Credit Where It's Due

Despite my frustration with them, I must say the Water Dept is coming through for us in some major ways.... not only keeping it flowing (as long as we pay in dollars) but helping with conservation measures. The Vallejo department is offering free low-flow shower heads (nice ones, with massage and various other stream options) and a lawn watering guide- it's a chart that shows how long to leave the water on, calculated by the length of time it takes to fill an empty can with 1.5 inches of water, and more helpful hints like adjusting sprinkers so the water goes to the plants, not the sidewalks; surprising how many of us water the sidewalks!

They've also issued an important Alert regarding antibacterial soaps and other products containing Triclosan- which is all of them. I've been interested in antibacterial products since working as an Infection Control Nurse; I wondered whether these pervasive products would promote ARMs (anti-bacterial resistant microbes) in the same way antibiotics do. I found plenty research on the subject- the answer is NO, there's no danger of promoting ARMs from using those products; Triclosan, the common anti-bacterial agent in soaps and plastics, is powerful enough that it kills everything in its path, rather like bleach but easier on the skin. I also found out that it's really unneccessary to use antibacterials instead of plain old soap- the best cleaning is accomplished by friction and the slipperiness of soap, which effectively sluices off dirt and microbes.
Unfortunately, killing microbes isn't all Triclosan does. According to the Water Dept, small amounts of Triclosan are showing up in our water supply. While not apparently harmful when used on skin, it's potentially deadly when ingested. No real danger from the tiny amounts we ingest daily from the overloaded public water supply- the problem is, Triclosan is stored in the body rather than safely excreted, meaning it builds up over time to potentially toxic levels..... and there's no way to completely remove it from our water or our bodies.

What to do? First of course, stop using antibacterial products. We don't need em. Second, harvest rainwater- it's still the purest drinking water around!