Spring Break
This column talks about turbidity
Jeff Henderson
Issue date: 2/15/08 Section: Opinion
Recently, an alarming e-mail was sent to the Western Illinois University population in regard to turbidity concerns about Macomb's water system. Last December, levels of turbidity exceeded the set standard, which caused concern.
Coming together as a student body, we should use our critical thinking skills and decide what to do about this problem. In doing so, we must ask questions in hopes of formulating a means of protecting ourselves. For starters: "What does turbidity mean?"
If you were to look up the word turbidity, you would find a definition similar to that on www.nsc.org, which states that turbidity is "the cloudy appearance of water caused by the presence of suspended and colloidal matter." Knowing that, and being a proud college student, you should now understand, to some extent, the severity of this issue and ask more questions. Questions such as: "What does colloidal mean?" and "Do the gold flakes in Goldschläger count as suspended and colloidal matter?"
To prevent mass spastic anxiety, the e-mail illustrates that turbidity isn't dangerous by expressing "turbidity has no health effects." However, with this in mind, it says turbidity "can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth." (Perhaps third graders could translate this as meaning "it has health effects.")
The statement continues, "Turbidity may indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms" including "bacteria, viruses and parasites." (Remember: these "disease-causing" agents have no health effects.) The organisms can also "cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches."
Once again, according to the e-mail, these mentioned health effects have no health effects.
Hopefully I've broken this e-mail down for you to easily comprehend. If you took the time to read it vigilantly and everything is now clear to you, it is apparent you did not read it correctly. In fact, if this is the case, your brain is possibly infected with some "turbidities" of its own.
Coming together as a student body, we should use our critical thinking skills and decide what to do about this problem. In doing so, we must ask questions in hopes of formulating a means of protecting ourselves. For starters: "What does turbidity mean?"
If you were to look up the word turbidity, you would find a definition similar to that on www.nsc.org, which states that turbidity is "the cloudy appearance of water caused by the presence of suspended and colloidal matter." Knowing that, and being a proud college student, you should now understand, to some extent, the severity of this issue and ask more questions. Questions such as: "What does colloidal mean?" and "Do the gold flakes in Goldschläger count as suspended and colloidal matter?"
To prevent mass spastic anxiety, the e-mail illustrates that turbidity isn't dangerous by expressing "turbidity has no health effects." However, with this in mind, it says turbidity "can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth." (Perhaps third graders could translate this as meaning "it has health effects.")
The statement continues, "Turbidity may indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms" including "bacteria, viruses and parasites." (Remember: these "disease-causing" agents have no health effects.) The organisms can also "cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches."
Once again, according to the e-mail, these mentioned health effects have no health effects.
Hopefully I've broken this e-mail down for you to easily comprehend. If you took the time to read it vigilantly and everything is now clear to you, it is apparent you did not read it correctly. In fact, if this is the case, your brain is possibly infected with some "turbidities" of its own.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
John
posted 2/15/08 @ 11:23 AM CST
Hello,
Thank you for doing this serious follow-up. I had hoped people would not just let it pass. Why not stay serious minded on a serious issue, you joked the issue away. (Continued…)
Andrew Thomason
posted 2/16/08 @ 9:50 AM CST
There is a news article about this subject earlier in the year, the link is below
http://media.www.westerncourier.com/media/storage/paper650/news/2008/01/16/News/Macombs. (Continued…)
Breanne Hoffman
posted 2/25/08 @ 6:00 PM CST
The WC no longer surprises me. I would like to say that the lack of sincerity in your article was astonishing and the effort you put into belittling your fellow classmates unjustifiable, but hey, this is just the Courier. (Continued…)
Amy
posted 3/02/08 @ 11:52 AM CST
Do these people not get that this is a HUMOR column and not indepth reporting? Get a sense of humor; this article was f-ing funny.
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