Final Lab Report Research Paper

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Clifford [Clifford Blizard] Running head: WATER AND CONTAMINATION Water and Contamination Shante' Smith SCI 207: Our Dependence upon the Environment Instructor: Clifford Blizard February 27, 2017 - 2 - [no notes on this page]WATER AND CONTAMINATION 2 Water and Contamination Introduction Water is a vital resource for the human life survival as well as other living beings. The earth is however not endowed with fresh water sources, and hence a lot of water purification is always needed before consumption of the water. Research has been carried to check on the contamination levels of water from different sources. According to Hawkins, (2017), using bottled water which has more mineral content is safer than the tap water. This is further backed by Poland survey which showed that bottled water was preferred based on its taste, odor and maybe color, and this has constantly led to the rise of the bottling water ready market (Górski & Siepak, 2014) . The organoleptic has also been evident in surveys conducted in France. The research done by …… show that some prefer bottled water for health-related reasons. Another reason for consumption of the bottled water would be packaging and the marketing tools that entice the potential customers (de Queiroz, Doria, Rosenberg, Heller, & Zhouri, 2013).

Due to the limited research, available, it is important to do more lab analysis on the mineral contents of the Dasani water, Fiji water, and tap water to determine which is best for human consumption and what each category lacks (de Queiroz et al., 2013). This will be used to create public awareness to individuals demystify on the safety and health risk on water. This will lead to the reduction in the cases of drinking contaminated water that exposes one to diseases such as typhoid and ingesting of harmful toxins.

The hypothesis being experimented on is whether the bottled water contains fewer chemicals, if any, that come from the local tap water and should be healthier. Fiji water is expected to contain the least number of contaminants because the water is bottled at the source. - 3 - [no notes on this page]WATER AND CONTAMINATION 3 It is bottled from an artesian aquifer and remains untouched by man (FijiWater.com). An artesian aquifer is essentially a well that is in particular geologic layer that stores water. Following the Fiji water, the Dasani water will contain more contaminants than the Fiji water but less than my local tap water because Dasani is jus t purified water. Dasani's purified water is filtered using reverse osmosis then minerals are added in after the purification process (Dasani.com). Finally, the local tap water is expected to contain the greatest number of contaminants because there is no purification system in place.

Materials and Methods The experiment requires the sample of Fiji bottled water, Dasani bottled water and tap water. To aid in testing the mineral components use the Ammonia test strips, Chloride test strips, 4 in 1 test strips, Phosphate test strips, and Iron test strips. Other additional equipment are beakers, stopwatch, parafilm, and pipettes Using the Ammonia strips test, insert a strip in each of the labeled beakers, working on each beaker at a time, and ensure its fully submerged and move it up and down the beaker for 30 seconds. Then remove the strip from the water and shake off to get rid of excess water and hold the strip pad side up for 30 seconds (Van Hulle & Cristina Ciocci, 2012). Holding the pads away from you now compare with that of the color chart table and collect the results. Carry out the same procedure for the two samples and record the results.

The chloride test strips are carried out by immersing “the pads” in the water samples for 1 second and then remove from water and shake off excess water leaving it for 1 second before comparing the “pads” to the color chart and record the results. One should repeat the procedure on the other two samples. - 4 - [no notes on this page]WATER AND CONTAMINATION 4 In the 4 in 1 method, the strips are immersed in the sample water in a back and forth movement for 5 seconds. Then remove the strip and shake off fast before leaving it for 20 seconds. Compare the strips on the color chart to match on Total Alkalinity, Total Chlorine and Total Hardness and record results. Finally, repeat the procure for the other two samples.

The phosphate test is a bit different, and the strip is immersed in the sample water for 5 seconds and removed from the water. While still soaked in water, the strip is held horizontally with the pads on the upside for 45 seconds (Van Hulle & Cristina Ciocci, 2012). Compare the test pad on the color chart and record the results. Repeat procedure for the other two samples of water.

On the iron test strip, the sample water is measured 30ml into a beaker, and the reducing powder is added to the beaker and covered with parafilm then shake the beaker vigorously for 15seconds. Dip iron strips into the beaker in a back and forth movement for 5 seconds and then remove iron strips from the beaker and shake off excess water. Wait for 10 seconds before comparing the test strips to the color chart and record results (Van Hulle & Cristina Ciocci, 2012). Repeat the procedure for the other two samples.

The PH test involves measuring 25ml of sample water to a beaker and the using a pipette add 5ml of jiffy juice and mix by swirling the beaker and then compare the color of the water with that of the Ph chart. Repeat the test on the other two samples.

