Drinking Contaminated Water Can Make You Sick
While some areas in the U.S. experience quality drinking water, others encounter pesticides, disinfection byproducts and a concoction of contaminants in their tap water.
Ingesting clean water is integral to the sustenance of a healthy life. Bacteria, viruses, and pollutants can very easily contaminate your water causing you to fall incredibly ill. Once these contaminants are absorbed, you can either become sick immediately or if the water contamination goes undetected and you continuously ingest the water over a long period, you can develop serious chronic health issues. Regardless of which region you call home, water utilities’ testing has found copious amounts of harmful pollutants.
Likely Contaminants
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Lead
Lead seeps into water supplies through lead pipes, solder, and fixtures. Lead contamination is a problem throughout the entire United States.
Most noteworthy, there is no safe level of exposure to lead, especially for children. Individuals can suffer harmful and potentially chronic effects ranging from stomach pain to brain damage.
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Chlorine
Not only does chlorine smell and taste bad, but it also dries out your skin as you rinse your produce. While chlorine is used to disinfect or treat, municipal water supplies, it needs to be filtered out from our drinking water prior to consumption to eliminate harsh effects.
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Radium
Radium is a highly radioactive chemical element. However, it is undetectable to human senses. As a result, it can only be detected through professional testing. The EPA limit of radium in cooking water is set at 5pCi/L. Long-term consumption of radium, even at levels under the EPA limit, can increase the likelihood of cancer, birth defects, and kidney damage. Up to 90 percent of radium can be safely removed from drinking water by reverse osmosis water systems.
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Arsenic
Arsenic is a well-known contaminant that enters water supplies through bedrock or industrial byproduct. While arsenic isn’t dangerous in small doses, it is dangerous over a long period.
Even low-level, long-term exposure to water with arsenic can result in the possibility of increased occurrences of cancer and other health issues.
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Radon
Radon is a colorless, tasteless and odorless gas that is caused by the radioactive decay of uranium which is a common element found in bedrock that can cause cancer. Dissolving into groundwater, radon gas is released into the air when the faucet is turned on in your home or office.
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Chromium-6
Known as hexavalent chromium, chromium-6 is a highly toxic contaminant. Certain activities like chrome plating, leather dying, wood preserving, and stainless-steel manufacturing release the contaminant into groundwater.
Using water containing more than 0.02ppb of chromium-6 could possibly cause cancer. Chromium-6 is difficult to detect, even when present in large amounts and it impacts roughly two out of every three Americans.
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Nitrates
Nitrates provide essential minerals for food, flowers, and greenery, therefore, making it a major ingredient in most fertilizers.
Though nitrates naturally occur in soil, overuse of fertilizer contributes to the most contamination. Nitrates can move quickly through the soil and become concentrated in groundwater. Resulting in potential health risks for everyone especially infants and pregnant women.
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Coliform Bacteria and E. Coli
16 species comprising three groups – total coliform, fecal coliform and, E.Coli – make up the larger category of coliform bacteria. Bacterial contamination occurs after the failure of a septic system or as a result of agricultural runoff.
Symptoms of infection range from digestive issues like diarrhea, fatigue, vomiting, and fever. To the more severe health problems like anemia and kidney failure.
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Sulfur
Hydrogen sulfide is a pungent, colorless gas that is produced by sulfur and sometimes found in groundwater. Sulfur in cooking water can cause a laxative effect, leading to increased rates of diarrhea and dehydration, especially in young children and infants.
The simple solution is filtered water. Not only does it remove/reduce contaminates, it helps save money by cutting down on bottled water cost. Better safe than sorry. See which Home Water Filtration System is right for you!
Find out what contaminates are in your water by clicking on the Environmental Working Group (EWG) National Drinking Water Database.