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Fifteen years before lead contamination of a Michigan city’s drinking water became a public health crisis, Madison was on its way to eliminating its worst risks through a costly effort that replaced more than 8,000 lead water pipes. Madison is believed to be the only community in the country to have taken such a radical step. Madison officials say it was money well spent:  more

leadreplace

Activated carbon is porous, inexpensive and readily available for use as adsorbents, furnishing a large surface area to remove contaminants. It has more useful surface area per gram than any other material available for physical adsorption.

Activated carbon is porous, inexpensive and readily available for use as adsorbents, furnishing a large surface area to remove contaminants. It has more useful surface area per gram than any other material available for physical adsorption.

Heap of activated charcoal on a steel background

Heap of activated charcoal on a steel background

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Is chlorine really necessary for safe drinking water, or is it possible to deliver high-quality tap water without adding chemical disinfectants?

A recent commentary published in the journal Science presents evidence from Europe showing that chlorine can be omitted as long as the right infrastructure is in place.

The new technology works by using a form of bacteria to filter polluted materials from sewage water.

AARHUS, Denmark — Jan. 20, 2016 — A water treatment plant in Denmark will become the first in the world to produce 50 percent more electricity than it uses, according this release.

Iceland’s Blue Lagoon

Iceland's Blue Lagoon in the spring.

Bernard Beer Spa    A couple enjoys the Bernard Beer Spa in Prague.

igloo hot tub at Iglu-dorf      Cool: The Iglu-Dorf sits at the top of one of Europe's top ski slopes overlooking St Moritz, Davos and Klosters

Wine Spa at the Hakone Yunessun spa resort    Guests hold their glasses as they bathe in a pool of red at the Hakone Yunessun spa resort, one of Japan's most popular hot spring resorts.

Chena Hot Springs (Fairbanks, Alaska)   

And more from the Smithsonian Magazine

 

The Nano Membrane Toilet

Unlike most toilets, this invention does not need water and it does not smell either. The groundbreaking john makes use of a revolving machinery to transfer the waste to a holding chamber which contains the nano elements. The process also blocks off any odors as well as keep the stool out of view.

Video  and more about the The Nano Membrane Toilet

From the Los Angeles Times  “Our maps and estimates show where the groundwater is quickly being renewed and where it is old and stagnant and non-renewable,” said Tom Gleeson, a hydrogeologist at the University of Victoria and leader of the study, in the article.

According to the research team, the upper 1.2 miles of the Earth’s crust currently holds six quintillion gallons of groundwater, shared the article. Above ground, the amount would form a layer of water 600 feet high across the globe.

…The measurements showed that 5.6 percent of groundwater is less than 50 years old, a finding Gleeson noted was the biggest surprise of the study.

“This global view of groundwater will, hopefully, raise awareness that our youngest groundwater resources — those that are most sensitive to anthropogenic and natural environmental change — are finite,” she concludes.

Don’t you want to be clean? Don’t you ever feel … not so fresh?

You don’t try to clean the rest of your body with a dry towel, right?” said Jerry Bougher, the marketing manager for toilet seats at Kohler, the plumbing fixtures company. Say you’re covered with mud, he said. “Will you clean yourself up with a bunch of paper? No, obviously, you’ll take a shower.

This is the basic pitch for the electronic bidet toilet seat

TOKYO— Yoshiaki Fujimori wants to be the Steve Jobs of toilets.

Like iPhones, app-packed commodes are objects of desire in Mr. Fujimori’s Japan. The lids lift automatically. The seats heat up. Built-in bidets make cleanup a breeze. Some of them even sync with users’ smartphones via Bluetooth so that they can program their preferences and play their favorite music through speakers built into the bowl.

 

Toto Ltd is giving couples a chance this Valentine’s Day to purify their love inside a 3-meter tall toilet.

Japan’s largest maker of so-called sanitary ware this weekend will hold a special event in Tokyo’s posh Roppongi district where couples can walk inside a room through a toilet seat-shaped entrance, play toilet-inspired games together and strengthen their bond.

Some of the games at the event, including one in which pairs work together to exterminate virtual germs that are projected onto the floor, are sure to make couples feel closer, a Toto spokesman said.

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