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正确认识水的PH值WhatispHindrinkingwater?ThepHlevelofyourdrinkingwaterreflectshowacidicitis.pHstandsfor“potentialhydrogen,”referringtotheamountofhydrogenmixedwiththewater.pHismeasuredonascalethatrunsfrom0-14.Sevenisneutral,indicatingthereisnoacidoralkalinitypresent.Ameasurementbelow7indicatesacidispresentandameasurementabove7indicatesalkalinity.ThenormalrangeforpHingroundwaterliesbetween6and8.5.Bycomparison,vinegarmeasures3pH,beermeasuresbetween4and5,whilemilkmeasuresaround6.4pH.WaterwithalowpHcanbeacidic,softandcorrosive.Thiswatercanleachmetalsfrompipesandfixtures,suchascopper,iron,lead,manganeseandzinc.Itcanalsocausedamagetometalpipesandaestheticproblems,suchasametallicorsourtaste,laundrystainingorblue-greenstainsinsinksanddrains.WaterthatcontainselevatedlevelsoftoxicmetalscouldalsoshowalowpHlevel.DrinkingwaterwithapHlevelabove8.5couldindicatethatthewaterishard.Hardnessdoesnotposeahealthrisk,butcancauseaestheticproblems,suchasanalkalitastetothewaterthatmakescoffeetastebitter;build-upofscaleonpipesandfixturesthancanleadtolowerwaterpressure;build-upofdepositsondishes,utensilsandlaundrybasins;difficultyingettingsoapanddetergenttofoam;andloweredefficiencyofelectricwaterheaters.WhatarethehealtheffectsofpH?TheU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)doesnotregulatethepHlevelindrinkingwater.Itisclassifiedasasecondarydrinkingwatercontaminantwhoseimpactisconsideredaesthetic.However,theEPArecommendsthatpublicwatersystemsmaintainpHlevelsofbetween6.5and8.5,agoodguideforindividualwellowners.HowdoItestforpH?Contactyourlocalhealthdepartmentforalistofstate-certifiedlaboratoriesthatcantestthepHlevelofyourwater.Ifitisacidic,lessthan7pH,youmayhaveproblemswithleachingofcopperandleadfromyourplumbing.ConsidertestingforleadifthepHtestshowsyourwaterishighlyacidic.wellcare?infoonpHinDrinkingWaterJuly2004wellcare?informationforyouaboutpHinDrinkingWaterWellwaternaturallybetter…Contactyourlocalwaterwellprofessionalwellcare?informationonpHinDrinkingWaterPage2WhatisthetreatmentforpHindrinkingwater?Treattheproblemofacidic,lowpHdrinkingwaterwithaneutralizer.Theneutralizerfeedsasolution,typicallyusingsodaash,intothewatertopreventthewaterfromreactingwiththehouseplumbingorcontributingtocorrosion,whichcanleachmetalsintothewater.Note:neutralizingwithsodaashincreasesthesodiumcontentofthewater,whichmayposeadditionalhealthconcernsforyourhousehold.TreathardwaterwithahighpHwithanion-exchangesystemortheadditionofalime-sodaashmixture.Theseprocessesalsocanincreasethesodiumcontentofthewater.Contactyourwaterwellprofessionaloryourlocalorstatehealthdepartmentforguidance.FormoreinformationaboutpHandotherdrinkingwatercontaminantsU.S.EPA,SecondaryDrinkingWaterStandards::=WaterTreWilkesUniversity,CenterforEnvironmentalQuality,GeoEnvironmentalSciencesandEngineeringDepartment,pHoftheWater:~eqc/ph.htmFormoreinformationonyourdrinkingwaterThefollowingsitesprovideup-to-dateinformationoneffortstoprotectdrinkingwatersuppliesandstepsyoucantakeasaprivatewellowner:WaterQualityAssociation*A*SystProgram(WSC).WSCisanationalnonprofitorganizationdedicatedtopromotingthewideruseofwellsasmodernandaffordablesafedrinkingwatersystemsandtoprotectinggroundwaterresourcesnationwide.Wellownersandotherswithquestionsaboutwellsorwellwatercannowcallthenewwellcare?hotlineat888-395-1033orvisit