Recent Woes With Tap Water

Recent Woes With Tap Water

By:  Roxanne Edwards

 2/4/2016- Do you ever wonder why your tap water runs brown or has a chemical or sulfury fetor? Well, it could be that your water supply is contaminated, as lately this has been a growing problem among many U.S residents as well as people living in other parts of the world.

Water impurity poses a serious threat to population health, and can transmit diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio causing as much as 842, 000 diarrheal deaths each year, states the World Health Organization.

Given the nature of these reports, many would find such water conditions uninhabitable.  Jennifer Mason, mother of 2, Flint resident and  and English teacher says some days the chlorine smell was so strong "it would burn their eyes, and on days when she would full the tub for her kids the water would give off an earthy smell."

Though recent cries of Flint residents have led to social uproars, from a more global perspective it seems this is certainly not where all issues with contaminated water will end, as WHO has informed that by the year 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas, due largely to re-use of waste water to recover water, nutrients, or energy.

So how much damage can contaminated water cause?  “The health effects of drinking contaminated water can range from no physical impact to severe illness or even death,” states Halton Region.   According to Halton Region, Nausea, vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea are some examples of gastrointestinal and stomach illnesses that can manifest as a result of consuming contaminated water.   

Other health threats are: cancer, tooth skeletal damage and schistosomiasis (a disease caused by parasitic worms) which has affected over 240 million people worldwide.  In addition to this WHO has reported that of the 842, 000 diarrheal deaths each year, 361, 000 are children under the age of 5 and these deaths could have been avoided if risk factors were addressed.

“I can’t imagine being a parent of a child whose health has been affected in a way that is irreversible,” expressed Jennifer. 

Since 2014, WHO has been testing household water treatment products against WHO health-based performance criteria through the WHO International ‘Scheme’ to Evaluate Household Water Treatment Technologies...WHO works closely with UNICEF in a number of areas concerning water and health.  For example, the integrated global action plan to end preventable child deaths from pneumonia and diarrhea by 2025 (GAPPD) sets out several prevention and treatment targets, including achieving universal access to drinking water in health care facilities and homes by 2030 (WHO, 2016).

In the meantime, city authorities implore residents to consume safer water alternatives, such as prepackaged bottled water which are being issued at no cost by representatives in affected cities; they also encourage residents to purchase water at nearest stores. 

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Roxanne is a writer, blogger and visual media host of kids and moms health and lifestyle features.  You can contact her at: mommylifestylebyroxanneedwards@yahoo.com

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