Dangerous Water Contamination
There are many possible contaminants that may pollute your water. Some of these water problems and pollutants may be in your tap water even if the water treatment plant has met all of the Safe Drinking Water Act standards.
There are thousands of chemicals present in our environment with new ones being added everyday. It would be impossible to test for the presence of each chemical in our water or to fully understand the health consequences of each one. To further complicate this serious situation, various chemicals can form new, more toxic products when they come in contact and react with each other.
In 1988, based on reviewing over 10,000 documents received through the Freedom of Information Act, a report by the Ralph Nader Study Group concluded that, of over 2,100 contaminants found in drinking water, there were 97 known or suspected carcinogens, 82 mutagens and suspected mutagens, 28 acute and chronic toxic contaminants and 23 tumor promoters. The remaining 1900 contaminants had not been tested for their health effects (as of 1988). Nader's group also suggested that the EPA underestimates the amount of water an average person drinks and therefore the minimum allowable standards may be too low.
In a 1995 Science Advisory Report to the EPA it was stated that, "when two or more of these contaminants combine in our water the potency may be increased by as much as 1000 times." Even chlorine, the most widely used water disinfectant, raises a good deal of well founded concern. When chlorine is added to our water, it combines with other natural compounds to form dangerous byproducts. These chlorine byproducts trigger the production of free radicals in the body, causing cell damage, and are highly carcinogenic.
According to the U.S. Council of Environmental Quality, "Cancer risk among people drinking chlorinated water is 93% higher than among those whose water does not contain chlorine." A recent study from Canadian researchers reported women who drank tap water containing chlorine byproduct levels at the maximum contaminant level increased their risk of still birth by 2.2 times.
Below is a listing of many substances which can cause contamination to our water sources:
Acrylamide
This organic chemical is used in the water treatment process. There are currently no acceptable means of detecting acrylamide in drinking water. The EPA has established that no amount of this chemical should be present in water. Short term exposure can cause damage to the nervous system. Long term exposure can lead to paralysis and cancer.
Asbestos
This is a fi brous mineral that can contaminate water naturally through movement in the ground or through contact with water pipes that have used asbestos as part of its composition such as in concrete water distribution pipes. Asbestos increases the risk of developing benign intestinal polyps.
Arsenic
A natural and man made ground water contaminant, this contaminant can cause skin damage, circulatory system problems and an increased risk of cancer.
Biological Pathogens
These are a variety of waterborne pathogens that can cause disease and include cysts like Cryptosporidium and Giardia; bacteria such as typhus, fecal coliform and cholera; and viruses like infl uenza. This group of contaminants can cause gastroenteric disease such as Giardia and other unpleasant intestinal disorders. Biological pathogens are a major health threat for people with weakened immune systems.
Commercial Fertilizers
Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the main components of commercial fertilizers. The nitrogen is oxidized to form nitrates that contaminate groundwater.
Copper
This metal is widely used in household plumbing materials and corrosion of household copper piping may lead to excessive levels in drinking water. Copper is an essential nutrient but excessive amounts can cause stomach and intestinal distress, liver and kidney damage and anemia.
Cryptosporidium
A microbial pathogen that is highly resistant to traditional disinfection practices used by municipal water treatment operations. Current EPA drinking water standards are not designed to assure elimination of this parasite. Exposure can cause gastrointestinal illness and individuals with weakened immune systems can experience more severe effects, including death.
Disinfection and By-Products
Water is disinfected before it enters the distribution system to help control dangerous microbes. Contaminants are formed when these disinfectants (usually chlorine, chloramines or chlorine dioxide) react with organic matter that is present in the treated water, producing by-products such as trihalomethanes (THM's). Long-term exposure to some disinfection chemicals, such as chlorine and by-products may increase the risk of cancer and liver, kidney and central nervous system problems.
Epichlorohydrin
This is another organic chemical used in the water treatment process. It also cannot be detected in drinking water. The EPA has established that no amount of this chemical should be present in water. Short term exposure can cause skin irritation, liver, kidney and nervous system damage. Long term exposure can lead to chromosome aberrations, adverse changes in the blood and cancer.
Heavy Metals
This classification of contaminants include metals such as mercury, zinc, copper, cadmium and lead and usually enter the water supply as industrial waste or through plumbing systems. Excessive amounts can lead to kidney and liver damage, central nervous system damage and gastrointestinal distress.
Lead
Prior to 1930, lead piping in homes was common practice. Lead-free solder used for connecting copper piping was a requirement only after 1988 and even today, pipes fittings and devices (except those that dispense water for ingestion) can contain up to 8% lead and still be considered "lead free." Short term effects of excessive lead includes interference with red blood cell chemistry, and delays in physical and mental development in babies and young children. Long term effects include stroke, kidney disease and cancer.
Municipal Water and Waste Treatment Plants
Water treatment plants add chemicals such as chlorine and fluoride to the water. Many waste treatment plants cannot adequately treat toxic wastes from industry, therefore some material goes untreated into our waterways or becomes part of sewage sludge.
Nitrates
Nitrogen based lawn, garden and farm fertilizers leach nitrates into the soil that find their way into our ground and surface drinking water. Ingested nitrates are converted to nitrites which combine with the blood's hemoglobin and prevent oxygen from being carried to the tissues of the body. A serious health threat in infants.
