in drinking water, such as heavy metals, pesticide residues, disinfection byproducts, etc., must be controlled within safe limits, so they do not pose a risk to human health.

• Radioactive substance safety: The content of radioactive substances in drinking water must meet national standards, ensuring no negative impact on human health.

• Good sensory properties: Safe drinking water should have good sensory properties, such as being colorless, odorless, tasteless, and transparent, without causing aversion or doubt about its safety.

• Disinfection treatment: To ensure the safety of drinking water, it must undergo disinfection treatment, such as chlorination, ozonation, etc., to effectively kill pathogenic microorganisms in the water.

II. Is Reboiled Water and Overnight Water Really Unfit for Consumption?

Folklore suggests that "thousand-boiled water" and "overnight water" should not be consumed, mainly due to concerns about exceeding the nitrite content in the water. However, this is not the case.

While it is true that the nitrite content in water slightly increases with the number of boiling cycles and the length of storage, this increase is very small, far below the national standard.

Experiments have shown that after boiling tap water 60 times in 120 hours, the nitrite content in the tap water increased from 0.0006 mg/L to 0.211 mg/L, still below the national standard of 1 mg/L. In everyday life, we rarely boil water 60 times repeatedly, so there is no need to worry about exceeding the nitrite limit.

It's worth noting that from the perspective of microbial safety, it is not recommended to drink water that has been stored for too long, as prolonged storage can lead to bacterial growth.

III. What is Scale? What is the White Substance in the Kettle?

After using a kettle for a while, a white substance often accumulates on the bottom and walls of the kettle. This is scale. The formation of scale is mainly due to the combined action of calcium, magnesium ions and bicarbonate, hydroxide ions in water during the boiling process.

The main components of scale are calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide. The higher the calcium and magnesium ion content in water, the easier it is to form scale. According to the "Standard for Drinking Water Quality" (GB 5749-2022), the total hardness of drinking water (in terms of CaCO) is limited to 450 mg/L. Studies have shown that when the hardness of water exceeds 170 mg/L, it is easy to observe scale after boiling water.

IV. Is it Normal for Water to Have a Chlorine Smell?

To ensure drinking water safety, national standards stipulate that drinking water should undergo disinfection treatment. Currently, most municipal tap water in cities is treated using chlorination.

Before leaving the factory, tap water must undergo disinfection treatment to effectively kill pathogenic microorganisms in the water before being delivered through the water supply system to households. To prevent microbial contamination during long-distance transportation, national standards require the chlorine content at the tap end to be greater than or equal to 0.05 mg/L.

The chlorine smell we usually smell comes from the remaining chlorine in the water, also known as residual chlorine. Because the distance from users to the water plant is different, the residual chlorine content in the end water also varies.

Is it safe to drink water with residual chlorine? Don't worry, residual chlorine is unstable and readily evaporates. When drinking, boil the tap water and leave the lid open for a few minutes after boiling, and the residual chlorine will evaporate faster.

V. Why is Tap Water Sometimes Milky White?

When tap water is transported in high-pressure sealed pipelines, the air in the pipelines dissolves in the water due to the high pressure. When the tap water flows out of the faucet, the pressure decreases, and the air in the water is released, forming tiny bubbles, which makes the water appear "milky white" to the naked eye. After standing for a while, the bubbles in the water will dissipate, and it will not affect normal drinking.

VI. How to Choose Safe Drinking Water?

Faced with a variety of drinking water options, how do we choose safe and healthy drinking water?

• Focus on the water source: Choose drinking water from water sources with good environmental conditions and water quality, such as mountain glaciers, natural mineral water, etc.

• Check the water quality report: Carefully read the product labels and check the water quality test reports to ensure they meet national standards.

• Choose reputable channels: Choose drinking water produced and sold by reputable manufacturers to avoid purchasing products of unknown origin and questionable quality.

• Proper heating: For tap water, it is recommended to boil it before drinking to remove any potential bacteria and viruses in the water.

VII. Healthy Drinking Water Tips:

In addition to choosing safe drinking water, some everyday details can help us develop healthy drinking habits:

• Drink water regularly: Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink water, develop a habit of drinking water at regular intervals, ideally every so often, to keep your body well-hydrated.

• Drink water in moderation: Don't drink too much water at a time to avoid putting a burden on your kidneys.

• Choose the right water temperature: In general, room temperature water is best for the human body to absorb. Water that is too cold or too hot can irritate the stomach and affect digestion and absorption.

• Avoid drinking beverages: Beverages contain large amounts of sugar, colors, flavors, and other additives that are not conducive to health. Try to choose healthy drinks like plain water or tea.

VIII. Summary:

Safe drinking water is a vital foundation for public health and is closely related to the well-being of every household. Understanding some basic drinking water health knowledge can help us choose safe and healthy drinking water and develop good drinking habits, better protecting our own health.

References:

[1] Gan, Y. Q. (2015). Research on the Removal of Halomethanes in Drinking Water by Common Household Equipment (Doctoral dissertation, Harbin Institute of Technology).

[2] Hu, W. M., Cai, Z. F., & Liang, S. X. (2021). Nitrite content in "thousand-boiled water" and "overnight water". Modern Foods, (12), 140-144+149.

[3] Shu, W. Q. (2018). Healthy Drinking Water, an Important Part of the Chinese Balanced Diet. Water Supply and Drainage, 54(08), 1-3.

[4] Liu, W. J., Wang, X. W., & Wang, Z. S. (2017). Development of Drinking Water Quality Standards: From Sanitation, Safety to Healthy Concepts. Water Supply and Drainage, 53(10), 1-3+61.

[5] Gao, W. H., Zhang, Y. J., Cheng, X. X., et al. (2023). Detailed Description of Drinking Water Hardness and Analysis of Its Impact on Taste and Health. Food Industry, 44(06), 148-152.