How much do you know about your drinking water?

Water pollution is a major problem in the global context which is usually caused by human activities making water unsuited for the desired use. Freshwater (drinking water) is a problem for about half of the world’s population. Changes in Chemical, physical or biological quality of water has a harmful effect on any living thing that drinks or uses or lives (in) it. America’s lakes–46% are too polluted for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life, two-thirds of US estuaries and bays are either moderately or severely degraded from eutrophication (nitrogen and phosphorus pollution).

The Mississippi River–which drains nearly 40% of the continental United States, including its central farm lands is estimated to be #1 on the list. In any given year, about 25% of beaches in the US are under advisories or are closed at least one time because of contamination with pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Each year, plastic waste in water and coastal areas kills up to: 100,000 marine mammals, one million sea birds, and countless fish. Around 80% of the pollution in seas and oceans comes from land-based activities. Water pollution is caused primarily by the drainage of contaminated waters into surface water or groundwater. Pesticides and herbicides contain toxic materials that pose both environmental and human health risks. More than 14 million Americans drink water contaminated with pesticides, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 10 percent of wells contain pesticides. We’re also exposed to toxic, prescription drug metabolites via our tap water. Drug giant Merck recently warned: “There’s no doubt about it, pharmaceuticals are being detected in the environment and there is genuine concern that these compounds, in the small concentrations that they’re at, could be causing impacts to human health and aquatic organisms.” To wit, officials in Philadelphia have identified 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in tap water. These included pain meds, cholesterol-lowering drugs, birth control pills, antidepressants, and blood pressure meds. None of them belong in your water. Municipal water pollution consists of waste water from homes and commercial establishments. Drain and oven cleaners, paint thinners, and bathroom cleaners are just a few of the items we use that can cause serious health and environmental problems. The basic methods of treating municipal wastewater fall into three stages: primary treatment, including grit removal, screening, grinding, and sedimentation; secondary treatment, which entails oxidation of dissolved organic matter by means of using biologically active sludge, which is then filtered off; and tertiary treatment, in which advanced biological methods of nitrogen removal and chemical and physical methods such as granular filtration and activated carbon absorption are employed. In a treatment plant, the waste is passed through a series of screens, chambers, and chemical processes to reduce its bulk and toxicity. We must become familiar with our local water resources and learn about ways for disposing harmful household wastes so they don’t end up in sewage treatment plants that can’t handle them or landfills not designed to receive hazardous materials. To do our part, we must keep litter, pet waste, leaves, and grass clippings out of gutters and storm drains. Don’t expect your city to be any different. The federal government doesn’t require any testing or safety limits for drugs in tap water. The only way you can protect yourself is by installing the right water filtration system in your home. Clearly, the problems associated with water pollution have the capabilities to disrupt life on our planet to a great extent. With over 70 percent of the planet covered by oceans, people have long acted as if these very bodies of water could serve as a limitless dumping ground for wastes. As we head into the 21st century, awareness and education will most assuredly continue to be the two most important ways to prevent water pollution. If these measures are not taken and water pollution continues, life on earth will suffer severely.