Water testing
Millions of water quality tests are carried out daily to fulfill regulatory requirements and to maintain safety.
In late 2009, a survey was carried out by China Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development to assess the water quality of urban supplies in China's cities, which revealed that "at least 1,000" water treatment plants out of more than 4,000 plants surveyed at the county level and above failed to comply with government requirements.
In response, Wang Xuening, a health ministry official, released figures derived from a pilot monitoring scheme in 2011 and suggested that 80% of China's urban tap water was up to standard.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the United States of America and U.S. territories (including protectorates) from and responding to terrorist attacks, man-made accidents, and natural disasters.
Possible threats to water quality include contamination with deadly agents, such as cyanide,[8] and physical attacks like the release of toxic gaseous chemicals.
EPA's annual Regulatory Agenda sets a schedule for specific objectives on improving its oversight of water testing.
Water samples must be analyzed using EPA-approved testing methods, by laboratories that are certified by EPA or a state agency.
Potential health threats must be disclosed to EPA or the appropriate state agency, and public notification is required in some circumstances.
[22][23] The Energy Policy Act of 2005 created a loophole that exempts companies drilling for natural gas from disclosing the chemicals involved in fracturing operations that would normally be required under federal clean water laws.
[26] In December 2011, federal environment officials scientifically linked underground water pollution with hydraulic fracturing for the first time in central Wyoming.
The findings in the report contradicted arguments by the drilling industry on the safety of the fracturing process, such as the hydrologic pressure that naturally forces fluids downwards instead of upwards.
There are now increasing worries about how these compounds degrade and react in the environment, during the treatment process, inside our bodies, and the long-term exposure to multiple contaminants at low levels.
The UCMR3 testing will help municipal water system operators measure the occurrence and exposure of contamination levels that may endanger human health.
The convention will enter into force 12 months after ratification by 30 States, representing 35 per cent of world merchant shipping tonnage.
[37] As of 2009, the global water test market, which includes in-house, small commercial and large laboratory groups, is approximately US$3.6 billion.
[38] Key products include analytical systems, instrumentation, and reagents for water quality and safety analysis.
[39] Reagents are chemical testing compounds that identify presence of chlorine, pH, alkalinity, turbidity and other metrics.
Companies tend to employ the "direct-to-end-user" model for most products, but may also try to sell low-end equipment via the Internet to reduce distribution costs.
[38] The end markets include municipal water plants, industrial users, such as beverage and electronics, and environmental agencies, such as the United States Geological Survey.
Studies have demonstrated that groundwater is vulnerable to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which necessitates frequent water testing.
[42] In 1998, Sydney, Australia's water supply, 85% controlled by Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux until 2021,[43] contained high concentrations of parasites Giardia and Cryptosporidium.
In June 2000, there was a wave of E. coli outbreaks in several communities in rural Ontario, where at least seven people died from consuming the water in Walkerton.
The private testing company, A&L Laboratories, detected E. coli in the water but failed to disclose the contamination to provincial authorities due to a loophole in the "common sense" regulation.
A&L Laboratories claimed that the test results were "confidential intellectual property" and therefore belonged only to the "client", who was the authorities of Walkerton who lacked the training for proper assessment.
[47] In March 2013, a defense lawyer asked a federal judge to dismiss charges against the owner of Mississippi Environmental Analytical Laboratories Inc. accused of falsifying records on industrial waste water samples.
The motion to dismiss was based on the lawyer's argument that the documents referred to in the indictment were not signed and were not submitted to a government agency.
[48] Water quality testing for private wells in Chemung County is affected by budget cuts.
