Convict on 31/7/2006 at 13:12
Australia has a chronic water shortage in many areas - there is policing of water restrictions in Sydney and I believe Brisbane also. Not all of Australia is this short of water however, but a large portion is. Even relatively south such as Goulburn (in NSW) there was a relatively major water crisis and businesses had to close because there was no water to use. South-Eastern Queensland has been experiencing water problems and there has been some fiery debate even rivalling the water fluoridation and daylight savings time debates (oh Queensland - I love it! ;) :cool: ).
The Queensland Premier has called for a referendum on the use of recycled sewage water but this is after the next election and there are accusations of him (Peter Beattie) misleading the electorate about its use - that it would become necessary but that Beattie just was trying to get past the next election. 'However (
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,19961083-3102,00.html) Cr Newman said Mr Beattie would have no choice other than to opt for recycled drinking water if the summer rains failed and called for him to make that clear.
"He knows that and he should be up front and tell people that," Cr Newman said.
"If there is a referendum and the answer comes up no the premier, I predict, will have to turn the (recycled water) tap on anyway."'
One city in SE Queensland (Toowoomba) has strongly rejected the use of recycled water 62%:38%. There has been a suggestion that residents would now have to pay approximately $1000 per year extra(?) for their water. The council supported using recycling sewage water into drinking supplies and spent about 5 times the amount on their campaign than what the anti-lobby group spent and yet they still lost.
State (of Queensland) opposition leader Lawrence Springborg (
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,19968981-3102,00.html) has cited a study showing that recycled sewage water changes the sex of fish (presumably due to female hormones in the water from the contraceptive pill).
Quote:
(
http://thecouriermail.com.au/extras/blogs/water/index.html) Tuesday, July 25
The Scientific Director of the Queensland Fertility Group in Brisbane has queried whether recycled water could reduce sperm counts, due to the presence of hormones. His comment come a few days before Toowoomba residents vote on whether tertiary treated sewage can be pumped back into the city's supply. Here is Dr Keith Harrison's blog on the subject.
For a number of years there have been concerns that the sperm counts of men worldwide are falling. The greatest evidence comes from Great Britain and the industrialised countries of western Europe where drinking water is likely to have been recycled repeatedly.
The authorities who supply our reticulated drinking water are very good at removing particulate matter and all infectious agents - bacteria, viruses and parasites. Its ionic content can be reduced by reverse osmosis to 'soften' it. What is far more difficult to remove however are dissolved organic chemicals - these require passage through activated carbon filters for their removal.
Chemicals such as pesticides, detergents and plasticisers are present in waste water. In the human body these chemicals mimic the activity of the female hormone oestrogen. Added to this there is in waste water all the normally excreted female urinary oestrogens and those added by contraceptive and hormone replacement pill usage.
The concern is that these chemicals may not be removed from water that is being recycled. It is thought that their ingestion by pregnant women and young male children may have a deleterious effect on the reproductive organs and urinary tract of developing male babies and children.
The evidence comes from apparently greater rates of falling sperm counts in industrialised countries which heavily recycle water, along with increased rates of male genital tract abnormalities and testicular cancer. All we have however is a strong association – not a proven cause and effect. It is backed up by evidence from animal species living in water polluted by these chemicals where we have seen feminisation of male seals, fish, alligators and seabirds.
The quest for safe recycling of water is both admirable and necessary. Those who are advocating it however should be required to give us details of how they propose to remove organic chemicals from the recycled water and how they intend monitoring the effectiveness of the procedure.
My opinion is - no to recycled sewage water for drinking unless good scientific evidence can show us that there are no more female hormones in the recycled sewage water than in fresh river water. Females are great but I don't want babies to be born with genetic mutations from hormones in the water or problems to occur for adult males or females (from overdosing - if that's a possibility).
Rug Burn Junky on 31/7/2006 at 14:35
So after all that, your biggest concern is that the water might have cooties?
Briareos H on 31/7/2006 at 15:12
No way I'm drinking any recycled water if that means its quality went from 100000 times to 99999.9 times the quality of 99% of all "drinking water" on earth.
I'm disgusted.
Bjossi on 31/7/2006 at 15:36
I can't see a problem with that as long as there is no health-related risk of drinking it.
Turtle on 31/7/2006 at 16:00
Guess what?
The entire planet has been drinking recycled sewage water for the entire history of life here.
Fragony on 31/7/2006 at 16:11
We do it here, it's perfectly safe, cleanest water of europe. Better for the enviroment as well.
jay pettitt on 31/7/2006 at 17:29
Quote Posted by "Convict"
No way I'm drinking someone else's piss Bruce.
Insert quip about Australian lager beer here.
OnionBob on 31/7/2006 at 17:41
surely drinking sewage is just a reversal of the process you set in motion every time you speak, Convict
CyberFish on 31/7/2006 at 18:12
Drinking water that turns boys into girls.
Well, I'm entirely in favour.
Convict on 31/7/2006 at 21:15
Quote Posted by OnionBob
surely drinking sewage is just a reversal of the process you set in motion every time you speak, Convict
Didn't your mother ever tell you not to speak if you don't have anything nice to say?
I think the water is just as clean, it's the alarming issue of hormones and their potential effect that has myself and other people worried. I am not an expert in this area and therefore I am very cautious about it. I realise that many countries do use recycled sewage water but I am very cautious about it nonetheless. In Australia there seems to be a large percentage (majority) of people who will not accept recycled sewage water for drinking, e.g. the NSW Premier said that Sydney is not ready for it either. Maybe this is scientific ignorance (which I admit in this case too) but again IMO I prefer to be cautious with something that has harmful potential such as this.
