Why is Chlorine Present in Drinking Water?

Why should chlorine be present in our drinking water? It is for very good reasons, as the treatment and distribution of safe drinking water are considered by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as one of the major public health achievements of the twentieth century.

Towards the end of the nineteenth century it was found in London, UK, that water from a city well that had spread infectious diseases ceased to be dangerous after having been treated with chlorine.

Then in a few years the practice of water treatment was adopted by most of the civilized world as a means of protecting public health.

Up to those times drinking wine instead of water of dubious quality was the best assurance against illness, for those who could afford the expense.

Disinfecting the drinking water for human and animal use ensures that it becomes free of active microorganisms causing serious and life-threatening diseases, such as cholera and typhoid fever.

Chlorine is effective in killing most pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Chlorine however is not effective in killing certain protozoa like cryptosporidium.

The term chlorine refers to the chemical element Cl that exists as a poisonous yellow gas, irritant of the respiratory tract even at low concentration. As it is a very active element it is found in nature mostly as a compound, of which common table salt, sodium chloride (NaCl) is an example.

Chlorine gas is soluble in water. A common household product, bleach, is a water solution containing about 3 to 6% of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl). This product too can be used to disinfect water in case of need.

Additional chlorination effects are the removal of iron and manganese and the residual property of continuing to hinder pathogen reproduction during the long way from the treatment facility to the house tap.

Is it safe to human health to drink chlorinated water?
It depends on whom you ask.

Some studies point to increased risk on health, while others show no additional risk.

It is generally recognized that drinking water chlorination is the process of choice for eliminating most of the life-threatening pathogens possibly present in the water reaching treating plants.

Some research efforts concentrating on the effects of certain by-products of the treatment, seem to suggest that substances like Trihalo-methanes (THM) have the potential to induce cancer in individuals as they do in laboratory animals when supplied at very high levels.

However it is commonly accepted that their presence in treated water in minimal quantities is far from threatening.

EPA regulates how much of these substances are tolerated in chlorinated water for safe use. The current EPA regulations establish a limit of 80 parts per billion (ppb), for THMs based on the annual average of eight distribution system monitoring locations.

Industrial and commercial sources, with deep interests in the use of chlorine and its derivatives, vehemently insist that independent medical sources failed to find statistically relevant results connecting chlorine with development of cancer diseases.

Other sources interpreting more strictly the results of certain research, seem to find concrete demonstration of the dangerous effects on health of chlorinated water.

Until more definitive research will authorize to settle the dispute by defining ways to sort the probable outcome of illness course according to additional contributing factors, it is possibly quite safe to assume that the present official standing of appointed authorities on water quality should be accepted except perhaps in unusual circumstances.

All sources agree that the benefits of chlorination for eliminating the presence of pathogens, are much greater than the minimal risk still remaining, if at all, relative to residual by-products.

The other existing means for obtaining a comparably safe result (ozonation, Ultraviolet light treatment, and use of chlorine compounds like chloramines and chlorine dioxide) are more expensive and do not provide sufficient advantages to promote their substitution.

It is suggested by professional experts that installing a suitable home filter at the point of use removes the nuisance of chlorine and byproducts from the drinking water.

Rhodes Holidays – The City Where Past Meets the Present

Rhodes is a city of a rich 2,400 year history – and until the present it has still impressed and captivated the hearts of the many thousand visitors it attracts every year. Its monuments of the medieval past forded within its walls ironically blend harmoniously with the modernity of the tourism today – luxurious hotels and resorts, productive commercial establishments, wide array of tourist activities – making Rhodes a great cheap holidays destination for the holidaymaker.

Rhodes is divided into two parts: the new, or modern city of Rhodes which have the facilities and amenities you would expect of a modern city and the Old Town of Rhodes or the Medieval City of Rhodes which has a maze of streets full of history. You might expect a deserted city with ruins from the past for the Medieval City of Rhodes, but you are actually about to enter Europe’s oldest inhabited medieval town.

It is a busy locality of about 6,000 people who live and work in reality in the buildings where the Knights of St. John did six hundred years ago. Aside from these medieval buildings are mosques, traditional fountains, Gothic and Byzantine churches, oriental motifs of shops and cafes – all forming a very unique and picturesque scene. The town has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage City.

Cheap holidays Rhodes [http://www.yourholidays.com/rhodes] provide a tourist many options to enjoy his or her vacation. Simply within its capital he or she is presented with plenty of choices, what more if given the chance to explore the whole island? But Rhodes visitors are winners of well worth, cheap holidays Rhodes even amongst the city of Rhodes itself.

The island has numerous varieties of colors, forms, activities and sightseeing to offer the tourists. From the cloudless skies above the clear blue seas by the soft sandy beaches, to the olive groves by the foothills of the mountains, Rhodes is indeed an island of spectacular views in and out. There are feasts of restaurants, bars and taverns offering traditional and fine local cuisines, and as well as your favorite international food. Night life is definitely alive in the clubs, disco and the famous casino. With everything that is going on in this city of past and present, no wonder why more and more cheap holidays Rhodes seekers come to the island every year.

The Seven Steps to a Striking and Successful Presentation

When making a sales presentation, you need to remember this is how a prospect determines if they will buy from your company or not. A good sales presentation requires pizazz and needs to be compelling enough to motivate the investor into a well informed decision. If you follow these seven guidelines you should have no problem giving your sales presentation that extra edge.

First, have a relevant point to your presentation. Most presentations fail from lack of structure or approach. The presentation cannot be cookie-cutter and the same from client to client. People are different and so in theory so should your presentation. It should appeal to everyone.

Second, create a rapport between yourself and your prospect. Explain why you should be the one they should be dealing with for whatever product or service you are offering. Bring the item with you to your presentation as an example of the service in question. Allow your target prospect to hold and feel the item or see the service in action. Instead of telling them about it, let them feel it or experience it firsthand. This promotes your prospect to ask questions and even develop a feel for what you are offering.

The third piece of advice is get to the point fast. Time is money and people do not enjoy feeling as if their time is being wasted. This is on you to be prepared, know your key points and learn how to make them quickly. Do not be afraid to practice on friends or in front of a mirror. It all hinges on your ability to communicate and articulate your sale to your prospect.

Fourth on the list of guidelines is to be animated! Be lively, show your prospective buyers that you have energy and you care. Change up your hand movements and vary your voice inflection some. Being monotone and stationary is a recipe to have your buyers loses their interest in you and what you have to say.

This fifth point goes without saying – use showmanship. Remember to grab your prospective buyer’s attention. You’re trying to make a sale, so sell your buyer. Showman ship can go a long way and demonstrate character and faith in what it is you are trying to sell. Buyers like this. Tell them why they want to buy from you; business is one tenth knowledge, two tenths money and seven tenths of showmanship.

Using a physical demonstration is the sixth point to always remember. Use flipcharts and white boards. Use projectors and slideshows. Graphs and pie charts can easily demonstrate figures and gauge what will happen over time with your product or service.

And finally, number seven, believe in yourself. You have to walk into that presentation with your head held high and know you are a winner. Without sounding trite, others can see a failure far off and probably won’t care to deal with them. You’re only a failure if you believe you are one. Conduct that presentation with a sense of worth and a commanding presence and you should be able to sell anything.