A Health Risk Assessment By Water Pollutants ( Mercury )

With the well-being of future generations in mind, environmental concerns have begun to establish a permanent residence atop the priority ladder for a vast array of Americans. Consequently, writers and political pundits alike are seizing this opportunity to capitalize on advocating their stance on the issue. Information, representing all positions, pours in at an unrelenting and unfathomable rate. For the average American it can be an arduous process sifting through all the rhetoric in attempt to find the real truth regarding our impact as humans on the environment; one such example is Susan Brown’s article The EPA’s Mercury Problem. In this article Brown attempts to expose hypocrisy among progressives by paralleling the Environmental Protection

Water contamination is vastly becoming an alarming issue across the world. We rely on clean water to survive, yet right now we are heading towards a water crisis. Changing climate patterns are threatening lakes and rivers, and key sources that we tap for drinking water are being overdrawn or tainted with pollution (www.nrdc.org). Clean and plentiful water is the cornerstone of prosperous communities. Yet as we enter the 21st century, swelling demand and changing climate patterns are

Not only is pollution the cause of the death of many organisms essential to ecological balance, but human drinking water has also been affected.

With all the contaminations of our drinking water people are greatly affected on a daily basis. People expose to a lot of diseases such as cholera, stomach viruses and this severe cases this can even lead to death. The death rates in developing counties are at its highest right now. Human are not only the ones affected animals also suffer the consequences of our ignorance example a herbicide call Atrazina which is use to kill weeds is said to be found most in or drinking water, streams and rivers is said to be responsible for the low sperm count in animals, such as fish and frogs, often times become cross gender and in most cases may result into death. Studies have also

Many populations, the majority being in Africa, face many water-borne diseases mainly due to pollution of water resources. The option then becomes to either drink polluted water or not have anything at all. Continual Human development such as population growth and industrial growth have further drained water resources, causing a shortage of drinking water. As a result, there are many conflicts over ownership of water resources and these lead to injuries or fatalities.(2) As mentioned before, this shows why it is so important to find a solution to the issue of water shortage.

As already stated, many other locations around the world are affected by mercury poisoning and contamination. For example, Canada and Japan have an extensive history of mercury poisoning, including neurologic symptoms and contaminated fish. These studies have has been documented since the 1950’s in these locations. In fact, the contamination became so problematic the Ontario health department formed a task force on organic mercury in 1972. Further, recent protesting throughout Toronto has asked for Canada to address the contamination of mercury. Findings revealed levels of mercury exceeding those of international standards and included the highest recorded mercury contamination among in the western part of the world. (CITE 6)

The purpose this issue became of great significance these years is that the water pollution can not only poison the creatures in the water. Also affect the quality of Biodiversity declines

Water pollution impacts how humans and other living organisms live their life. Most common way humans are effected by water pollution is through diseases while drinking the water. Scientists have found over “five hundred different types of diseases” that can affect humans. (Book). These diseases get into the water streams by human and animal wastes. The diseases in the water can often lead to death for humans. Recent research has shown that that each year

To develop a better understanding of water contamination, a field comparison between two separate water sources was conducted. The first water sample was gathered from the Simmons Park Pond and the second from a NES water fountain. The data gathered from this experiment was used to answer several questions regarding the prevalence of contamination in nearby water sources. The field analysis ultimately concluded what contaminants had the greatest prevalence, thereby exemplifying the defining differences between the two water sources.

Contamination of water sources is becoming a large issue in many countries. A very well know case of this is the large outbreak of Escherichia Coli in Africa. This outbreak caused many people to become infected with E. Coli when they ate meat from cattle that had been giving water that wasn't treated. The cattle's drinking water was contaminated with E. Coli when a large rainfall water caused their drinking water to become contaminated with fecal matter.

A fifteen year old boy abruptly became ill; he experienced fatigue, headaches, tingling limbs, weakness, and weight loss. The only information provided stated that he had been using an acne cream prescribed by a dermatologist as well as an over the counter “beauty cream” to deal with skin irritation. The doctors could not find the reason for the boy’s illness, but interestingly a heavy metal was found in the boy’s urine. What could possibly be the heavy metal and could it have caused such a severe reaction? The objective was to find the cause behind the sudden sickness of this 15 year old boy.

Contaminated water is the cause of many life-threatening diseases including diarrhea, the second biggest child-killer in the world. Diarrhea is estimated to cause 1.3 million child deaths per year. Water contamination can spread diseases such as hepatitis B, dysentery, cholera and typhoid fever. High levels of arsenic, lead or fluoride may lead to both acute and chronic diseases in children.

Water is a critical source that is utilized by most living things on Earth to support it ways of live. The usage of water ranges from basic household needs to agricultural purposes. Water is one of the resources on the Earth that is becoming more and more scarce and the water available for usage is being further contaminated by pollution causing sickness and death.(World Health Organization).Countries are experiencing droughts affecting the water supply needed to maintain irrigation, thermoelectric power, and public supply. The definition of water pollution is the result of when too many toxic materials are present, in which negatively impact the water to be unsafe for its intended purpose, which may be drinking to industrial processes

Water pollution affects plants and organisms living in these bodies of water; and, in almost all cases the effect is damaging not only to individual species and populations, but also to the natural biological communities.

People can come in contact with mercury in a number of ways. There is increased risk of mercury exposure in the dental, health and chemical industries. People are also at risk of consuming an unsafe amount of mercury if they eat certain things in excess amounts, such as more than 6 ounces of albacore tuna per week, or over 12 ounces of fish like shrimp, canned tuna, salmon, pollock or catfish. Exposure to mercury can cause brain damage, kidney damage, lung damage and various digestive system problems (McCoy). Perhaps the person most vulnerable to mercury poisoning is the pregnant woman and her unborn fetus. Trauma caused to infants and children as a result of