|  | Public Health Safety | Public Health

About Hard Water Problems in the US

Many homes and businesses in the United States rely on well water for their needs. Well water is seldom pure water, but contains dissolved minerals found naturally in the ground. Some of the minerals include sulfur, iron, calcium and magnesium. (see reference 1). If the water is from a municipality, minerals may also be present despite the best efforts of the treatment plant. Water with dissolved minerals is called "hard water." Hard water can lead to serious problems that affect lives and livelihoods.

  1. Effects on Plumbing Fixtures

    • Hard water significantly reduces the life span of plumbing fixtures such as faucets and copper pipes. This is because hard water is very corrosive, and it "eats away" fixtures and pipes from the inside out, leading to premature failure. For example, hydrogen sulfide is a corrosive contaminant that gives off a rotten egg smell, according to the Ohio State University Extension. For a hotel, failure is more than an annoyance, but a very real expense since thousands of fixtures and pipes are in use. Replacement costs can be thousands for a homeowner and hundreds of thousands for a hotel.

    Effects on Appliances

    • Since hard water is corrosive, it has the same negative effects on appliances such as washing machines. Internal components will corrode from the inside out, leading to premature failure. According to experts at the University of Georgia, scaling is a problem in hot water heaters, in which a thick crusty scale develops on the elements. Over time, the corrosive effects of hard water scale eat into the elements, and they burn out.

    Effects on Large Fixtures

    • Sinks, shower stalls, bathtubs and toilets are all adversely affected by hard water. For example, hard water chemicals penetrate into the porcelain. The end effect is commonly called hard water stains, which are very hard to remove. Extension specialist Sandra A. Zaslow at the University of North Carolina offers some cleaning tips on how to get rid of hard water stains, such as using ammonia and soap to eliminate copper stains.

    Effects on Humans

    • Hard water has detrimental effects on the human body. For example, dissolved copper gives the water a bitter taste, and it leads to severe cramps. Naturally occurring lead may also dissolve in hard water, depending on the water source. Lead is a known health hazard, causing a variety of severe mental and physical ailments. If you have hard water, a lab or your local health department can test it for dissolved minerals and issue you a report.

    Effects on Plants

    • Professor George Elliot of the University of Connecticut wrote in "Fine Gardening Magazine" that hard water has a negative effect on plants. Plants tend to accumulate minerals instead of releasing them. Over time, this leads to a variety of plant problems, including reduced growth. For a commercial grower of exotic plants or a farmer, this is significant since profits will be lost.

Public Health - Related Articles