A survey of monitoring tap water hardness in Japan and its distribution patterns

A survey of monitoring tap water hardness in Japan and its distribution patterns

Abstract We conducted a comprehensive overall tap water hardness assessment for Japan. Tap water was collected from 665 points throughout Japan, and its standing position was quantitatively clarified by prefecture. The mean and median hardness of tap water in Japan was 48.9 ± 25.8 (1σ SD) and 46.0 m...

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Main Authors: Mayumi Hori, Katsumi Shozugawa, Kenji Sugimori, Yuichiro Watanabe
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2021-06-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92949-8
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spelling doaj-5b48db59b03544ac9308d138233c1b9b2021-07-04T11:29:39ZengNature Publishing GroupScientific Reports2045-23222021-06-0111111310.1038/s41598-021-92949-8A survey of monitoring tap water hardness in Japan and its distribution patternsMayumi Hori0Katsumi Shozugawa1Kenji Sugimori2Yuichiro Watanabe3Komaba Organization for Educational Excellence, The University of TokyoDepartment of General Systems Studies, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of TokyoDepartment of Biology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho UniversityDepartment of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of TokyoAbstract We conducted a comprehensive overall tap water hardness assessment for Japan. Tap water was collected from 665 points throughout Japan, and its standing position was quantitatively clarified by prefecture. The mean and median hardness of tap water in Japan was 48.9 ± 25.8 (1σ SD) and 46.0 mg/L, respectively. Compared with 27 other countries, Japan exhibited soft water with low-mineral content. Water hardness tended to be high in the Kanto region and low in the Hokkaido and Tohoku regions. The impact of the distribution system’s water pipes on tap water hardness is discussed using a unified index to evaluate variations in hardness from raw to tap water. A comparison of the variations in hardness showed that hardness variations from raw to purified water and from purified to tap water exhibited a 20% variation range. Furthermore, tap water hardness and its fluctuations in any region of Japan were found to be caused by raw water hardness. It was demonstrated that the distribution pipe system had no large impacts on water hardness.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92949-8
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Mayumi Hori
Katsumi Shozugawa
Kenji Sugimori
Yuichiro Watanabe
spellingShingle Mayumi Hori
Katsumi Shozugawa
Kenji Sugimori
Yuichiro Watanabe
A survey of monitoring tap water hardness in Japan and its distribution patterns
Scientific Reports
author_facet Mayumi Hori
Katsumi Shozugawa
Kenji Sugimori
Yuichiro Watanabe
author_sort Mayumi Hori
title A survey of monitoring tap water hardness in Japan and its distribution patterns
title_short A survey of monitoring tap water hardness in Japan and its distribution patterns
title_full A survey of monitoring tap water hardness in Japan and its distribution patterns
title_fullStr A survey of monitoring tap water hardness in Japan and its distribution patterns
title_full_unstemmed A survey of monitoring tap water hardness in Japan and its distribution patterns
title_sort survey of monitoring tap water hardness in japan and its distribution patterns
publisher Nature Publishing Group
series Scientific Reports
issn 2045-2322
publishDate 2021-06-01
description Abstract We conducted a comprehensive overall tap water hardness assessment for Japan. Tap water was collected from 665 points throughout Japan, and its standing position was quantitatively clarified by prefecture. The mean and median hardness of tap water in Japan was 48.9 ± 25.8 (1σ SD) and 46.0 mg/L, respectively. Compared with 27 other countries, Japan exhibited soft water with low-mineral content. Water hardness tended to be high in the Kanto region and low in the Hokkaido and Tohoku regions. The impact of the distribution system’s water pipes on tap water hardness is discussed using a unified index to evaluate variations in hardness from raw to tap water. A comparison of the variations in hardness showed that hardness variations from raw to purified water and from purified to tap water exhibited a 20% variation range. Furthermore, tap water hardness and its fluctuations in any region of Japan were found to be caused by raw water hardness. It was demonstrated that the distribution pipe system had no large impacts on water hardness.
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92949-8
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