CIELAP REPORT ~ “EMERGING CONTAMINANTS”

WHAT MUST WE DO
TO PRESERVE

OUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE???

The following excerpts are taken from a report, “There is No Away: Emerging Contaminants Detected in Water” which was published in the March/April, 2006 edition of Canadian Water Treatment magazine.

A report from the Canadian Institute For Environmental Law and Policy (CIELAP) released during National Pharmacists Awareness Week emphasizes the need for the Canadian government and industry to invest mores resources to research the effects of “emerging contaminants: in Canada’s waterways”.  The report makes 11 recommendations about ways to reduce the amount of, and their effects on, one of Canada‘s most valuable resources.

Anne Mitchell, executive director of CIELAP, said the release of the report was planned to coincide with the industry’s national convention because there are a number of issues related to increasing environmental contamination by pharmaceuticals and personal care products.  She was also careful to commend pharmacist for their efforts in keeping unused and wasted drugs out of the water.

The report, There is No Away: Emerging Contaminants Detected in Water, was written by Susan Holtz, a policy consultant to CIELAP who  writes on issues related to sustainable development, water and energy.  CIELAP is a not-for-profit research and educational institute dedicated to environmental law, policy analysis and reform.

In writing her  report, Holtz examined the issued of “emerging contaminants” – a term that originated in a U.S. Geological Survey report.  It refers to the  presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (collectively know as PPCPs) and endocrine-disrupting substances (EDSl) in the Canadian water system.  Holtz warns that the contaminants entering surface, ground and drinking water can have serious environmental and health consequences.  One of the biggest concerns is the issue of resistance to antibiotics and hormonal imbalances due to higher concentrations of EDS.  Of major concern, she says, if the increased use of antibiotics for both the human and animal population.  In Canada, there were 326.2 million prescriptions filled from July 2001 to August 2002.

In farming, Holtz notes that antibiotics are no longer being used singularly to treat sick animals; they’re also being used in the form of hormones, growth promoters and for illness prevention.  In her research, she determined the increased use of drugs in veterinary medicine, farming practices and aquaculture has decreased the effectiveness of the use of antibiotics.  The use of hormones in both animals and humans has had a negative effect on reproduction, causing the feminization of fish, wiping out an entire talhead minnow population in Ontario.  EDSs have also contributed to deformities in fish, birds and wildlife…Building on study results conducted in the U.S. and Europe, Holtz says it’s time for Canada to get more involved in the issue of contaminants in water.  She says the Canadian government and Canadian organizations don’t have enough information “even to develop a strategy that can effectively” determine the effects of contaminants in water… 
Here are a few YouTube videos relevant to this article:
~ Pharmaceuticals ~

~ Disposing of your Medications ~

~ Pharmaceutical Products In Our Water PSA ~

In addition to research, Holtz said a focus on human behaviour and providing more information to the public in order to encourage better choices are also important elements of social change.

T.G.I.F. ~ HILARIOUS ANIMAL HIJINKS

YouTube video ~ Try not to laugh. Best Animals Fail & Wins Compilation Ever !!, Funny Hahaha!!, uploaded by KarmaloopOffical

It’s not surprising to see that this video has had over three and a half million hits just in the last year alone!!!

Thought you might appreciate something really hilarious before you head off for your weekend activities.

Rainsoft Ottawa staff hopes you have a great weekend.

~ See you back here next week. ~

 

INCREDIBLE!!! ~ LIVE BIRTH OF THREE STINGRAYS

AWESOME LIVE BIRTH VIDEO !!!

N.B. ~ This is a follow-up to my blog, “Magical Place ~ Stingray City in Grand Cayman“, posted December 13, 2012. 

I’m reposting the 2nd half of my blog because I feel that some may have missed this amazing event because:  1) it wasn’t mentioned in the title and; 2)it wasn’t the foremost part of the blog.  I hope you find this as amazing as I did.

If you’re interested in seeing a stingray give birth on a dock, watch the following YouTube video, “Stingray Gives Birth On Land After Being Caught By Fishman“ posted by 718DJNOBODY

One comment posted about this video – ” People! Watch the whole video. He does put them back in the water. I am so glad my kids could see a stingray give birth and then watch as the guy carefully helped them get back in the water. Thank you for video taping this, but also for responsibly putting them back in the water.”

MAGICAL PLACE ~ STINGRAY CITY IN GRAND CAYMAN

Dr. Jonathan Bird states, “… It’s no doubt that Stingray City is special - a magical place where the creatures of the ocean and those of the land can meet and find common ground – As for the human impact, it seems that both humans and stingrays enjoy the interaction ~ they both get something out of the deal.”

Jonathan visits the world-famous “Stingray City” in Grand Cayman with world-renown marine artist Dr. Guy Harvey to learn about Dr. Harvey’s research on Stingrays and how they cope with massive numbers of tourists, Uploaded on Feb 3, 2010 by BlueWordTV.

