Published on 07/12/2016
As staff on your vessel could be very reliant on consumable water supplies, you should naturally work to ensure that those supplies adhere to a high level of non-toxicity. You can do this through regular use of a water testing solution – and, here at the marine equipment supplier Martek Marine, we offer more than one such solution to choose from. There are various good reasons why you need a water testing solution; here are five of what could be considered the most vital.
Under MLC 2006, you have a duty to conduct documented water testing on all of the consumable water supplies intended for use on your vessel. Of course, averting a legal penalty is a major benefit of having that water tested – and you can rest assured that, with the Drinksafe kits in our stock, you can meet all of your obligations as detailed by MLC 2006 and IMO guidelines, not to mention flag state requirements.
If you currently lack experience with testing water, then you could be excused for feeling bewildered about how to do it. We’ve taken account of such possible confusion; our Drinksafe kits include simple equipment that is easy to get to grips with and regularly use. For example, we’ve left out glass ampoules, which can be prone to breaking; Thio-bags, which you could find messy; and calibration instruments. Simplicity is very much a watchword here.
This is the case especially because, as Cornell University’s website puts it, “the dose makes the poison”. So, a particular material mixed or dissolved in water can, in low amounts or concentrations, be neutral or even helpful; however, that same material could become harmful when those amounts or concentrations are much higher. Vitamins are a good example of such a substance. Plus, some contaminants could, even when very diluted in water, remain toxic.
A further complication to keep in mind when considering how pure or toxic your vessel’s consumable water supplies are: some contaminants could cause harm more gradually than others. Some materials are called acute toxins, as they inflict harm quickly; other substances known as chronic toxins deliver harm that takes longer to show up. Carry out regular water testing, however, and you could get chronic toxins – and, of course, other toxins – out of the water before it is drunk.
There might occasionally be instances where you suspect that something is amiss with a particular supply of water, but you need proper testing in order to be confident that something indeed is. Cornell University advises that, if water tastes metallic, you should test to see if it includes metals, while if water gives off the odour of rotten eggs, that water might include hydrogen sulphide. Testing the water can help you to discern for definite whether such contaminants are genuinely there.
If you would like to discuss how we can help you with your water testing solution, please give a member of our team a call or send us an email [email protected].