How to know is water for drinking

Do you have any microscopy questions, which you are afraid to ask? This is your place.
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Smurf
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Joined: Fri Mar 24, 2023 4:25 pm

How to know is water for drinking

#1 Post by Smurf » Sat Apr 01, 2023 5:07 am

Hi. This question is about water and my health.

I got some pain in lower left part of stomach from December 2022. It is not too serious, and not feel it all time. Now is better, but I feel that is something happening there. I had some problems with stomack before, like maybe gastritis, but never confirmed :( And not had pain in that lower area before.

What I mean where I get that? The answer could be two reasons.

1) First reason is that I drink water from natural water spring (in 9./10. Month 2022.). But that spring not maintained, the pipe is dirty and maybe some algae are present/sand/dirt. But water looks super clean on eye from pipe and in the bottle. Is it tested? Yes, because I heard other peoples are drinking from that source before, but not see any more someone that is coming there..
(The "blue" color in Pipe in picture is where I quickly remove dirt/sand from it before using by fingers).

2) Second, I'm using BWT water filter Jug about 6 months. It is recommended to change filter I think every 1 month. But I change it every 3 months (because they too expensive). But every week I cooked filter in boiling water to avoid bacteria (which is recommend in Manuals too), so I don't think is problem there.

My questions:
I saw many videos of Oliver and in many of them he told that you not use microscope for help in health (if I am not wrong).

But, my question is, If I want use it to help me, can I somehow check water is it clean for drink with my Microscope? (What I must search? What things must be in water and what don't?).

Is it chance that I drink some sand/dirt from that pipe, although I not touch the pipe. If water go fast, hope that dirt on pipe stay in place.

Every suggestion from you guys, every tip you have, will be better than nothing.
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Microscop:
Maxlapater (Amazon 120€)
Ocular: 5x, 25x, Barlow x2
Objective: 4x, 10x, 40x
6x Diaphragm colors.
Mechanical stage
Two lights.

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imkap
Posts: 750
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Re: How to know is water for drinking

#2 Post by imkap » Sat Apr 01, 2023 6:14 am

I suggest you see a doctor
I don't think it is possible to really evaluate water without proper lab equipment, a specially equipped microscope and knowledge of the lab process. I think you'd at least need a centrifuge and some contrast method other than brightfield. Although you can look at it for fun and see if you stumble on anything living, but still that wouldn't mean much...
There are services that evaluate water, I think not too expensive, or even free. That would be a safe and sound way to find out.

Meanwhile you can look at some pond life from that puddle on the picture

MichaelG.
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Re: How to know is water for drinking

#3 Post by MichaelG. » Sat Apr 01, 2023 7:14 am

.

I would strongly recommend that you read this: https://tools4dev.org/resources/how-to- ... r-quality/
... it is concise, practical, and includes a link to the WHO guidelines.

and, yes, you should also see a Doctor

MichaelG.
Too many 'projects'

Jose Antonio Mena
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Location: Santander

Re: How to know is water for drinking

#4 Post by Jose Antonio Mena » Sat Apr 01, 2023 7:43 am

Go to the doctor

Despite that, the next book have nice information reagarding analisys of water quality; Look for Heiz Streble/Dieter Krauter.

That´s only information, not for evaluate that water. With that, you, or me, aren´t professionals in order to evaluate if it´s healthy to drink from some spring; we have no skills for it, and we can´t give an aproval for the human drink use of that spring....

And of course, https://tools4dev.org/resources/how-to- ... r-quality/ have another issues to take into account.

Regards

JA
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Smurf
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Joined: Fri Mar 24, 2023 4:25 pm

Re: How to know is water for drinking

#5 Post by Smurf » Sat Apr 01, 2023 8:35 am

Doctors (almost) never helped me in my life.
One doctor says that have Gastritis, other not.
I have sometimes pain in my heart(from age 18), because that I stop play Golf, and doctors says that IS NOTHING! Hello!!?? Croatian hospitals is very very bad.

I had visit doctor before 2-3 years with Test, about other pain in stomach (not this case) to search  Helicobacter pylori, and nothing was found. Also, I did an stomach ultrasound (not for this case) before1-2y, and also, nothing found. Just waste of money.

But we don't need about doctors, just asking can we check water with that cheap microscope
I though that we can't.