AWESOME LIVE BIRTH VIDEO !!!

If you’re interested in seeing a stingray give birth on a dock, watch the following YouTube video, “Stingray Gives Birth On Land After Being Caught By Fishman“ posted by 718DJNOBODY

One comment posted about this video – ” People! Watch the whole video. He does put them back in the water. I am so glad my kids could see a stingray give birth and then watch as the guy carefully helped them get back in the water. Thank you for video taping this, but also for responsibly putting them back in the water.”

~ Interesting stingray facts in Grand Cayman’s North Sound ~

It may be that stingrays began gathering in the area decades ago when fisherman returned from an excursion, navigated behind a reef into the sound, and cleaned their fish in the calm water of the shallows and sandbar area. The fish guts were thrown overboard and the stingrays eventually congregated to feast on the discarded guts. Soon the stingrays associated the sound of a boat engine with food. As this practice turned into a tradition, divers realized that the stingrays could be fed by hand.

Today, tour and excursion boats, along with private watercraft, gather at Stingray City in large numbers. Passengers disembark and enter the chest-high water to interact with the stingrays. The boats’ proprietors bring along with them pails of chunked-up squid meat, which they dispense by hand to the animals, thus attracting dozens of the creatures to the feeding spot.

WATER VERSUS COLA ~ MAY SURPRISE YOU!

Truth or Falsehood? ~

         Exaggeration or simple truth?

Water

                         or

    Coke?

Very interesting information!

WATER 

#1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the world population)

#2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.

#3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 30%.

#4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study. 

#5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

#6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers. 

#7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page. 

#8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of water you should drink every day?

COKE

#1. In many states the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident. 

#2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days. 

#3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the ‘real thing’ sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china. 

#4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola. 

#5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion. 

#6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes. 

#7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake.  Thirty minutes before ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy. 

#8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield. 

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

#1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis. 

#2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial trucks must use Hazardous Material Warning Cards reserved for highly corrosive materials. 

#3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean engines of the trucks for about 20 years!

Now the question is, would you like a glass of …

Water?

  or 

                              Coke?

‘WORLD FAMOUS GLACIERS’ PHLOG

As a follow up to yesterday’s blog on “Greenland Glaciers On The Move“, I felt it would be nice to showcase my first photoblog, or “phlog” of some famous glaciers from around the world in small collages that I’ve created for you.

I also have a wonderful video for you, entitled: “Indonesia’s Last Glacier” which I’m sure you’ll enjoy.

Of the five glaciers featured, I definitely had to include two countries, Indonesia and Argentina, because I was so surprised to find out that glaciers exist in these countries.  I have included a brief description with each collage.

Parque Nacional los Glaciares in Argentina

Los Glaciares National Park is located in Argentina – south west of Santa Cruz on the border with Chile. Its name refers to the glaciers that are born on the Ice Caps - the largest continental ice extension after Anctartica- which occupies almost half its area. Also known as Patagonic Continental Ice, creates 47 big glaciers, 13 of which flow to the Atlantic. There are also more than 200 smaller glaciers, unconnected to the Ice Caps.

Aletsch Glacier, Switzerland

The Aletsch Glacier is the largest glacier in the Alps, covering more than 120 square kilometres (46 sq mi) in the eastern Bernese Alps of Switzerland. It is composed of three smaller glaciers converging at Concordia, where its thickness is estimated to be near 1 km (3,300 ft). The glacier then continues towards the Rhone valley before giving birth to the Massa River.

 

Puncak Jaya in Papua, Indonesia

Indonesia has glaciers as well, as surprising as it may seem.  The ice fields of Puncak Jaya in Papua, Indonesia are also shrinking like other glaciers worldwide. Indonesia’s Puncak Jaya, earth’s highest island peak and the tallest mountain between the Andes and the Himalayas, holds the last glaciers in the tropical Pacific.  Ancient ice from such high, frozen peaks lets scientists examine past climates and understand mechanism of possible future climate changes. I found an impressive video for you – “Indonesia’s Last Glaciers”:

  

The Hailuogou Glacier

Hailuogou is a national forest park, located in Luding County, Sichuan Provincein China.  It’s glaciers cover 31 square kilometres of the Conch Gully. Classified as Modern Glacier, they came into being 16 million years ago. The Grand Glacier Cascade - 1,000 meters in height and 1,000 meters in width – is the only one in the world. The Hailuogou Glacier is noted to be the lowest glacier in the world.

Kilimanjaro glaciers

Kilimanjaro, in northern Tanzania, is unique.  You will climb through all climatalogical zones during the ascent – tropical rain forest through moss and desert to the snow on the summit – the ice fields that top Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak.  The combined area of glaciers in these three regions is about 10 square kilometers.

