PURPOSE: This briefing note is a recommendation for changes in policy pertaining to tap water purification.
ISSUE: There is not enough regulation for the management and distribution of clean water.
Background:
Water is considered a basic human right as per the United Nations convention. Tap water is a main source of water for many Canadians. Canada in some parts has boil water advisory in place. These places are required to boil their water so as to ensure that all virus, bacteria, protozoans and fungus are eliminated. Canada has one of the largest resource for fresh drinking water. It is a nation that should pride itself for these natural resources however, they have been not efficient enough in handling the water crisis in the east. Various reserves are experiencing a shortage of this resources. How can Canada expect to assist the United Nations initiatives pertaining to the distribution of clean water if they themselves have not fully solved this matter on their land. Furthermore, Canada is selling this water to various corporations for pennies a liter. These corporations then mark up the price and vend it in the market. This is a task that the Canadian government should consider doing itself as the private interest serves to contra the United Nations convention. Is water a human right? Or is it a commodity? Private interest and governments are divided on this issue. What’s more is that water is being fluoridated. Fluoride is a chemical that was used in some weapons during the World War 2. The Nazis used this stuff to pacify the Jews. This means that fluoride was added to the water in concentration camps so that these people would suffer various ailments such as cancer. Despite this fact, Canada still insists that fluoridation has benefits to dental health which is true therefore they recommend that for communities wanting fluoridation the safe dosage is 0.7 mg/L. Furthermore, Health Canada established that maximum acceptable concentration of fluoride in water is 1.5 mg/L. According to CBC News the following provinces and territories have fluoridated water, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, North West Territories and Nunavut. What has occurred here is a conflict of values. Should Canadians prioritize health or should they prioritize appearance? The desire to prioritize appearance has consistently endangered the health of people throughout history. If we refer to Britain, former heirs to the thrown used makeup containing lead, this caused them to experience psychological issues. The Victorians however, used baths that had heating elements on its base because they associated the odors of the human body as belonging to the working class. In modern day society, some makeup contains dangerous chemicals. Women continue to use these for beauty. What Canada then needs to prioritize is the well being of people. They need to first socialize people to do their research. Second, they need to find ways to ensure clean water is available.
Considerations:
There are thousands if reports from independent sources that claim Canadas water sources are contaminated with high lead levels. Added with the fluoride in some provinces this could result in increased health care expenditures. Canada has a public health system and they need to reduces such expenditures. By rectifying the lead and fluoride issue, Canada can expect reduced health care expenses. The main source of lead are lead service lines- the pipes that connect homes and apartment buildings with eight dwellings or less to water mains- as well as plumbing fixtures containing lead solder. Municipalities are claiming that these pipes would be hard to replace as it requires a lot of coordination with property owners. Journalist collected test results that measures lead content in tap water in 11 cities. Of 12,000 tests conducted since 2014, one-third – 33% exceeded the national safety guideline of five parts per billion. These contaminated water could have effects to the health of citizens therefore, Canada should consider doing research with health authorities of that region to specifically determine if there are higher prevalence of certain illnesses’ as a result so they may then be able to allocate the necessary funds to the budget so they may prepare for these expenditures. The bottled water market is huge. According to Market Reports World, the demand for bottled water has been growing during the last decade. The reason is people are being more conscious about health. Beverage companies are improving their packaging according to the environment mandates. The bottled water industry was worth $185 billion in 2015. It is further expected to reach $334 billion by 2023. There are many corporations who sell bottled water such as Coca Cola, Pepsi co., and Nestle. A market that is currently emerging is the atmospheric water generator market. Since Canada has one of the largest resources of fresh water shouldn’t they be supporting their sphere lf influence by penetrating this market with their own product. Currently the atmospheric water generator is in the early phases of consumer diffusion and it is the best time to conduct research and put out a product before it becomes a bubble. It would be wise for Canada to enter this market so they may support UN conventions related to the commodification of water.
Options:
Option 1: Reserves- Atmospheric water generators.
This option is not feasible as these machines are really costly. However, Canada can commence allocating funds for this issue. There would likely be many commercial units needed to satisfy the consumption in these reserves. Commercial units can produce upwards of 400,000 Liters/ day. Therefore, providing these units to reserves would benefit these communities. This is the most equitable option as Canada has done their duty to the citizen and ensured their wellbeing. Currently, these people are not being treated equally as per the Constitution, resulting from the lack of maintenance in their water system however, providing these units serve to correct that. This is the most sustainable option as it would ensure a reliable source of water for the community.
Option 2: In tap water, remove fluoride and replace with colloidal silver.
As mentioned herein, tap water is contaminated by the likes of things such as lead and fluoride. Canada needs to prioritize the health and wellbeing of its citizens as these contaminants likely cause health issues and therefore health expenditures to the budget. This is the least feasible option because as mentioned, it would require a lot of coordination with municipalities and property owners. Removing these contaminants however, would ensure equity as citizens can be assured that they wont be getting ill from the water. This is a very sustainable issue as it would ensure safe drinking water for the next few decades. The current situation with equality related to water is that some places are still on boil water advisory, by selecting this option Canada can alleviate this discrepancy. Furthermore, by replacing chloride with colloidal silver, water can be disinfected of numerous virus, bacteria, protozoans and fungi. In fact, before saline it was silver that was used to disinfect the wounds and infections. The reason the medical community persisted with saline was the fact that there were mismatches with blood and various solutions.
Option 3: Penetrate the bottled water industry with Canadian companies whose objective is to support the UN conventions pertaining to water.
The preservation of Canadas native origins should be a priority. The government needs to start placing a heavier value on the identity of Canada. The Canadian identity is English, French and Native American. By encouraging Native Americans to penetrate the bottled water industry, Canada can not only secure income but also protect its interest from other ethnicities. This is a very feasible option, however, it would upset those companies who are currently purchasing water from Canada. This is a very sustainable option as it would ensure that the indigenous would have a source of revenue which they can then support their communities. Not only do these people ascertain revenue they will also have pride. The pride that connects them to the Canadian sphere of influence. This will connect our native identity to the world and should serve to protect all that we value in upper north America,
Option 4: Mixture of Option 1, Option 2 and Option 3.
This is not a feasible option as much research needs to still be conducted. By implementing a mixture of these options, Canada can begin to tackle various issues that Canadians face. This option gives citizens equity as they can be assured that they will receive clean drinking water. This is the most sustainable option as it rectifies multiple issues concerning Canadian interests.
Optionn 5: Status quo: Not working which is why we have options.
Thiss is clearly the most sustainable option. However, not acting on fixing the water crisis here in Canada will result in lost opportunities with the United Nations. This could severely impact the Canadian image. This option doesn’t do anything to improve the equity received by citizens. Therefore, it is urged that Canada look into rectifying the matters related to clean water in their country. This option is not sustainable as it would only cause health problems to arise out of contaminated drinking water.
Recommendation: Option two is recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment