Skowronski

Brittany Skowronski
Mr. Padgett
English 102-125
March 1, 2016
Are the chemicals in tap water dangerous?
Inquiry: What are the adverse effects of chemicals found in tap/bottled water?

Proposed Thesis: The chemicals added in bottled and tap water keep water potable, but
in larger quantities can have serious adverse effects on the health and wellbeing of
consumers.

Jiang, Shoufang, et al. "Fluoride And Arsenic Exposure Impairs Learning And Memory
And Decreases Mglur5 Expression In The Hippocampus And Cortex In Rats."
Plos ONE 9.4 (2014): 1-10. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Feb. 2016.
This journal article introduced the claims against the inorganic compounds found
in tap water, fluoride and arsenic in particular, and the potential negative side effects they
cause. The research team then introduced their experiment and how they would be testing
the effects fluoride and arsenic have on the Hippocampus and learning/memory. There
experiment was administered to rats and there were three groups: group one received
fluoride only tap water, the second group received arsenic only tap water, and the third
group received both. Each of the three groups were to drink that tap water for three
months and were tested throughout that time span. The researchers found that those rats
that received the chemicals did show a decline in learning and memory. This seems to be
a pretty sound bit of information, and I could easily use it in my paper to show the affects

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of fluoride and arsenic on an animal model, which in turn could suggest potential
outcomes of the effects on the human mind. This would be vital because it is not ethical
to test potentially hazardous substances on humans and the animal model is the only way
scientists can see what the effects are.
Barrett, Julia R. "Arsenic Exposure And The Western Diet." Environmental Health
Perspectives 124.2 (2016): A39. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
In this experiment the researchers tested various levels of arsenic on rats, they also fed
the rats a diet that would be the rat equivalent of a western diet, or a diet that was high
in fats. The rats experienced all kinds of health problems as an effect of their diet mixed
with the arsenic. This experiment added exigency for Americans and those humans who
have a western diet because the fats and high levels of unhealthy foods have an
stronger impact on the effects. This is extremely important information to incorporate
into my paper because although this is an animal model the information can still be
loosely applied to humans. This can be used to closely show the effects of the substances
on the animals mind and how the animals state is altered eating the American diet.
Choi, Anna L., et al. "Association Of Lifetime Exposure To Fluoride And Cognitive
Functions In Chinese Children: A Pilot Study." Neurotoxicology & Teratology 47.
(2015): 96-101. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2016.
The research team found inhabitants of a rural town in China that have been
exposed to a significantly high level of fluoride in their well water. The researchers had
various levels in the experiment and all of the children were tested using various different
cognitive tests to see the impact of different levels of fluoride on the developing mind.
The researchers also took samples of the levels of fluoride present in their bodies and a
sample of the well water from each of their homes to compare the children to other

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children in the experiment within the same fluoride ranges. This information is important
because this is the only way researchers can test the actual impact of fluoride on the
human mind in an ethical manner, because it is against all standards of ethics to actually
implement hazardous conditions on people. This information is also important because
there are already a decent amount of fluoride found in American sources of water, both
bottled and tap, and the impact is shown on the developing mind and can show the effects
of higher doses of fluoride.
"Technical Fact Sheet: Final Rule for Arsenic in Drinking Water." EPA. United States
Government, Jan. 2001. Web. Feb. 2016. <http://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPdf.cgi?
Dockey=20001XXE.txt>.
The EPA published this information to the public in 2002, it stated that the
regulation for arsenic was going to decreased, meaning that there would be significantly
less arsenic present in the water sources of over a million residents of the US. Arsenic is
found in various forms of poison, and ranked rather high in tap water related deaths. They
went over what that meant and who it would affect, and what potentially beneficial
outcomes could follow with the decreased levels of arsenic exposure, for example a
smaller risk for certain forms of cancer as well as a lower risk for various other diseases.
This information is important because it is a government source that recognizes that these
chemicals are bad for human consumption, this could strengthen the argument that the
chemicals added in our water are not entirely good for us at all.
Novkov, Jaroslava, et al. "Lifetime Exposure To Low Doses Of Lead In Rats: Effect
On Selected Parameters Of Carbohydrate Metabolism." Toxicology & Industrial
Health 31.5 (2015): 448-458. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2016.
This study tested the effects of nonlethal doses of lead in the water of rats during
the duration of their life. Their findings suggested that with the incorporation of lead in

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the water, even at levels that were not necessarily lethal, there were significant changes to
the life expectancy of these rats as well as their body weight and various other aspects of
their lives. This is important because it shows that there is a significant link between
levels of lead, even at small doses, and the life expectancy and health of these animals.
This can in turn be used to show the dangerous nature of lead and the impact on life, this
information is important currently and can be used when I bring information regarding
the Flint Water Crisis into my paper.

Murai, Iori, et al. "Effects Of High Potassium Chloride Supplementation On Water Intake
And Bodyweight Gains In Pregnant And Lactating Mice." Animal Science Journal
84.6 (2013): 502-507. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Mar. 2016.
This experiment was done on pregnant and nursing mother rats, they administered
levels of potassium chloride in the water of these animals, the results show that there is a
significant link between potassium chloride and body weight issues and hydration. This is
important for my stance on my paper because it involves the affects of the compound and
it is a component commonly found in various forms of human drinking water. This can
show through an animal model the impact potassium chloride, a common additive in
bottled water, has on neonatal and nursing babies. This information can be used to shed
light onto other chemical additives and what their impacts are.