Seriously, that is really interesting. It be cool to see how this contributes to solving crimes. I wonder if they'll put some kind of harmless "tag" in water, then they could narrow it down more like to quadrants in every state.
One little problem with this theory is that it assumes all subjects drink tap water. Who drinks tap water?!?!
It is treated and chlorinated but I don't think it tastes bad except at one of the water fountains at my work where you can really taste the chlorine.
I know in some really huge cities tap water is dirty and needs to be filtered but small towns are not that bad (I know for a fact that the suburb of Henderson, Nevada which is a suburb of Las Vegas has dirty water).
Well, at least I drink some water because some people do not drink as much water as they should (and others drink too much).
Many small towns use well water which is not the least bit clean. If your town is incorporated, however, it probably uses reclaimed water which is recycled tap. They do use chlorine to purify it, but many synthetic chemicals are still present, and ingesting those chemicals plus chlorine over time has been proven to cause cancer. That is why people buy bottled.
There are definitely companies who bottle filtered tap, which is why it pays to do your homework on where exactly your water is coming from. And yeah, this is a subject that I know something about.
I get e-mails from my dad saying this will kill you or this is not good for your health but who or what should people believe?
Then there is the one where people should not heat things in plastic in the microwave because the plastic is absorbed into the food and can cause health problems.
I am not saying you are wrong about water but I think it is overkill when people say something is good or bad for them (even though I think smoking and drinking too much is very unhealthy).
One girl at work told me I should drink water instead of pop (or as some people call it, soda) and I felt like telling her to mind her own business because if I want to drink pop I will Besides, how does she know how much water I drink or don't drink?
So, if I want pure clean water I will go out and buy a water filter but for now I will just drink it the way I feel like drinking it (and I have been drinking it that way for 43 years and I have not died from drinking water yet).
It just helps to research things before you become too self-righteous is all. Using a water filter is better than nothing at all, I suppose. But hey, to each his own.
As for the micorwaving, certain plastics are microwave safe, others are not. I generally avoid putting anything plastic in the microwave because, well, it melts!
And actually, the vast majority of the US says "soda." Only midwesterners say "pop."
If it seems I came across as self-righteous, that was not my intent. I am just adding my two cents worth and after all, you asked who drinks water from the tap. And, I am one of them.
And yes, I will admit I do not research everything and researching water from the tap or using filters is not high on my researching list.
So, once again I am wrong and you are right.
Not at all, hon, it was rhetorical.
The only reason I know so much about water is because my father has been in the business for over 30 years.
Nice article Trisha, I find forensics very interesting.
Angel: I'm a pop person and I'm from Pittsburgh, everyone there says pop. It's next to Ohio, but it isn't the midwest. Here's an example of how it might be used there. "Check aht the pop ahl at that new Jine Iggle." I borrowed that sentence from a Pittburghese website. Jine Iggle is actually a grocery store called Giant Eagle. Some Pittsburghers really knew how to butcher the English langage.
Jerry: You're right about the water in Henderson but it wasn't just there it was just about all of Las Vegas. I haven't had tap water in many years but when I lived out there (near Summerlin) everyone knew not to drink the water, and of course the air was really bad too.
I drink tap water. It happens that the tap water in my community comes from a very deep aquafier and goes thru an extensive filtering. The quarterly tests of our water show that it is some of the best water in the country. It exceeds most bottled water for purity and lack of chemicals and toxins. I feel very fortunate that the water I have is so good and that I don't have to purchase my drinking water to feel safe.
I only drink dannon natural spring, fiji, or evian. My husband drinks panna. The bottles (that I know of) will have it's source listed on the label. I stay away from filtered tap water which is all that some bottled waters are, but thats just my personal preference.