Poison in the Water Supply

Water pollution is a great problem that plagues many parts of the world, from the richest, most prosperous countries to the third-world countries of the world. It is not just destroying the environment of the Earth, but it is devastating our water supply. Yet the majority of this pollution is caused by human beings, who believe that it will have no effect on them. If the majority of our water supply is contaminated by pollution, where will our water come from? We will have no more water to drink and to sustain our nutrition, eventually leading to the extinction of animals and human beings.

Water is an essential part in all of our lives. It is everywhere around us and makes up about seventy-one percent of the Earth and about sixty-five percent of the human body. Water allows the Earth to exist, giving every living thing sustenance and life. Without it, the entire Earth would eventually deteriorate and no living thing could possibly survive that catastrophe. Yet, many things are causing the clean water supply to disappear.

Water pollution is any change in the water that has a harmful effect on any living thing that consumes this water. Even though some water pollution may be obvious such as littering into the water, other types are not as noticeable, where these types of contamination must be checked through laboratory inspection. Many types of water pollution exist throughout the world that contaminates our water supply: disease-causing agents, oxygen-demanding wastes, water-insoluble inorganic wastes, nutrients, organic compounds, suspended sediment, water-soluble radioactive compounds, pesticides, and mercury.

The disease-causing agents are composed of many bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and parasitic worms. These contaminants go into sewage systems and untreated waste materials. If consumed by a healthy living organism, this can cause sickness and could possibly lead to death in some animals if these agents are left untreated.
Oxygen-demanding wastes are pollutants that can be decomposed by oxygen-necessary bacteria. If large amounts of these bacteria convert the wastes then it would release a large amount of oxygen into the water. Yet, if this oxygen was released into the water, it would lead to the deaths of many aquatic animals such as fish, crayfish, sharks, and many other animals residing in the water.

Water-insoluble inorganic wastes are inorganic pollutants such as acids, salts, and toxic metals. Similar to oxygen-demanding wastes, if large quantities of this waste are released into water, then it will pollute the water, make the water undrinkable, and lead to the demise of many aquatic animals.

Nutrients are water-soluble nitrates and phosphates that result in extreme growth in water plants and deplete the water oxygen supply. These types of pollutants kill many fish and if found in drinking water, it can also kill human beings.
Organic compounds can also pollute our water supply. Some examples include oil, plastics, and pesticides, which are seen very often in many oceans and other types of aquatic areas. These compounds are not just harmful to aquatic life, but also to humans. This can kill the aquatic life and also poison the humans consuming this water supply.

Suspended sediment is a very dangerous type of water pollutant. It reduces the water’s light absorption and spreads dangerous compounds throughout the water such as pesticides. Pesticides kill insects and bugs that consume farmer’s products. However, these pesticides are carried away by rainwater and go into the nearest creek or streams. This contaminates the water and can make the water consumers sick.

Another dangerous type of water contaminant is water-soluble radioactive compounds. These lead to many types of diseases, such as cancer, birth defects, and genetic damage, meaning they are very dangerous to human beings if the water is consumed.

Mercury is an extremely toxic chemical that is used in many things in our society. Yet, this extremely toxic product also finds its way into the water. Most of the mercury comes from coal-fired power plants through air pollution. Then the mercury is converted to methyl-mercury by some bacteria and goes into the food chain of the aquatic animals, where fish consume these products. If we eat the fish, then human beings will also be infected with some amounts of mercury. The effects of these substances over time could lead to many problems in human beings. If pregnant women consume these types of fishes, it can affect the embryos of the child. It can cause neurological problems, slower reflexes, learning deficits, delayed or incomplete mental development, autism, and brain damage. Even in adults, it can lead to problems with the central nervous system causing Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, and even can lead to irreversible brain damage or death. Even though there are many microorganisms causing pollution in the water, many human beings are the primary polluters contaminating our water supply.

Some major companies throughout the world are contaminating the water. Many of these corporations just want a cheap way to get rid of their extra waste so they simply dump it into the water. Furthermore, if they do not dump it directly into the water, the chemicals are still able to find their way into the aquatic area. They may trickle from failing pipes or broken storage tanks and then fall right into the water. They can even get to the water from some contaminated soil that seeps to the oceans. Even regular people cause the contamination of the water supply. Everyday people just throw out the trash into the water and they do not care, thinking it cannot cause that much harm. Yet, it makes an unpleasant sight in the environment and can lead to multiple bacteria production, contaminating the water supply.

We must stop all the water pollution going on throughout the world. If we want the Earth to survive longer, we must protect it from this easily avoidable issue. We can fix the water pollution predicament if we act now. We have to act smarter when thinking about the future of our planet. We must persist now with the legal system so that tougher legislation can be created against water pollution. Additionally, we should educate the youth and the rest of society to promote an end to water pollution throughout the world. The survival of all life on Earth depends on these changes.