It is known that the water filter around school has been red after the first sixth weeks. Some others reckon that it has always been red. But one thing that is for sure is that a red filter means unfiltered water. Because of this, students resort to soft drinks which can cause health problems.
Athletes who don’t bring their own water bottles have to drink out the unfiltered water fountain. The student athletes that do bring their water bottles have to refill their water with unfiltered water after such hard training. After so much training, athletes get dehydrated for not having a clean water source. You can get water from a vending machine, but having to pay money for a water source seems unfair, especially when there are other students who may not be able to afford to spend money for a vending machine.
Maximo Gennaro (11) expressed how he doesn’t think students have a concern because of the taste of the water, but because they are drinking from an unfiltered water fountain. Unfiltered water fountains contain bacteria, and when students drink from it, they can get sick. Because of the bacteria, that’s why the water from the fountain tastes unsanitary.
“I don’t think that the concern is really how the water takes, just the fact that it is coming from unclean filters, which poses a danger in the field of sanitation.” Gennaro said.
Unfiltered water may also contain parasites, viruses, and chemical containments, which can cause long-term health problems or illnesses. One of the most found bacteria is salmonella. They often come from municipal supplies that may already contain low levels of the pathogen, and the fountain’s design used creates conditions where Salmonella can survive, multiply, and spread. Furthermore, salmonella can range from mild gastrointestinal discomfort to severe, life-threatening illnesses, particularly for vulnerable populations such as students, teachers, and people with weakened immune systems.
Overall, drinking unfiltered water exposes you to bacteria, viruses, parasites, and chemical contaminants, which can cause immediate illness and long-term health issues. Having this dangerous
exposure from drinking water is very unsafe.
As of recently, the school’s water filter has been changed to green. Meaning, the water has been filtered so we can have safer water to drink. Personally, I think it tastes like tap water, but it’s good enough to drink. Now athletes can drink filtered water after their training and sports games. Hopefully water filters will remain green next year for new students to drink.
