Causes of Water Pollution and Cures to Stop It Now

     Heavy metals, such as copper, lead, mercury, and selenium are another group of toxins that pollute the water as well as the rest of the environment. The source of many of these pollutants are industries, automobile exhaust, mines, and even natural soil.

The very chemicals that are used to treat our water to kills deadly toxins are the same chemicals that can pose health problems when digested for a period of time (EPA 2013). For instance, excessive consumption of fluoride over a lifetime may lead to increased likelihood of bone fractures in adults, and tooth enamel pits in young children. Lead consumption leads to physical and mental development in children and mercury consumption leads to kidney damage. (Birmingham Water Works).

It is easy person to point their finger at big industrial and chemical plants and blame them for the cause of so much pollution in our water. When taking a closer look, those same people pointing the finger are equally contributing to the pollution of our water supply and are also to blame. This person could be a friend, family member, classmate, or even you. Even if people do not think that they have a part in this, most do. A variety of data has shown traces of pharmaceuticals used by every day humans in our water. As well as pharmaceuticals there is a presence of chemical contaminants, mainly pesticides that are causing harm to our environment and wildlife. Even humans can be affected by such contamination in the water supply, and

Water pollution has become a huge factor in the crisis of earth contamination. It is defined as the addition of harmful chemicals to natural water. Sources of water pollution include industrial waste, marine dumping, global warming, oil pollution,

Contaminated water poses health risks on humans, pets, wild animals, and farm animals. (Mcdermott-Levy 2013)

Water pollution is another type of pollution. It occurs when chemicals or harmful substances are put into the water. Some of the most common causes of air pollution are when industries dump their waste into bodies of water. According to the EPA the most usual contaminants in the united states are bacteria mercury phosphorus and nitrogen. Agriculture runoff,air deposition water diversons and channelization of streams are the common sources. Contaminated drinking water causes diseases such as Typhoid, Amoebiasis, Giardiasis, Ascariasis and Hookworm. It also increases risk of getting certain types of cancers, hormonal problems, damage to the nervous system, damage to both liver and kidney, DNA damage and exposure to

The Great Lakes, though fairly clean, are contaminated with some deadly chemicals that have slipped by human filtration into the lakes. These emerging chemicals have been determined to pose some health risk to humans and surrounding ecosystems and are used by society, but are unregulated or inadequately regulated retardants (Miller-Branovacki, Lindsay, "Water Resources and Urban Waste Water (Week #8)"). More specifically an emerging contaminant is one which is not historically widely distributed, nor a concern, however are now persistent and bioaccumulative making them a concern for the environment. The three major categories for emerging contaminants are; endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), Pharmaceutical and personal care

Following the industrial revolution, societies across the world began to notice strange effects on individuals throughout certain local communities. Though toxicology was a relatively new and rudimentary practice at the time, scientists were able to trace these effects back to chemicals being exposed to industrial workers, their families, and nearby neighborhoods. Unfortunately, industry in the United States continued to expand with little regard for the effects on human health. As a result from this expansion the amount of chemicals released into the atmosphere skyrocketed continuously all the way to present day society. However, as industry expanded so did scientific technology, the understanding of chemicals, their exposure

Often, toxic substances are being drained into the air, waterways, and undergrounds wells. According to the report by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over 60 million pounds of deadly chemicals are produced by industries in Florida. Notably, Florida’s water has been suffering mercury contamination until the state’s department of migration issues a circular regularly for regulations of eating freshwater fish in the region (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission). In fact, such metals emanate from coal combustion’s emissions which run into water bodies. Not to mention, pesticides and herbicides utilized by government and homeowners pollute the environment (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission). Indeed, all chemicals released into the atmosphere find themselves in rivers.

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

The health hazards for humans who come in contact with contaminants from exposure to polluted water can have long term effects on the body causing possible organ failure and death. Contaminants and chemicals such lead and mercury can bring about many minor illnesses ranging from nausea, lung irritation, skin rash, vomiting, and dizziness, to the major diseases that include cancer, liver and kidney damage, disorders of the nervous system, damage to the immune system, birth defects and even death.

Three main ways our public drinking waters can become contaminated are by agricultural runoff, which have effects that go all the way from the effects of the remnants left behind from sprayed pesticides and unmanaged animal feces. Second, we have an oil and coal industry that just never stops. What comes from our oil industry ultimately ends up changing and altering the biology of the surrounding water with thermal pollution, and in some cases I have seen this reported as just as if not more damaging than bacterial or sedimentary pollution. The coal industry pollutes surrounding waters with sulfides from leaching. Illustrations are given below.

The Manufacturing Chemists Association (MCA) is the oldest chemical trade organization. It represents 90% of the production capacity of basic industrial chemicals in the U.S.. MCA cites “many people define a water pollutant as anything put into water which was not there in its natural state” (Lantz para 1). Although it might not seem contaminated even natural spring water is impure. Cancer,

Humans are able to control nature unlike any other creature here on earth. We are the smartest of all the animals on this planet. This is why we are able to control most of the good or bad effects that happen here on earth. However, we do not always do what is best for the environment. Every year people and animals die from us polluting the earth. Chemicals are becoming one of the main problems with controlling the environment. Humans’ spray poisons on the land we live on and expect that nothing wrong will happen. These poisons eventually end up in our water we drink or shower in. There are many chemicals that cause harm to our environment. “Strontium 90, released through nuclear

As stated by Wikipedia, Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater). Water pollution occurs when pollutants are directly or indirectly discharged into water bodies