According to investigation released by the Associated Press in September 2009, the drinking water at thousands of schools across the country contains unsafe levels of lead, pesticides and dozens of other toxins. This investigation revealed contamination in both public and private schools, from small towns to large cities and in all 50 states.

The contamination was more pronounced at schools that had wells (roughly 8% to 11% of the nation’s schools). According to data provided by the Environmental Protection Agency, of those schools with wells, nearly 20% violated the Safe Drinking Water Act over the past decade.

The state with the greatest violations of contamination was California (612 violations). States also reporting high volumes of contamination violations were Ohio (451), Maine (417), Connecticut (318) and Indiana (289).

The contaminant most frequently cited was the presence of coliform bacteria. Also sited were contaminations of lead and copper, arsenic and nitrates.

It this problem is not simply isolated to the schools that have wells. Schools that get their water from public utilities showed contamination too. This was more evident with schools in older buildings. Older school buildings were more likely to have higher levels of lead concentration most.

Concerned? Most home water treatment systems like a Rayne Reverse Osmosis System will remove much of these toxins and produce healthy drinking water for our children in school. These Rayne Systems are fitted to Water Fountains and Water Coolers for public consumption applications. (Read more about this story here)

On my last birthday I was given a USB flash drive from my a freind. I can remember thinking “I will never use this? Why would they waste their money on this? I hope they have a receipt. This is something my husband would like not me.” I really considered returning it but I eventually decided to put it in the desk drawer and didn’t think about it for several months. After some major encouragement from my husband who loves gadgets, it did not take long to learned that this little gift was indeed just that, ”A Gift”. 
Here are the top ten reasons why you too should have a flash drive!
1. Easy to carry and travel with.
2. Bring work home from the office and vise versa.
3. Plug into any computer any where any time.
4. Works great as a back up drive.
5. Ghost your computer.
6. Store your personal info.
7. Play your favorite games.
8. Listen to your favorite music.
9. Watch your favorite movies.
10. Store your favorite pictures.

Let me know how you use your flash drive!