Organic Solvents
The most common sources of organic solvent contamination include chemical storage sites, illegally dumped hazardous wastes, leaking sewer lines and small generators of wastes such as machine shops and degreasing plants. Many of these chemicals are found in household products.
Pesticides
A wide range of chemicals used to kill plant and animal organisms. Used by the farming community and the general public. Over eight pounds of pesticides are used per person each year in the United States.
Pharmaceuticals
Developed to promote human health and well being, certain pharmaceuticals are now attracting attention as a potentially new class of water pollutants. Such drugs as antibiotics, antidepressants, birth control pills, seizure medication, cancer treatments, pain killers, tranquilizers and cholesterollowering compounds have been detected in varied water sources.
In a story dated August 8, 2004 the BBC reported that traces of the antidepressant Prozac can be found in Britain's drinking water. In the past year, similar reports have been made in the United States and Canada including the identification of the antidepressant drug in fish from a lake in Texas. Experts say the anti-depression drug gets into the rivers and water system via treated sewage water. There is currently no monitoring system in the United States for pharmaceuticals in our drinking water and no guidelines have been set by the EPA or FDA.
Pharmaceutical industries, hospitals and other medical facilities are obvious sources, but households also contribute a significant share. People often dispose of unused medicines by flushing them down toilets, and human excreta can contain varied incompletely metabolized medicines. These drugs can pass intact through conventional sewage treatment facilities, into waterways, lakes and even aquifers. Further, discarded pharmaceuticals often end up at dumps and land fills, posing a threat to underlying groundwater.
Farm animals are another source of pharmaceuticals entering the environment, through their ingestion of hormones, antibiotics and veterinary medicines. (About 40 percent of U.S.-produced antibiotics are fed to livestock as growth enhancers.) Manure containing traces of such pharmaceuticals is spread on land and can then wash off into surface water and even percolate into groundwater.
The Unknown Impact
What risk does chronic exposure to trace concentrations of pharmaceuticals pose to humans or wildlife? Some scientists believe pharmaceuticals do not pose problems to humans since they occur at low concentrations in water. Other scientists say long-term and synergistic effects of pharmaceuticals and similar chemicals on humans are not known and advise caution. They are concerned that many of these drugs have the potential of interfering with hormone production. Chemicals with this effect are called endocrine disrupters and are attracting the attention of water quality experts. To some scientists the release of antibiotics into waterways is particularly worrisome. They fear the release may result in disease-causing bacteria to become immune to treatment and that drug resistant diseases will develop.
Plumbing Pipes
Older homes may have lead pipe for water delivery. Newer homes until 1986 may have lead solder for the water lines. Even today lead can legally leach up to 11 part per million from faucets yet meet the federal standard.
Radon and Radium
Approximately 5% of a home's radon level is linked to the water supply. Naturally occurring radioactive elements enter the water and are either inhaled or ingested causing an increased risk of cancer.
Road Salt
Every winter millions of tons of road salt are spread across the highways of the United States to melt ice. These salts are very soluble in water and move easily into groundwater. This scenario causes public and private drinking water supplies to exceed federal and state limits.
Sediments
Primarily an aesthetic concern, sediments are solid particles in water and can be derived from a variety of substances.
Septic Systems and Cesspools
The effl uent from septic systems and cesspools can contain bacteria, viruses, nitrates, heavy metals, detergents and a variety of household hazardous chemicals that are poured down the drain.
Taste, Odor and Color
Water can have objectionable tastes and odors which may make it undesirable to drink. The cause may be chemicals added to the water such as chlorine used in the disinfection process, a high mineral concentration, hydrogen sulfi de gas that produces the "rotten egg" odor or the presence of organic matter. Discoloration can be caused by microscopic suspended particles, humeric acids or excessive iron.
Toxic Waste Dumps and Landfills
A liquid called leachate is developed at the bottom of landfi lls as the solid waste decomposes. Leachate can contain organic and inorganic contaminants. This liquid continues to be produced for many years after the landfi ll is abandoned.
Turbidity
Turbidity is cloudy water caused by the abundance of very tiny solid or dissolved particles in the water. The composition of the particles may be inorganic minerals or organic matter. This problem is most common with water derived from lakes, streams or ponds. Although turbidity may not be a health risk by itself, high levels may interfere with proper disinfection, provide a medium for microbial growth and indicate the presence of microbes.
Underground Fuel Storage Tanks
Fuel oil, diesel fuel and many chemicals are stored in underground tanks. These tanks deteriorate and develop leaks. Minute quantities in the order of one part per million may be enough to cause contamination and unsafe drinking water.
Volatile Organic Chemicals (V.O.C's)
These are a class of chemicals that are very pervasive in our society through the use of solvents, gasoline, petrochemicals and cleaners as well as numerous manufacturing processes and leaking storage tanks. Over 2,000 organic chemicals have been identified in drinking water. Ingestion of these contaminants can increase cancer risk and produce anemia, nervous system and circulatory problems and organ damage.
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Points Of Interest
For more information about water pollution and contamination visit the Environmental Protection Agency website.