Why is polluted water bad

You will get a stomach ache at the least. Water-borne diseases account for the deaths of 3,, people a year! Infectious diseases can be spread through contaminated water. Pesticides — can damage the nervous system and cause cancer because of the carbonates and organophosphates that they contain.

Chlorides can cause reproductive and endocrinal damage. Nitrates — are especially dangerous to babies that drink formula milk. Lead — can accumulate in the body and damage the central nervous system. Flourides - in excessive amounts can make your teeth yellow and cause damage to the spinal cord. Water pollution is a known threat to humans and we can do our part to help keep our waters clean.

Right now, everyone just needs to do their share, from their end. Spread the message. Make a donation. Or update your wardrobe with clothes from our modest but growing selection of sustainably sourced and crafted clothes. The World Counts.

Shop Support. Is Your Water Clean? Shop Thousands of Verified Sustainable Products. Visit the Arbor Marketplace. Shop Products. Share in Facebook. Whatsapp Whatsapp. Water pollution: how to protect our source of life The planet keeps nudging us with increasingly extreme droughts, reminding us that water is life. Carousel of images and videos. However, the most common cause of poor quality water is human activity and its consequences, which we will now go on to explain: Global warming Rising global temperatures caused by CO 2 emissions heat the water, reducing its oxygen content.

Deforestation Felling forests can exhaust water resources and generate organic residue which becomes a breeding ground for harmful bacteria.

Industry, agriculture and livestock farming Chemical dumping from these sectors is one of the main causes of eutrophication of water. Maritime traffic Much of the plastic pollution in the ocean comes from fishing boats, tankers and cargo shipping. Fuel spillages The transportation and storage of oil and its derivatives is subject to leakage that pollutes our water resources. In addition, here are some of the other consequences: Destruction of biodiversity.

Water pollution depletes aquatic ecosystems and triggers unbridled proliferation of phytoplankton in lakes — eutrophication —.

Contamination of the food chain. Fishing in polluted waters and the use of waste water for livestock farming and agriculture can introduce toxins into foods which are harmful to our health when eaten.

Lack of potable water. The UN says that billions of people around the world have no access to clean water to drink or sanitation, particularly in rural areas. The WHO estimates that about 2 billion people have no option but to drink water contaminated by excrement, exposing them to diseases such as cholera, hepatitis A and dysentery. Infant mortality. According to the UN, diarrhoeal diseases linked to lack of hygiene cause the death of about 1, children a day worldwide.

That's why we must prevent water pollution with measures like the following: Reduce CO 2 emissions to prevent global warming and acidification of the oceans. Marine life is also threatened by debris and litter, which can suffocate and injure many aquatic organisms. Furthermore, air pollution as a result of climate change has a drastic effect on the ocean. Air pollution is causing ocean acidification, warming, and expansion, as our large bodies of water absorb much of the carbon pollution in the air.

Drinking or using polluted water can result in health problems, such as digestive issues, toxicity and death, or chronic toxicity and neurological issues from more serious chemical pollution. Waterborne pathogens are the most common cause of illness in humans from polluted water. Diseases from the consumption of contaminated water include giardia, typhoid, and cholera.

In fact, every year, the United Nations reports that 85, children die from diarrhea caused by contaminated water. Additionally, chemical pollutants in contaminated water come into contact with our skin from swimming in polluted water or washing clothes and can cause various skin irritations, ranging in severity. While water contamination and its causes are a global issue, certain populations are much more vulnerable than others to illness and death from water pollution.

The communities that are typically most affected by water pollution are often also communities of color. Because of this demographic, the disparity in world heath on the topic of water pollution is frequently an example of environmental racism. The cholera outbreak in Haiti , just 10 months after the devastating earthquake, is an example of the impact of water pollution on vulnerable communities. It was discovered that the Artibonite River, a body of water from which many Haitians use and consume, contained the bacteria that cause cholera.

Another example of water pollution is in Gaza. The causes of water pollution in Gaza frequently result from frequent failure of water treatment and filtration systems. This allows for sewage, wastewater, bacteria, and disease to pollute the water supply. Because of the transboundary nature of bodies of water and water sources, this issue does not only affect the very highly dense population living in Gaza, but also risks contamination of water sources in Israel and other Middle Eastern countries.

A third example of the effect of water pollution on a community is that of Flint, Michigan. Because many of the homes in Flint are old, they have lead piping.