News
Caution issued over water equipment salesmen
SIMCOE, ON, DEC. 1, 2009 – The Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit is cautioning people not to fall victim to high-pressure sales tactics from salesmen promoting water treatment equipment in the area.
“These salespeople are not connected to the Health Unit or any county officials,” said Healthy Environment Program Coordinator Glen Steen. “We have had reports of very aggressive sales pitches citing health issues associated with the drinking water. We know of one couple in the area who put $3,000 on their VISA bill for water treatment equipment after being badgered by these salesmen.”
Steen explained that drinking water often contains mineral deposits that can have “aesthetic” impacts on water, but those “dissolved solids” do not make the water unhealthy.
“Iron for example can cause that orange stain you see sometimes and calcium can cause scaling in your pots, but they are not health hazards,” Steen pointed out. “The salesmen are using an ionizer – an electric device they put in a jar of your water – to solidify these dissolved solids, making them visible and, hence, turning the water coloured and murky. That does not mean the water is a health hazard.”
Steen pointed out that all municipal water is treated, tested regularly and, therefore, perfectly safe.
“In addition, we test rural well water for bacteria free of charge at the Health Unit, so if people have any concerns about well water safety, they simply pick up a water bottle at any of our offices.”
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Media contact
Glen Steen
Healthy Environment Program Coordinator
Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit
519-426-6170 Ext. 3204 or 905-318-6623 Ext. 3204