Drinking Water Pollution

Healthy Water

Purification of Water In An Emergency

Dringing Water Pollution

Drinking water pollution affects every single person on Earth. For many years though, humans have been using water as if there is an endless supply. There is sufficient supply of water, yes, as 70% of Earth’s surface is water mass. However, the percentage of water which is actually fit for human consumption is shrinking day by day.

What are the main causes for drinking water pollution?

There are two main types of sources of pollution:

1.Nonpoint Pollution is very hard to trace. Forms of nonpoint pollution include traffic, pollutants spread by the flow of rivers, acidic deposits from the air and groundwater pollution.

2.Point Source Pollution can be traced to toxin deposits into the water by pipelines or sewers. The toxic deposits will be directly into the surface water. Examples are factories, agriculture, oil tankers and sewage treatment plants.

What are the effects of drinking water pollution on humans?

Drinking water pollution is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, causes of human deaths world wide. It is not a pretty sight to see someone suffering from the effects of drinking water pollution. For many in undeveloped regions of the world, there are no alternatives. 20% of the world population does not have access to safe drinking water. Quite alarmingly, even in the developed world, the effects of drinking water pollution may only been seen many years along the line.

These short and long term effects include kidney and heart problems, irreparable damage to the nervous system, blood pressure problems, skin lesions and fertility problems. There is also a direct link to deformities at birth and genetic mutations. Infectious and contagious diseases such as cholera, dysentery and typhoid are a direct result of drinking water pollution.


Legislation to prevent drinking water pollution can be, and in great strides have been implemented in most countries around the world. Legislation cannot however control what individuals, companies and countries do. If there is a will, there usually is a way, and unfortunately, world wide pollution is increasing, not decreasing.

Water is inexplicably linked to the survival of all on this planet. If water is polluted, the food chain is affected. Diseases spread faster in polluted water and world wide tap water is becoming more and more unsafe to drink.


First, you can ask yourself how you can lessen the amount of pollution. Simple changes in your lifestyle like not littering, handing in used motorcar oil at the recycling center, disposing of old batteries, paint and other potentially toxic materials in a safe and eco friendly manner.

Never drink water from a lake, pool, swimming pool, ponds, stream or river. Although the water might look fine to drink, there may be traces of toxins such as lead, which you cannot see with the naked eye.

Install water purification systems at home. The cost is small in comparison with you and your family’s health.

If you go camping, boil your water, or, conveniently, purchase a small mobile filtration system.

Find out which if there is any water conservation programs in your community and lend a hand. Every bit helps, and at the rate things are going at the moment, we should all stand together to conserve our most precious commodity and our planet’s life force.