Btw my dad also drinking that water and no problem.

In that water example I not found something interesting, maybe I can use example from dirt Pipe next time, for fun :)

Also, I heard for Institution where we can carry water for real Test, but that example must be done fast and carry in special glass which give to you.

Thank you for your advices.
Microscop:
Maxlapater (Amazon 120€)
Ocular: 5x, 25x, Barlow x2
Objective: 4x, 10x, 40x
6x Diaphragm colors.
Mechanical stage
Two lights.

Phill Brown
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Location: Devon UK.

Re: How to know is water for drinking

#6 Post by Phill Brown » Sat Apr 01, 2023 8:48 am

Careful consideration before offering anything that could be considered medical advice.
It's a sensible forum rule.

MichaelG.
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Re: How to know is water for drinking

#7 Post by MichaelG. » Sat Apr 01, 2023 8:53 am

Smurf wrote:
Sat Apr 01, 2023 8:35 am

But we don't need about doctors, just asking can we check water with that cheap microscope
I though that we can't.
The microscope will be of some use … but the experimental procedure [described in my link] is the really important part.

MichaelG.

.

P.S.
Do please remember that it is much easier to demonstrate that water is UNSAFE to drink.
… Very difficult to demonstrate that it is SAFE.
Too many 'projects'

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shutterbug
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Re: How to know is water for drinking

#8 Post by shutterbug » Sat Apr 01, 2023 12:37 pm

Yes, I agree with everyone, I hope this is a April 1st kind of situation because otherwise I'm worried.

IF you ever find yourself in a situation where you HAVE to drink water from an untested (by a laboratory) water source, you have to at least boil it (though that won't get rid of stuff like acids, metals, nitrates,..) before you consume it - and only consume it if you really have to and there is NO other way/alternative. Don't just do it because "oh that looks clean!"*gulpgulp*

I know a lot of people talk about "natural" being the best and anything "chemical" or "clean" is bad for you. But guess what - being sick is natural. Pain is natural. Dying is natural. Just because it's untreated or form a well doesn't mean it's safe or a good source - even if others claim it is. Pollution comes in many forms and you may be more susceptible to one thing than another person. Maybe he/she mixes it with alcohol or boils it or only drank it once decades ago and a few months ago a mouse crawled into the pipe and died there?

Smurf
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Mar 24, 2023 4:25 pm

Re: How to know is water for drinking

#9 Post by Smurf » Sat Apr 01, 2023 2:37 pm

So guys, you never drank water from natural source? In your life?

That was last year when our village have some working tasks, and water had a smell and become white for days..
I contact them via email and Team check the water, and I was right! They say that water was not clean and apologize to me, but hundred of us drunk that water every day! But we have plenty of natural source around, so that is one reason why I drank water at this month. But I drank before from other natural sources.

Guys. This water is not pound. It is natural source. Old peoples talking about that natural source are better water then our water at home, and all them drunk similar water from similar source and no one dye from that.

But mouse can be in everyone's pipe at home, too?
Microscop:
Maxlapater (Amazon 120€)
Ocular: 5x, 25x, Barlow x2
Objective: 4x, 10x, 40x
6x Diaphragm colors.
Mechanical stage
Two lights.

User avatar
shutterbug
Posts: 77
Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2023 4:09 pm
Location: Vienna, Austria

Re: How to know is water for drinking

#10 Post by shutterbug » Sat Apr 01, 2023 2:52 pm

Sure I did. But I knew it was a good source because it is being tested constantly :) In a Lab with all kinds of tests like heavy metal detections, nitrates etc - not "just" microbes.

In case your tap water has temporary issues you should always keep bottled water ready (at least for 2 weeks, just in case).

Even natural sources can be heavily polluted, wells don't magically appear from thin air, this is ground water or water from an underground river (there are a lot of them around) and they are just as prone to natural and man made pollution as any open air water system.

Microbes, Algae, chemicals,... everything could be in there and what old people talk about is often not grounded in reality. You didn't die either, but you got sick/stomach pains, sooooo...not a good argument.

I've never encountered a mouse in an installed water pipe I wouldn't even know where it could enter, at least in the rest of Europe the water systems are pretty much closed off and every tap has at least a very small metal mesh.


I still think this is a sort of April Fools joke...

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