Water Pollution: Yes Also Your Water Is Polluted
There is this thing in the water and we humans have done this, it is called water pollution and to be sure that we understand a bit more about water pollution we will look to the following topics;
- The definition of water pollution
- Water pollution sources
- Water pollution effects
- Water pollution solutions
The definition of water pollution
With all this reading of pollution in our water it is good to look at the definition of water pollution, let us look at two definitions to be sure it is somewhat similar.
“Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities. Water bodies include for example lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater.”
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_pollution
“The addition of harmful chemicals to natural water. Sources of water pollution in the United States include industrial waste, run-off from fields treated with chemical fertilizers, and run-off from areas that have been mined.”
Source: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/water-pollution
Both definitions describe water pollution in a way that is caused by human activities, so yes, it is us that cause all these needs for purification technology. (small remark that in the case of not polluted water, it does not mean that it is then potable water.)
Water pollution sources
Man made pollution can come from various sources and it does not matter that much if you come from country “A” or country “B” it can really be everywhere. Of course, environmental control and regulations try to limit the amount of pollution that can enter the water. Common sources are; oil pollution, agricultural pollution, wastewater , radioactive substances, river dumping, lake dumping, dumping in the ocean, dumping on land (also that can get into your water source). So better think twice before you throw something out of your window… you will get it back in your water.
Water pollution effects
It is like the EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) mentions; “When the water in our rivers, lakes, and oceans becomes polluted; it can endanger wildlife, make our drinking water unsafe, and threaten the waters where we swim and fish”. The main effect is that pollution kills or harms organisms that depend on these water bodies. Pollution in these water bodies will change the natural food chain in the water body and this can have effect on the local environment, but in the end also on a whole region. The pollution will not only have effect on fish, crabs, birds, dolphins, but in the end also influences us. Depending on the type of pollution the effect can be different ranging from low to extremely dangerous and toxic.
Water pollution solutions
The best technique and solution is prevention, prevent that all kind of chemicals and man made stuff ends up in the environment. Given that a lot is already polluted, for that there are various purification techniques available like activated charcoal, reversed osmosis, ozone oxidation and a lot more.
These techniques can be very important for removal of minerals and metals from water, removal of PFAS from water, removal or phenol, toluene or oil from water. This list can go on for a long time as there is a lot of pollution in our waters. Let us try to prevent pollution or purify the polluted water and keep our waters clean for future generations.