Results Table 1: Test Results Water Sample Ammonia Test Chlorine test Phosphate Iron pH Tap Water 0(mg/L) 0(mg/L) 50ppm 0.15ppm 7 Dasani ® Bottled Water 0(mg/L) 0(mg/L) 10ppm 0ppm 3 Fiji ® Bottled Water 0(mg/L) 0(mg/L) 100ppm 0ppm 6 - 5 - [no notes on this page]WATER AND CONTAMINATION 5 Table 2: Test Results Sample water Total Alkalinity Total Chlorine Total Hardness Tap Water 0(mg/L) 4.0(mg/L) 50(mg/L) Dasani ® Bottled Water 0(mg/L) 0(mg/L) 0(mg/L) Fiji ® Bottled Water 0(mg/L) 4.0(mg/L 50(mg/L) According to the experiment carried out, it was established that all the water sampled i.e. Fiji, Dasani and tap water did not contain ammonia and chlorine. The 4 in 1 test shows that there were no alkalinity levels in all the water samples. However, the Total Chlorine and Total hardness were noticed on the Tap water and Fiji water at similar proportio ns. The phosphates show greater levels in Fiji water and least on the Dasani Bottled water. The iron test was only positive on the tap water. Finally, using the Ph kit, the highest levels were recorded in the Tap water and least on the Dasani Bott led water. Discussion About the hypothesis drawn, one would reject the hypothesis because the Fiji Bottled Water contained the same amount of chlorine and hardness as the tap water and the bottled Dasani water contained no hardness or chlorine. Also, the Fiji Bottled Water had the highest amount of phosphate present followed by the local tap water then the Dasani Bottled Water. As far as the iron test the Dasani water and Fiji water was the same and my local tap water had .15 ppm of iron present in its water (Górski & Siepak, 2014). Finally, pH results showed that Dasani had the least amount of pH present followed by Fiji than the local tap water. In conclusion, the Dasani Fiji Bottled Water and my tap water almost the same number of contaminants. Surprisingly, the Dasani Bottled Water that is just purified tap water had the least number of contaminants even with the minerals added in the water after the purification process (Saylor, Prokopy, & Amberg, 2011). - 6 - [no notes on this page]WATER AND CONTAMINATION 6 The consumption of water is critical and is affected by many factors, this research backs up previous research carried on the same topic, and the results are much similar. Just like the study conducted by de Queiroz, Doria, Rosenberg, Heller, & Zhouri, (2013) that also found contamination in tap water as compared to bottled water. The research did not focus on the different brands of bottled water to check consistency. The major research carried out shows drinking too much-chlorinated water may impose the health risk of bladder cancer there also so many other long-term downsides in drinking chlorinated water. The source of the tap water is quite varied, and hence this may greatly influence the experiments carried out in different geographical regions Conclusion The bottled water is worth the price, but the source of water and process of purification should be kept in mind because you may be drinking water that contains more contaminants than the local tap water (Hawkins, 2017). In this instance, the Dasani Bottled Water would be worth the price to protect one from any health risks. Further research needs to be carried out by examining the contamination levels of various brands of bottled water before being launched in th e market. - 7 - [no notes on this page]WATER AND CONTAMINATION 7 References Chemical Quality of Tap Water versus Bottled Water: Evaluation of Some Heavy Metals and Elements Content of Drinking Water in Dakhlia Governorate - Egypt. (2010). The Internet Journal of Nutrition and Wellness , 9 (2). http://dx.doi.org/10.5580/12ef de Queiroz, J., Doria, M., Rosenberg, M., Heller, L., & Zhouri, A. (2013). Perceptions of bottled water consumers in three Brazilian municipalities. Journal of Water and Health , 11 (3), 520. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wh.2013.222 Górski, J. & Siepak, M. (2014). Assessment of metal concentrations in tap-water – from source to the tap: a case study from Szczecin, Poland. Geologos , 20 (1). http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/logos-2014-0004 Hawkins, G. (2017). The impacts of bottled water: an analysis of bottled water markets and their interactions with tap water provision. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water , e1203. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1203 Saylor, A., Prokopy, L., & Amberg, S. (2011). What’s Wrong with the Tap? Examining Perceptions of Tap Water and Bottled Water at Purdue University. Environmental Management , 48 (3), 588-601. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00267-011-9692-6 Van Hulle, S. & Cristina Ciocci, M. (2012). Statistical evaluation and comparison of the chemical quality of bottled water and flemish tap water. Desalination and Water Treatment , 40 (1-3), 183-193. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19443994.2012.671166