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Press Release June 16, 1997 |
Contact: Rana Arons |
YONKERS, NY - Five of six Americans get tap water from a public water system, where it's almost always been tested, aerated, and treated under regulations based on the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Unfortunately, people who get their water from one of the thousands of small water systems - even though they're also covered by the Act -- or from a private well, can't be as certain about the quality of what they're drinking. How do you know if your water is good? Test it, says Consumer Reports magazine.
First, ask your water system for a copy of its official water-quality report. Second, try testing your water by mail. Consumer Reports found four mail-order labs that can reliably assess your water, often for not much money -- Clean Water Lead testing, 704-251-6800; Daily Analytical Laboratories, 800-752-6651; Spectrum Laboratories, 800-447-5221; and Suburban Water Testing Laboratories, 800-433-6595. Test for the following:
If you do discover contaminants, you'll probably have a number of options for treating your water, depending on what needs to be removed, how much drinking water you use, and how much spare space you can find in your kitchen. If your water passes tests but doesn't taste good, first try using a carafe filter for your drinking water - Ecowater 25001 rated Very Good. If testing detected specific pollutants in your water, get a water filter system, equipped with the appropriate cartridges, that fits your space and budget, either a faucet-mounted system such as the Culligan WaterWare FM-2, or a countertop model such as the Amway E-84. Under-sink filters (Ametek Kleen-Plus SY5197 is A CR Best Buy) didn't necessarily filter more effectively than did countertop units, but they won't hog valuable counter space. Most people don't need the heavy-duty filtering ability of reverse osmosis, but if you do, the best unit tested, the Kinetico 518, earned top scores across the board.
One final note: If your water does need filtering, don't stop with the filter. Compare notes with neighbors and notify local health officials. Where the source of the problem can be found, it should be removed.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, also known as the Kassebaum-Kennedy law, takes effect July 1st. However, it's neither very portable nor accountable, according to an analysis by Consumer Reports magazine.
If you change jobs, your new employer doesn't have to offer insurance, nor does the coverage have to match what you used to have. And if you leave a group policy and try to buy health coverage on your own, you'll still face significant obstacles to obtaining new insurance - and considerable costs. Kassebaum-Kennedy imposes strict rules to follow if you want to stay insured:
If you don't follow those steps, you'll be out of luck. An insurance carrier won't be obligated to sell you a policy. If you can get coverage, the policy will likely include a pre-existing-conditions clause. And in many states, you may have to obtain your coverage through the state's high-risk pool. That may put you on a waiting list for a policy, limit the amount of coverage you can buy, or force you to pay premiums that may be 50 percent higher than the standard rates.
The July issue of Consumer Reports will be available June 24 wherever magazines are sold. For information on subscribing, call 1-800-234-1645. Copies of "Should you use a water filter?" will also be available by fax or mail starting June 24, under code number 9939, via Consumer Reports by Request, 1-800-419-9824, at a cost of $7.75 per report.