Link to LiveScience’s Gallery, “Awe Inspiring Glaciers”

http://www.livescience.com/15430-gallery-awe-inspiring-glaciers.html

 If you are visiting for the first time, I hope you enjoyed my ‘phlog’ and I’d like you to know that we’d  love to hear from you.  Thank you!

GREENLAND GLACIERS ON THE MOVE

GREENLAND GLACIERS ARE SPEEDING UP

A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation (melting and sublimation) over many years, often centuries.   Crevasses, seracs, and other distinguishing features of a glacier are due to its flow.  Another consequence of glacier flow is the transport of rock and debris abraded from its substrate and resultant landforms like cirques and moraines.  Glaciers form on land, often elevated, and are distinct from the much thinner sea ice and lake ice that form on the surface of bodies of water.

Greenland’s ice sheet is on the move, with new images showing its glaciers moving 30 percent faster than they were a decade ago.

Excerpts from article by Jennifer Welsh, Live Science Staff Writer Date: 03 May 2012

We encourage you to read the full article by checking the site’s url at the end of this blog.

The heavily crevassed ice on this small Greenland outlet glacier cascades down to the fjord water (bottom right), which is filled with icebergs and small bits of ice.
CREDIT: Ian Joughin and Science / AAAS

Greenland and Antarctica … glaciers are shrinking and the water contained in them is moving into the oceans, adding to the already rising sea level.  A glacier’s velocity is a measure of how fast the ice on the surface of the sheet is flowing … The faster the flow, the more water and ice mass is lost from the glacier.

“You can think of the Greenland ice sheet as a really large lake that has hundreds of those little outlet streams that are acting like conveyor belts to move ice from the middle of the ice sheet, where it’s getting added by precipitation, to the edges,” study researcher Twila Moon, a graduate student at the University of Washington, told LiveScience…

researchers analyzed satellite images of the Greenland glaciers taken between 2000 and 2010. These annual images were put through a computer program to detect how quickly the ice is moving. In general, the glacial flow has sped up by 30 percent over the 10 years, Moon said … The glaciers that drop off into the sea are flowing the fastest, Moon said, up to 7 miles (11 kilometers) per year and their speeds are accelerating. “The areas where the ice sheet loses the most ice are also the areas we are seeing the biggest changes,” Moon said…

“A lot of the drive behind current Greenland ice sheet and Antarctica studies is to ask, ‘What sea-level rise can we expect?’” Moon said. “Both of these areas hold vast amounts of ice and the potential for very large sea-level rises. We need to understand what’s happening on them to see what potential scenario will be realized.”

Jennifer Welsh, LiveScience Staff Writer, May 03,2012

http://www.livescience.com/20082-greenland-glaciers-velocity.html

 Some images taken from LiveScience Ice World Album -

Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer, 05 August 2011

http://www.livescience.com/15430-gallery-awe-inspiring-glaciers.html

 

 AMAZING!!! Video of iceberg collapse in Wilhemina Bay region in Antarctica -YouTube, Mar 6, 2012 by PlanetSlowMo - 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuC4GAdHMjY&feature=related

CORAL REEFS ARE IN CRISIS!!!

“Losing Our Coral Reefs”

Excerpts from the article published in The Earth Institute, Columbia University, State of the Planet‘s blog, by Renee Cho, June 13, 2011

Before reading this you might like to watch the video included with my blog, “Great Barrier Reef” published March 6, 2012.

I urge you to read Renee Cho’s full article by clicking the link at the end of this blog.  Thank you.

Coral reefs, the “rainforests of the sea,” are some of the most biodiversity and productive ecosystems on earth. They occupy only .2% of the ocean, yet are home to a quarter of all marine species: crustaceans, reptiles, seaweeds, bacteria, fungi, and over 4000 species of fish make their home in coral reefs. With an annual global economic value of $375 billion, coral reefs provide food and resources for over 500 million people in 94 countries and territories. But tragically, coral reefs are in crisis.

Coral reefs are endangered by natural phenomena such as hurricanes, El Nino, predators and diseases; local threats including overfishing, destructive fishing techniques, coastal development, pollution, and careless tourism; and the global effects of climate change… 90% of coral reefs will be in danger by 2030, and all of them by 2050.

