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| Safety Notes |  |
Another kind of water safety
National Blue Thumb
Week (May 6-12, 2001) encourages Canadians to improve the quality
of drinking water. Here are some tips from Health Canada.
After periods of non-use (e.g., overnight) run the water for
at least 60 seconds or until it’s cold before using it for
drinking or cooking. This will flush out any metals that may
have leached from the pipes. Only cold water should be used for
drinking and cooking; hot water picks up more of the metal.
Follow all manufacturer’s recommendations if you use water
filters such as Brita. Change the filters on time. Exhausted
filters may release accumulated compounds back into the water.
Refrigerate the water to avoid bacterial growth that may occur
from a build-up of organic material in the filter.
Untreated water from lakes and streams should always be disinfected
before drinking or used for cooking. Boiling for at least one
minute will disinfect most water. You can also use commercially
available water purifying tablets, but make sure you follow the
manufacturers’ recommendations.
Tanks and containers used to store water should be cleaned periodically.
Well water should be checked twice a year for bacteriological
content and chemical contamination. Recommended testing times
are in the spring after snowmelts and in summer during dry spells.
Well water should be tested immediately if there is a change
in clarity, colour, odour or taste
Chemical
Spills
here have been a number of incidents on campus in the past few
months involving chemical spills, from a few droplets of mercury
to 25 gallons of hydraulic oil. All spills must be dealt with
promptly and should be reported to your supervisor and departmental
safety representative. Safety and Environmental Services personnel
are available to help with the clean-up of any chemical spill.
We can provide expertise in the appropriate method and clean-up
materials to use and personal protective equipment required.
Keep in mind that some toxic materials, such as mercury and
petroleum products, are also environmental hazards and require
special disposal considerations.