Today, one in every three people have no access to safe drinking water- according to a WHO/UNICEF 2019 joint report. The statistic translates to a whopping 2.2 billion people amongst the global population posed with health risks arising from the consumption of contaminated water.
How can water become contaminated?
Humans have drawn water from rain, underground, on earth surfaces like rivers, dams, water pans and boreholes for their daily use.
Though treated at the sources, water pollution can also occur during distribution and storage processes.
Water intended for human consumption can get polluted with harmful toxins at its source through; industrial waste, acid rain and stormwater and pesticides & fertilizers runoff from farms.
Also, contamination can occur during the treatment process in water treatment plants. Use of chlorine and other water disinfectants at the last stage before distribution to kill bacteria and germs can cause a health risk. For example, chlorine interacts with other organic matter present in water to form dangerous byproducts such as Haloacetic acids (HAAs) and Trihalomethanes(THHMs). These byproducts are harmful if ingested into a human body by drinking unfiltered water.
At distribution, there are potential risks to the safety of the water before it gets to your kitchen tap. These could be:
(a) water main leaks and breaks,
(b) Bacteria, algae, fungi, microorganisms’ growth.
(c) Contamination with sewage from a cross-connection of both water and sewage lines and damaged pipes.
Treated water too can get re-contaminated in the storage tanks whether overhead or underground mainly by protozoan parasites, e.g., Giardia and Cryptosporidium. These can cause stomach and
intestines {gastrointestinal} infections if ingested into the body.
As you can see, from above your tap water is exposed to all manner of contaminants. Exposure to toxins can cause critical and chronic health effects on humans. The following are common pollutants and their associated health risks if consumed along unfiltered water.
- Heavy Metal: copper, lead, cadmium among others can get into drinking water through natural minerals deposits or from human causes. Consumption of the heavy metals will damage body organs, e.g. Liver, kidney and intestines
- Nitrate and Nitrate: Fertilizers, human sewage and animal wastes contain plenty of these two. The chemicals can seep through the ground and contaminate water sources. If consumed, they can cause the blue baby syndrome.
- Fluoride: While Fluoride, a naturally-occurring mineral, is an essential addition to the body prevents cavities and tooth decay in children and adults. Excess of Fluoride taken through unfiltered is known to cause a bone disease called skeletal fluorosis.
- Arsenic: A natural element present in high levels in the underground. A mixture of sulphur and metal, this metalloid is harmful to the human body.
- Pathogens and Microbes: Disease-causing microorganisms such as parasites, bacteria, fungi, algae and viruses found in unfiltered water pose the risk of stomach and intestinal infections in humans.
How do you mitigate these contamination risks?
You can remove bacteria and harmful metals from your water supply through a water filtration system. While their prices depend on their complexity, a low maintenance filter system have purification elements that can remove heavy metals like lead, aluminium, copper, mercury etc.
Also, the purification system can effectively filter and remove nitrates/nitrites compounds, bacteria, parasites and other microorganisms. Usually, a water filter works by straining out microscopic pollutants to make pure water and safe for human consumption. Also, some complex water filtration systems can get rid of food colourings from water.
What are the benefits associated with drinking filtered or clean water?
You stand to enjoy the many benefits of consuming filtered water. They include:
- Reduced gastrointestinal infections: Filtration strains out microorganisms in the water that are responsible for stomach and intestinal diseases. This process removes pathogens making the water safe for human consumption.
- Strengthened immune system and mental health: Heavy metal slows the development of both the immune system and brain in children. Filtration helps remove these life-threatening pollutants hence a healthy brain development and immune system for babies.
- Reduction of Cancer risks: Filtration processes removes cancer-causing substances found in pollutants. WHO notes that long term exposure to arsenic causes cancer and skin abnormalities.
- Healthy skin: People tend to drink more filtered water than tap water as it tastes better. More water intake in the body, making your skin softer and smoother and glowing.
- Retention of Healthy minerals: Besides the removal of unwanted mineral deposits from water, carbon filters used during water filtration helps in keeping a balance of most useful and healthy mineral deposits.
Conclusion
Consuming filtered water makes for the most appropriate choice when it comes to safety and unparalleled health benefits. You will enjoy clean, tastier water, tea or coffee in your cup besides having healthier vegetables in the kitchen garden. Besides, you will save money in the long run.
However, the purity of filtered water will fundamentally depend on the quality in terms of effectiveness and efficiency of the water filter system used.