Water is precious to me. However, even more precious are those who depend on me to make their water safe.

Around 1983 I was hired into the Hemodialysis vocation by the venerable Nephrologist, Chester Amedia, MD, at Saint Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio. I was asked to fix a water system plagued with bacterial contamination and mechanical problems

The service companies answering my calls for help would sell me a new product and soon without exception that new product would fail leaving the problem unsolved. However, once I stopped looking for products and instead focused on the water, I quickly fixed the water system.

I am here to say that the biggest threat to our water is not contamination, pollution, drought or climate change. It is not PFAS, chromium, pesticides, microplastics or any other nefarious chemical compound. The biggest threat our water is something I call The Water Grabber.

What is a Water Grabber? It is a corporation or individual who, with no prior expertise in water, but simply because of their position, fame, or connections are able to promote themselves as water experts.

It is unfortunate, but our universal desire to have safe water makes us willing to listen to any information that we believe might help us find safer drinking water. It is this perfect storm that enables charlatans to mislead and prevent us from truly understanding water.

The good news is that the Water Grabber always speaks ambiguously and is easy to identify. Here are some of their most common traits.

“My company has installed over 2 million water systems” Really, so what is your personal water expertise and education?

“Our three step under the sink Reverse Osmosis System solves a variety of common problems” So, your systems are a general band aid and not specifically designed around my particular situation?

“I have been involved in over 120 research projects, authored 2 books and am a keynote speaker” Can you tell me what water systems you have personally designed and installed, and what on-site water problems you have solved?

“As President and CEO I can tell you that our company has the finest scientists and engineers” But if you personally have no science education, background or experience, how can you possibly even know whether your scientists and engineers are good or not?

For those in the industry who are now pissed off at me, my reply is simple; if your companies, organizations, expertise and products are so good, why are people still drinking poisoned water?

Let me be clear. I have many colleagues that like me, are very accomplished at fixing water. Like me, they are also driven by the desire to help people, and not by sales, profits or numbers.

Sadly today, it is not such scientists who have access to spread the proper water message. But I promise you, I will keep working to change all that.

CHARLATANS AND WATER GRABBERS BEWARE!