Lab - Water Quality and Contamination
Experiment 1: Drinking Water Quality
Bottled water is a billion dollar industry in the United States. Still, few people know the health benefits, if any, that come from drinking bottled water as opposed to tap water. This experiment will look at the levels of a variety of different chemical compounds in both tap and bottled water to determine if there are health benefits in drinking bottled water.
POST-LAB QUESTIONS
1. Develop a hypothesis regarding which water sources you believe will contain the most and least contaminants, and state why you believe this. Be sure to clearly rank all three sources from most to least contaminants.
Hypothesis =
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Table 1: Ammonia Test Results
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Water Sample
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Test Results (mg/L)
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Tap Water
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Dasani® Bottled Water
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Fiji® Bottled Water
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Table 2: Chloride Test Results
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Water Sample
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Test Results (mg/L)
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Tap Water
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Dasani® Bottled Water
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Fiji® Bottled Water
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Table 3: 4 in 1 Test Results
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Water Sample
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Total Alkalinity
(mg/L)
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Total Chlorine
(mg/L)
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Total Hardness
(mg/L)
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Tap Water
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Dasani® Bottled Water
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Fiji® Bottled Water
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Table 4: Phosphate Test Results
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Water Sample
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Test Results (ppm)
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Tap Water
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Dasani® Bottled Water
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Fiji® Bottled Water
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Table 5: Iron Test Results
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Water Sample
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Test Results (ppm)
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Tap Water
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Dasani® Bottled Water
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Fiji® Bottled Water
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Table 6: pH Results
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Water Sample
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Test Results
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Tap Water
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Dasani® Bottled Water
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Fiji® Bottled Water
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2. Based on the results of your experiment, would accept or reject the hypothesis you produced in question 1? Explain how you determined this.
3. Based on the results of your experiment, what specific differences do you notice among the Dasani®, Fiji®, and Tap Water?
4. Based upon the fact sheets provided (links at the end of this document), do any of these samples pose a health concern? Use evidence from the lab to support your answer.
5. Based on your results, do you believe that bottled water is worth the price? Use evidence from the lab to support your opinion.
NOTE: Be sure to complete steps 1-32 of Lab 3, Experiment 1 (the next lab) before completing your work for this week. Lab 3 involves growing plants, and if the work is not started this week, your seeds will not have time to grow and the lab will not be finished on time.