Photo: Jane Blaze

Why can't we just desalinate water?

It can't process it, your kidneys will shut down and you'll get brain damage. But it's just salt and water — we can separate it, right? Well, there are two main ways to convert it: reverse osmosis and flash desalination. Both require a lot of energy and special science.

spectrumnews1.com - Could desalination solve all our water problems? - Spectrum News

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If you haven’t noticed yet, we are in the middle of a mega-drought in California. It’s becoming more and more obvious that water is really our most precious resource. And most of it is shipped in from elsewhere.

But speaking of shipping, there’s also the other stuff that ships are actually floating in. So why can’t we just drink that?

Five things you need to know:

The world is covered with water — 70% of its surface, in fact. But the problem is that less than 1% it is fresh drinking water. Why can’t we drink sea water then? Only because your body won’t last long. It can’t process it, your kidneys will shut down and you’ll get brain damage. But it’s just salt and water — we can separate it, right? Well, there are two main ways to convert it: reverse osmosis and flash desalination. Both require a lot of energy and special science. The biggest reverse osmosis plant in the U.S. is in Carlsbad. It sucks in 100 million gallons of sea water every day, where it’s filtered and then pressurized, forcing it through special membranes that trap the larger salt molecules, allowing the salt-free water to flow onwards. The Carlsbad plant produces 50 million gallons every day, enough for 400,000 homes —10% of San Diego’s water needs. Well, all that sounds great, but is it a good idea? It’s certainly a brilliant way to make fresh water. However, it’s not without concerns from environmentalists who argue that not only is the process is expensive, but a lot of tiny marine life that are the base layer of the marine food chain can be harmed by the water ingested by desalination plants. And for every gallon of fresh water made, a gallon or more of saline-salty water is returned to the ocean. Environmentalists say that because it’s saltier than the ocean it came from, it has the potential to harm the environment. With California really parched by a mega-drought, many are saying we need water now, hence a new desalination plant is in the works at Huntington Beach. But others are questioning whether this is all really necessary. If we just get super-efficient at recycling the water we already use, we won’t need to make more! Either way, we have to solve it fast, as water is only going to become a more and more precious commodity. It's something that we may see as our birthright, but if we don’t act soon, we could be in for a very thirsty future indeed.

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Is rain water safe to drink in 2022?

(WMC) - A study by Stockholm University scientists found that all rainwater on Earth is unsafe to drink.

kait8.com - Why scientists now say rainwater everywhere on Earth unsafe to drink

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - A study by Stockholm University scientists found that all rainwater on Earth is unsafe to drink. Scientists found that, after a decade-long investigation, when analyzed against US contamination guidelines, rainwater is unsafe for human consumption all over the world.

This is due to PFAS levels, or per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances.

Deemed “forever chemicals,” PFAS are a large family of human-made chemicals (from food packaging to waterproof clothing) that don’t occur in nature, contributing to a list of serious consequences. A host of possible serious health consequences has been associated with PFAS, including cancer, infertility and pregnancy complications, immune system problems and increased cholesterol, according to researchers at Stockholm University. A professor at Stockholm University and lead author of the study, Ian Cousins noted, “There is nowhere on Earth where the rain would be safe to drink, according to the measurements that we have taken.” Within this study, they took rainwater samples from extremely remote areas like Antarctica or the Tibetan plateau. Although these areas are originally known as being remote and untouched, their PFAS levels are around 14 times higher than the US EPA guidelines. “Although in the industrial world we don’t often drink rainwater, many people around the world expect it to be safe to drink and it supplies many of our drinking water sources,” Cousins added. The paper also found that soil across the globe was “ubiquitously contaminated” with PFAS. Because PFAS persist for so long and cycle through the planet’s oceans, atmosphere, and soil so effectively, the researchers expect levels will continue to be dangerously high. Click here to report a spelling or grammar error. Please include the headline.

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