| Water is the most important substance for sustaining | | | | Testing is often performed in conjunction with and in |
| human life, which is why water quality testing and | | | | large part to monitor the effectiveness of reverse |
| other water analysis procedures are so vitally | | | | osmosis, electrodialysis and other water filtration |
| important to our health. | | | | systems intended to maintain the purity and/or |
| Unless you live in a rural area and use well water (and | | | | consistency of a supply. The range of tests |
| even then you may have your water tested for | | | | performed as to water quality may include pH testing |
| quality and safety on your own), your municipal | | | | and testing for mineral content - tests which are |
| supply is regularly tested and analyzed to determine | | | | particularly common in food and beverage production, |
| whether it is potable and whether any potentially | | | | where these quality factors can affect the taste and |
| hazardous pathogens or contaminants are present | | | | consistency of the finished product. |
| which may endanger the health of those who rely on | | | | Water quality testing isn't only confined to large scale |
| this source. | | | | water systems such as on the municipal level nor to |
| Testing for the purity or depending on the application | | | | the laboratory environment. There are also a wide |
| at hand, the presence of a certain additive to ensure | | | | variety of different water analysis instruments and |
| that it is within expected parameters is a routine task | | | | testing devices which have been designed with the |
| in laboratories and quality assurance departments all | | | | home user in mind. While many of these don't |
| over the world. Water analysis and quality testing are | | | | provide the same kind of precision as those products |
| operations which are a part of the daily workflow | | | | manufactured for the scientific market, there is a |
| not only in civil engineering such as system | | | | growing interest on the part of consumers in |
| administration but in any research, clinical or | | | | knowing exactly what is in the water that they drink |
| production environment which relies on having water | | | | and these water testing devices for the home are |
| which is of a consistent quality. | | | | becoming increasingly commonplace. |
| One of the more common water testing applications | | | | The quality of the water used in the home for |
| is to screen for the presence of microorganisms in | | | | drinking, watering plants and other common |
| supplies; the importance of which is immediately | | | | household uses matters, clearly. Quality testing is also |
| apparent if you'll just recall the fatal cases of | | | | mission critical in the laboratory, in the production of |
| cryptosporidium infections in Milwaukee in the 1990s. | | | | all manner of consumer goods and virtually anywhere |
| Many residents of the city were sickened and a few | | | | that water is used, making water analysis something |
| killed, largely due to a failure in the municipal quality | | | | which is as vital as water itself; essential to our very |
| testing procedures. Clearly, accurate water analysis | | | | survival as a species and to the maintenance of our |
| can quite literally be a matter of life or death when it | | | | health. |
| comes to drinking water supplies. | | | | |