Can You Guess What Is In Our Drinking Water?
Clean drinking water is an integral part of life that has been clearly harder and harder to get these days even in the most developed and highly urbanized countries. Researches, studies and news articles have sufficient reason to believe that industrial and environmental pollution is partly to blame for the contaminants now found in our drinking water. The different contaminants in our drinking water range from naturally occurring minerals and debris to man-made chemicals and the by-products of industries and technology. Although the contaminant levels found in water may not be enough to cause immediate harmful effects and illnesses, low-level exposure to known contaminants will eventually cause discomforts and damage to one's internal organs that may lead to increased cancer risks and other ailments. Even commonly used chemicals used to treat water like iodine or chlorine found in our drinking water pose harsh threats to one's health and well-being due to prolonged use.
Just what is in Our Drinking Water?
Currently, more than 700 organic chemicals have been identified in our drinking water, and scientists suspect that some of these chemicals are cancer causing agents that can pose serious health risks due to prolonged exposure and consumption. Further, there are about 40,000 known pesticides that contain about 700 chemical compounds found in our drinking water that cause birth defects, nerve damage and even sterility. Most water filtration and purification facilities are not even properly equipped to test most of these chemical compounds which may result to more damage in the long run. More specifically, our drinking water contains cryptosporidium, guardia lamblia and enteric viruses from human and animal fecal waste that can cause diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps and other gastrointestinal illnesses. There are also coliforms in our drinking water; the more harmful type comes also come from fecal matter and in significant amounts, the main source of a number of ailments.
Disinfection by-products as a result of water disinfection are also found in our drinking water like bromate, chlorite, and harmful acids that significantly increases the risk of cancer, anemia, liver and kidney, and nervous system defects in infants and young children. Disinfectants found in water additives to control the microbes in our water has also found its way in our drinking water. These disinfectants are believed to be responsible for eye and nose irritations, stomach discomforts, anemia, and nervous system defects.
Antimony and barium that are by-products of petroleum industries, fire retardants, ceramics, electronics, metal refineries and natural deposits are also present in our drinking water that increases blood cholesterol and decreases blood sugar. Other chemicals like chromium, copper, cyanide, mercury and nitrate among others, which are believed to cause different ailments and diseases from short-term to long-term exposure may also be present in our drinking water that may be reduced significantly by modern filtration and purification water systems.
