Author: Zhao Feihong
Voiced by: Xinhuanet Sichuan Co., Ltd. Liu Jiao
Video loading...
Luancheng District, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, has intensified sewage treatment and protected and more effectively and rationally utilized water resources. The picture shows the Former Sewage River after the treatment of the sewage flow. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Li Yuejiang on March 21, 2021)
This year, 22 March marks the 29th World Water Day, with the theme "Valuing Water".
From the ancient Greek philosopher Miletus Thales was the first to propose that "water is the source of all things", it has been more than 2500 years, until now most people's understanding of water is still stuck on this basis, and it is not clear that water plays a role in the development, growth and aging of life.
Data chart: Luancheng District, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, increased sewage treatment, protection and more effective rational use of water resources. The picture shows the Former Sewage River after the treatment of the sewage flow. Xinhua News Agency (Gao Baoheng photo in 2017)
For humans, drinking water is an irreplaceable substitute for rigid needs. Today, buying bottled water has become a very common practice in both large and medium-sized cities, small cities and villages. Data show that in 2019, the annual sales of bottled water in China reached 199.9 billion yuan. And with the development of time, there is a trend of increase. Due to the large population base in China, the water industry is a thriving sunrise industry, attracting crowds of people to compete, various brands emerge in an endless stream, and consumers are dazzled. In fact, no matter how the merchant operates the brand, there are still certain rules for buying water.
Data chart: Luancheng District, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, increased sewage treatment, protection and more effective rational use of water resources. The picture shows that the old sewage pit and pond in Nanwulipu Village have become a good place for citizens to relax after the treatment and transformation. Xinhua News Agency (Liu Guangsheng, Zuo Huizhen, photo in 2018)
How should we choose water? What's the trick?
First, look at the label
l. Look at the type of water. Indicates the type of water in a prominent position on the label. For example, packaged drinking water or natural mineral water.
2. Look at the implementation standards. There are two national standards (GB) for bottled water in China, one is packaged drinking water, and the other is drinking natural mineral water. Both are national food safety standards. There are also some local standards (DB), group standards, etc.
3. Look at the water source. The water source is located in scenic places such as nature reserves, where there is no pollution such as industry and agriculture, and the water quality is usually better. You can also retrieve the "China N1 Excellent Water Map" according to the WHO "Drinking Water Quality Guidelines" and China's "Drinking Water Sanitation Standards" on the Internet. Among them, the national high-quality water source can be used as a reference.
4. Look at the ingredient list. Drinking natural mineral water indicates the content of the water, such as dissolved total solid solution (TDS), sodium, strontium, metasilicic acid, etc. Some functional waters with high mineral content may have some characteristic taste. When you buy, you have to see clearly whether the ingredients marked in the label meet the requirements of their own use; and packaged drinking water will indicate the formula composition, such as water and various additives, such as ingredients are water, potassium chloride, zinc sulfate, etc. Some water in the United States will determine the price according to the variety and quantity of additives, such as the price of adding zinc and magnesium is higher, and the price of just adding baking soda or potassium chloride is lower.
Data chart: Luancheng District, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, increased sewage treatment, protection and more effective rational use of water resources. The picture shows the sewage flow in the past, after the treatment of the Wei River. Xinhua News Agency (Wang Shifang, photo in 2017)
Second, taste
Chinese like tea, soup, etc. the requirements for the taste of water are relatively high, so when buying water, according to their own needs, first buy samples, taste the taste of water, whether they like it, and then determine the purchase. Families with certain tastes can buy different water according to their different needs. For example, water for tea, or water for cooking. In France, for example, there is a bottled water known as the Rolls-Royce of bottled water - CHATELDON mineral water, sitting in a high-end bar to enjoy, this water is rare, the taste is particularly special with cocktails the best water.
Data chart: Luancheng District, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, increased sewage treatment, protection and more effective rational use of water resources. The picture shows the first sewage treatment plant. Xinhua News Agency (Liu Guangsheng, Zuo Huizhen, photo in 2017)
Why do people drink water? Is drinking water related to health?
When asked this question, everyone will answer that drinking water is to quench thirst, and whether it is related to health is not clear to most people. From nearly two decades of research, scientists generally believe that water has three levels of health:
First, water is the largest daily intake of nutrients in the human body, and adequate daily water intake is a key factor in promoting the body's metabolism, regulating body temperature, and improving the cognitive level of the brain. What is the amount of adequate water, the World Health Organization believes that under standard temperature and humidity conditions, when there is no activity, the amount of water required for the body's basal metabolism is about 2580 ml. According to the international common calculation method, every 1 kcal of energy consumed needs to ingest 1 liter of water, taking into account the environment, weight and other issues, the general energy consumption of 1 kcal needs to consume 1.5 liters of water. From a large number of studies, it has been found that chronic diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity are related to long-term dehydration. In addition, the latest research found that drinking 500 ml of cold water in 90 minutes can increase the basal metabolic rate by 30%, that is to say, drinking 2 liters of cold water per day can consume 400 kcal of energy, which is equivalent to 1 hour of human walking.
Second, because water is the most important nutrient in daily demand, drinking water safety is more important than food safety, and even if the trace amount of pollutants in water is small, there may be integration or addition to each other. The author once conducted a biological experiment on a mountain spring water in Guangxi, and people generally responded that bone density increased after long-term drinking, and the blood lead content of children decreased, alleviating hyperlipidemia. Because the spring water is located in the rare mountain forest nature reserve, the pollutants in the water tend to zero, which ensures sufficient drinking water and promotes the elimination of waste by the human body and the absorption of nutrients.
Data map: Luancheng District, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, increased governance efforts, protection and more effective rational use of water resources. The picture shows the water plant that has been treated for drinking by urban residents after the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Xinhua Netfa (Liu Guangsheng, Zuo Huizhen, photo in 2019)
Third, there are many people who think that minerals in water cannot be absorbed, in fact, calcium, magnesium, fluorine and other substances in water are one of the sources that supplement the needs of the human body. The World Health Organization has organized more than 80 regions to do experiments, found that the absorption rate of calcium in water is similar to milk, and the absorption rate of magnesium can be as high as 59.1%, calcium and magnesium are important minerals for the prevention of chronic diseases, magnesium is related to the activity of more than 350 enzymes in the body, known as the light of life, water contains a moderate amount of fluoride is a way for children to prevent caries. Nowadays, people's food is becoming more and more refined, the minerals ingested from food are far from meeting the needs of the body, and water is also a good source of minerals. Long-term drinking of pure water is not conducive to the deposition of minerals in the body, affecting the growth and development of children and the absorption and digestion of nutrients, causing damage to the inner wall of blood vessels, and increasing the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
All in all, drinking moderate, pollution-free water every day is conducive to improving people's physical health and happiness in life. (The author is the director of the Healthy Drinking Water Professional Committee of the Beijing Association for the Protection of Health)