I am Kimberly, a fourth-year student in the high school level for undergraduate. I have experienced issues with water hardships and would therefore like to make a difference in the community. Through my education, I have learned about the fundamental problems affecting water and, thus, adverse effects experienced by the community. Growing up, I have wanted to associate myself with conserving the environment that involves water. Water is essential in human life since it accompanies every other activity such as cooking, drinking, and washing (Valenti, 2018). These are the basic things that everyone does while using water.
However, water value deteriorates due to physical activities, causing chemicals to flow in the waters. One of the significant challenges is hard water. I suffered from eczema as a child and therefore know the effects of using hard water. I wish to use my story to prevent more harm from facing the community through consuming clean soft water. I am an environmentalist who wishes to carry out more research on hard water since it affects the whole world. There are different ways to deal with and treat hard water.
The prize from Pro Water Softener will give me the funds to conduct further research and buy the materials I require to prove my research. Also, supplying the needy with lean soft water is among my goals as it will help everyone have a good experience while using the water in their households. I want to invest in giving back to the community. Also, the funds will help me further my studies to the undergraduate and master’s levels to provide a long-lasting solution to hard water. The different source of hard water is recycled water, water harvested from the rain.
Hard water refers to water that has a high content of minerals. The water has charges of +2 and contains minerals such as dolomite and limestone (Muniz et al., 2020). There are several problems caused by hard water. Hard water is formed when there is the percolation of water through the deposition of magnesium and calcium minerals. The first one is itchy skin, wrinkles, and blemishes. The minerals in the hard water clog on the pores of the human body hence preventing the excretion of natural oils that leads to the formation of scars.
When one has defects, they risk their skin breaking out, mostly in children, increasing the chances of children suffering from eczema. Natural oils help ensure that the skin is lubricated and are moisturized (Valenti, 2018). When the skin has blemishes, it causes itchiness. When people take hard water and use it for domestic use, it increases the chances of the skin aging faster than usual.
Secondly, hard water also causes the wearing out of appliances. The chemicals in the hard water, such as calcium and magnesium ions, consume the coats on metals such as plumbing features that reduce their time of service to human beings (Valenti, 2018). The appliances include washing machines, dishwashers, showerheads, ice makers, and coffee makers. When the devices contact hard water, their efficiency is reduced, reducing the life span.
Also, if human beings consume water from the appliances, it decreases the protection from infections and bacteria. The corrosion on the pipes also requires repairs, often increasing the expenditure on repairing the machines. Also, hard water causes the fading of clothes. The clothes feel stiff, and their colors change since the washing detergents mix with calcium and magnesium ions.
The mixture increases the dirt on the clothes, forming stains that result in permanent stains. Hard water makes it difficult to wash clothes since it does not support soap (Valenti, 2018). Soap is a detergent that helps in the cleaning of clothes. Therefore, it is hard to wash clothes, surfaces, and utensils in households when there is no soap (Valenti, 2018). The hard water forms white spots on the utensils and the appliances. When cleaning, one requires rinsing with more water if they are using hard water, and therefore, it increases the cost of water.
Also, the consumption of hard water puts human beings at the risk of suffering from neural diseases, diabetes, renal dysfunctions, and reproductive failure (Muniz et al., 2020). Since there are magnesium ions in the water, it reduces the excretion of magnesium from the body, leading to renal dysfunctions. The ions also cause changes in bowel activities. All these health conditions are adverse and may lead to death. Therefore, although hard water has medical benefits, it is vital to note the health risks (Muniz et al., 2020).
Also, children risk suffering eczema (atopic dermatitis), a skin disorder that causes itchy and blemishes on the skin (Muniz et al., 2020). Pro Water Softener will allow me to further my education since it will cater to the costs. Using the option, both the community and I will benefit since my education will lead to ways to reduce hard water. There are several suggested ways of softening hard water, and the funds will help me prove the suggested methods and how safe and affordable they are to the community. To reduce the costs of repairing home appliances and pipes, people will install water softeners to reduce clogging.
The first method of dealing with hard water is educating the public on boiling water. Boiling water is the cheapest way to soften hard water and reduces all the issues people suffer when using hard water. Also, people will install water filters on the showers to prevent calcium and magnesium from coming into contact with their bodies. Also, advocate for water treatment in the neighborhood through using Calgon that makes the water safe for consumption and use in domestic activities (Muniz et al., 2020).
The finds will help activate my plans of giving back to the community by educating and following up on implementing methods to prevent the use and consumption of hard water. People will save more and invest in educating the children since there will be less costs on medical procedures and repairing appliances and pipes in the household (Muniz et al., 2020). I will visit states such as Florida and Indiana in partnership with a Pro Water Softener to provide clean water and educate the community on the importance of using soft water.
The opportunity will help implement the dream of creating a safer environment for everyone in terms of providing drinking water and civic education through the chance of furthering my studies in line with serving the community. I wish to pursue community health in college to help me service the community with my skills and safeguard their health. I will work hard to succeed and be free from the hard water community.
References
Muniz, G. L., Duarte, F. V., & Rakocevic, M. (2020). Assessment and optimization of carbonated hard water softening with moringa oleifera seeds. DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT, 173, 156-165. https://doi.org/10.5004/dwt.2020.24745
Valenti, A. (2018). Green economy and occupational health and safety: Potential impacts and preventive policies. International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 1(1), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.14302/issn.2690-0904.ijoe-18-2009
