What is water and its uses? Water is the essential component of all life.

It comprises 70% of the Earth's surface, 75% of the human body, 90% of blood and sap. 97% of Earth's water is in the oceans, 2% is frozen in icecaps, 1% is fresh, but much of this is inaccessible, deep in the Earth. From what is left, we use 98% for industrial purposes and agriculture, only 2% for the nutrition and health of every living organism. (http://www.wellnessgoods.com/waterimportant.asp) There are many, many ways that we use our water, and that is partly why it is so important that we conserve our water. Water is our most precious resource. Water is vital to life. Humans, plants, and animals are made up of mostly water. All living things would die if it weren't for water. We use water for drinking, washing, cleaning, cooking, and growing our food as well as many, many other things. The average Filipino uses around 150-250 gallons of water daily. Even more water is used by industries to generate electricity, manufacture things, and transport people and goods. (http://www.farnellfamily.com/cfarnell/why/uses.html) What is potable water? Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually consumed or used in food preparation. Typical uses include washing or landscape irrigation. Over large parts of the world, humans have inadequate access to potable water and use sources contaminated with disease vectors, pathogens or unacceptable levels of toxins or suspended solids. Such water is not wholesome, and drinking or using such water in food preparation leads to widespread acute and chronic illnesses and is a major cause of death and misery in many countries. Reduction of waterborne diseases is a major public health goal in developing countries. Water has always been an important and life-sustaining drink to humans and is essential to the survival of all organisms. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drinking_water) Potable water is water which is fit for consumption by humans and other animals. It is also called drinking water, in a reference to its intended use. Water may be naturally potable, as is the case with pristine springs, or it may need to be treated in order to be safe. In either instance, the safety of water is assessed with tests which look for potentially harmful contaminants. The issue of access to potable water is very important. In developed countries, people may not put a great deal of thought into the source of their water. In many First World nations, citizens can turn on a tap for fresh, potable water which may also be enriched with things like fluoride for health. In developing countries, however, and especially in Africa, a large proportion of the population does not have access to safe water. Water which is not safe to drink

can carry diseases and heavy metals. People who consume this water will become ill, and there is a risk of death. Unfortunately, even in areas where the water is known to be unsafe, people may drink it anyway, out of desperation. The lack of potable water is often accompanied by other lapses in sanitation, such as open sewers and limited garbagecollection. Many of these public health issues impact the poor more than anyone else. (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-potable-water.htm) What is water testing and what are the different procedures? Water testing is a broad description for various procedures used to analyze water quality. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_testing) Water Testing Procedure pH Testing Procedure 1. Rinse each test tube with the water sample. Gloves should be worn to avoid skin contact with the water. 2. Fill the tube to the 5mL line with sample water. 3. While holding a dropper bottle vertically, add 10 drops of Wide Range Indicator Solution. 4. Cap and invert several times to mix. 5. Insert the tube into the Wide Range pH Comparator. Hold the comparator up to a light source. Match the sample color to a color standard. 6. Record the pH value. 7. Wash your hands Nitrate Testing Procedure 1. Fill the sample bottle with sample water. Use gloves if drawing the sample by hand. 2. Rinse and fill one test tube to the 2.5 mL line with water from the sample bottle. 3. Dilute to the 5 mL line with the Mixed Acid Reagent. Cap and mix. Wait 2 minutes.

4. Use the 0.1 g spoon to add one level measure (avoid any 50-60 times in one minute). Wait 10 minutes. 5. Insert the test tube into the Nitrate Nitrogen Comparator. Match the sample color to a color standard. Record the result as mg/L(ppm) Nitrate Nitrogen (NO3-N). To convert to mg/Nitrate (NO3) multiply by 4.4. 6. Place the reacted sample in a clearly marked container. Arrangements should be made with toxic material handlers for safe disposal. Please wash your hands after this water test is completed. Dissolved Oxygen Testing Procedure 1. If you have a barometer, record the atmospheric pressure. Remove the cap and immerse the DO bottle beneath the rivers surface. Use gloves to avoid contact with the river. 2. Allow the water to overflow for two to three minutes (This will ensure the elimination of bubbles). 3. Make sure no air bubbles are present when you take the bottle from the river. 4. Add 8 drops of Manganous Sulfate Solution and 8 drops of Alkaline Potassium Iodide Azide. 5. Cap the bottle, making sure no air is trapped inside, and invert repeatedly to fully mix. Be very careful not to splash the chemical-laden water. Wash your hands if you contact this water. If oxygen is present in the sample, a brownishorange precipitate will form (floc). The first two reagents "fix" the available oxygen. 6. Allow the sample to stand until the precipitate settles halfway. When the top half of the sample turns clear, shake again, and wait for the same changes. 7. Add 8 drops of Sulfuric Acid 1:1 Reagent. Cap and invert repeatedly until the reagent and the precipitate have dissolved. A clear yellow to brown-orange color will develop depending on the oxygen content of the sample. 8. Fill the titration tube to the 20 mL line with the "fixed": sample and cap. 9. Fill the Direct Reading Titrator with Sodium Thiosulfate 0.025 N Reagent. Insert the Titrator into the center hole of the titration tube cap. While gently swirling the tube, slowly press the plunger to titrate until the yellow-brown color is reduced to a very faint yellow. If the color of the fixed sample is already a faint yellow, skip to step 10.

10. Remove the cap and Tritrator. Be careful not to disturb the Titrator plunger, as the tiration begun in step 8 will continue in step 11. Add 8 drops of Starch Indicator Solution. The sample should turn blue. 11. Replace the cap and Titrator. Continue titrating until the sample changes from blue to a colorless solution. Read the test result where the plunger top meets the scale. Record as mg/L (ppm) dissolved oxygen. (http://msnucleus.org/watersheds/chemical/procedure.htm)

What is sanitation? Sanitation generally refers to the provision of facilities and services for the safe disposal of human urine and feces. Inadequate sanitation is a major cause of disease worldwide and improving sanitation is known to have a significant beneficial impact on health both in households and across communities. The word 'sanitation' also refers to the maintenance of hygienic conditions, through services such as garbage collection and wastewater disposal. (http://www.who.int/topics/sanitation/en/) Why is sanitation important? Although this question is very obvious for many food processors, it is necessary to fully understand the impact of sanitation on food products. Good sanitation, including cleaning and sanitizing, is essential to food safety and quality and is a foundation for all food safety systems. Sanitation controls the source of contaminants in the environment, preventing contamination of food products. In this sense, sanitation removes soil and microorganisms (bacteria, yeast or molds, etc) from the environment and prevents bacterial build up, i.e., biofilm, reducing the possibility of cross contamination. Even though sanitation has always been related to food safety, good sanitation has also a positive impact on other aspects of the product such as appearance, flavour, longer shelf life and overall acceptability of the product. (http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/foodsafety/processor/pdf/cfs02s62.pdf)