Moms and Marines: All the news that's fit to drink...

So here at Water Wise Guy HQ, which is located in a secret location inside a volcano in a remote jungle on an island outside of Argentina, we get alot of Google Alerts - 163 a morning to be precise. When you get so much information over a long period of time, you start to notice strong trends in water news from around the world.

Here are a few trends the Water Wise Guy team has been seeing from the cornfields of Nebraska to the rain of the Northwest to the deserts of Arizona.

1. There are alot of boil orders out there. Period. Water main breaks, flood contamination, etc have caused the ordinary citizen to take extra precaution with their water.

2. Arsenic is a big issue in the Midwest. If you live in the fine cluster of middle states, get your water tested.

3. The New York Times and AP are investigating water quality like it's going of style. But it isn't. The wealth of data these recent research studies have put together is amazing - check them out when you get a chance.

4. Proactive and responsible testing is the way to go if you want to avoid some major health issues. Whether it be the Marines, or expectant moms - water quality must be a priority.

5. No one understands what reverse osmosis is. Read this post and get your learn on.

That's it from the Water Wise Guy today! Drink. Tweet. Repeat.

Agrichemicals and Your Water

Lately, there has been a good amount of buzz surrounding a weedkiller called atrazine. It's been used for years as a very effective herbicide, and treating corn producers to a much higher yield of crop.

But as the New York Times reported, atrazine has leeched into many of the nation's reservoir's and watersheds. Places like Indiana and Ohio were the hardest hit according to the National Resource Defense Council, which is no surprise given the area's high corn production. But if you are not a Midwest resident, you should still keep an eye on your water quality.

So why should you care? Well, atrazine has a bit of a checkered past. Atrazine research has documented reports of hormone disruption and birth defects in expectant mothers. The Center for Biological Diversity warns

New research on birth defects at extremely low concentrations and documentation of widespread ground- and drinking-water contamination has strengthened the case for banning the toxic compound atrazine, the most commonly used herbicide in the United States

Now lawyers are getting involved as atrazine-maker Syngenta-AG is being pulled into a lawsuit over atrazine's rampant drinking water contamination.

Officials warn women who may be pregnant to keep an eye on chemicals like atrazine in their water supplies, and further urge them get their water tested on a regular basis.

This story follows a long line of coverage on pharmaceuticals and pesticides in the water. The common theme here is modern chemistry is moving at a much faster pace than previous contaminants.To stay ahead of these issues, a proactive approach is always a good idea.

There are consumer options out there for you to ensure water quality - especially if you are an expectant mother. If you email me at this blog, I would be happy to get you in touch with a water expert at Culligan to talk about solutions.