Coral reefs are colonies of individual animals called polyps, which are related to sea anemones. The polyps, which have tentacles to feed on plankton at night, play host to zooxanthellae, symbiotic algae that live within their tissues and give the coral its color. The coral provides CO2 and waste products that the algae need for photosynthesis. In turn, the algae nourish the coral with oxygen and the organic products of photosynthesis. The coral uses these compounds to synthesize calcium carbonate (limestone) with which it constructs its skeleton—the coral reef…

Of local threats to coral reefs, overfishing and damaging fishing techniques such as deep water trawling and the use of explosives and cyanide, are the most destructive… The global effects of climate change are also having critical impacts on coral reefs, and “the evidence is overwhelming that the ability of corals and the reefs they build to keep pace with the current rate of climate change has been exceeded” according to a recent study… When El Nino occurred in 1997-1998, widespread and severe coral reef bleaching occurred in the Indo-Pacific region and the Caribbean, killing 16% of the world’s coral reefs in 12 months… bleaching leaves corals vulnerable to disease, stunts their growth, and affects their reproduction, while severe bleaching kills them…

Today, coral reefs are experiencing warmer ocean temperatures and more acidity than they have at any time in the last 400,000 years. Acidification reduces the water’s carrying capacity for calcium carbonate that corals need to build their skeletons…It’s estimated that by 2050, only 15% of coral reefs will have enough calcium carbonate for adequate growth… Coral reefs provide us with food, construction materials (limestone) and new medicines—more than half of new cancer drug research is focused on marine organisms. They offer shoreline protection and maintain water quality. And they are a draw for tourists, sometimes providing up to 80% of a country’s total income. Losing the coral reefs would have profound social and economic impacts on many countries, especially small island nations like Haiti, Fiji, Indonesia, and the Philippines that depend on coral reefs for their livelihoods.

What can be done to save these precious and beautiful ecosystems? …

The Coral Restoration Foundation protects and restores coral reefs through creating coral nurseries and transplanting corals into degraded reef areas. Concerned individuals can adopt a coral through the Coral Restoration Foundation or a coral reef through the Nature Conservancy, which uses the funds to conduct research, promote marine conservation and support the creation of MPAs. MPAs, which are being created worldwide, protect biodiversity and help communities manage resources sustainably.

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest and richest coral reef in the world because it has been protected since the early 1970s. The creation of an MPA off St. Lucia in the Caribbean has resulted in a tripling of the fish population…. by Renee Cho

http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2011/06/13/losing-our-coral-reefs/

FRIDAY HUMOUR FOR MOTHER’S DAY

Make sure you see our SECOND Mother’s Day blog (also posted today) –

“A Tribute To A Mother’s Love”

WHEN YOU STOP LAUGHING – SEND IT ON TO OTHER MOTHERS, GRANDMOTHERS, AND AUNTS… and anyone else who has anything to do with kids or just needs a good laugh!!!

WHY GOD MADE MOMS

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

 Why did God make mothers?

To help us out of there when we were getting born.

 How did God make mothers?

God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?

God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.

What kind of a little girl was your mom?

My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.

Why did your mom marry your dad?

My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot .

Who’s the boss at your house?

Mom doesn’t want to be boss, but she has to because dad’s such a goof ball.

What’s the difference between moms and dads?

Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.

What does your mom do in her spare time?

To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

 What would it take to make your mom perfect?

Diet. You know her hair. I’d diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?

I’d make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me.

THE BEAUTY OF A MOTHER’S LOVE

A  Mother’s Day Tribute from your friends at Rainsoft Ottawa!

  Have a wonderful day and enjoy the video!

“Heart of a Mother – The Beauty of a Mother’s Love”

 

An excerpt from Heart of a Mother by Paula J. Fox.  Mothers are also a lot LIKE flowers in many ways… As the heart of a Mother grows and blossoms in beauty and grace, she spreads her fragrance of LOVE not only in her home, but throughout her world…

 

Baby’s Breath
Our first flower reminds us of the very beginning of a woman’s life as a Mother…the moment when she takes her first child into her arms and smells the fragrance of that sweet Baby’s Breath. Her heart will never be the same again.

Lilac
The Lilac represents the fragrance of a Mother’s sacrifice…the lovely scent of forgiveness that results when a flower is crushed and gives back to the very one that crushed it. It reminds us of the beauty that surrounds a Mother who is always willing to forgive her children’s faults and offer them compassion, mercy and unconditional love.

Hydrangea
The Hydrangea has a wonderful quality of being able to change color from shades of pink to blue. Initially it was thought that this flower was like a chameleon, changing color to match its surroundings, but experiments proved that the color is actually determined by the roots of the plant and the kind of soil it is planted in. This illustrates the Mother who gives her children a rich foundation of love and deep roots of character and strength.

Mac Anderson, Founder of Simple Truths, speaking with Paula Fox – “She said the speech is called The Heart of a Mother…The Beauty of a Mother’s Love. “However, what makes it unique is that I compare a mother’s love to 30 different flowers… each symbolic of the love a mother has for her child.”

Link to Simple Truths video -

 http://play.simpletruths.com/movie/heart-of-a-mother?cm_mmc=CheetahMail-_-MO-_-04.30.12-_-HOAMmovie-USCAXX-&utm_source=CheetahMail&utm_campaign=HOAMmovie

We’d like you to share with others. 

Many thanks for visiting and we hope to see you back here soon!