What is Impurities and EFFECTS OF WATER IMPURITIES ON HUMAN HEALTH

World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group. Its predecessor, the Health Organization, was an agency of the League of Nations. The main responsibility was to help anybody in need of medical assistance. The constitution of the World Health Organization had been signed by all 69 countries of the United Nations by 22 July 1946, with the first meeting of the World Health Assembly finishing on 24 July 1948.

Impurities

What is Impurities?

Impurities are substances inside a confined amount of liquid, gas, or solid, which differ from the chemical composition of the material or compound.

Impurities are either naturally occurring or added during synthesis of a chemical or commercial product. During production, impurities may be purposely, accidentally, inevitably, or incidentally added into the substance.

The level of impurities in a material are generally defined in relative terms. Standards have been established by various organizations that attempt to define the permitted levels of various impurities in a manufactured product. Strictly speaking, then, a material's level of purity can only be stated as being more or less pure than some other material.

EFFECTS OF WATER IMPURITIES ON HUMAN HEALTH

In nature, water is never totally pure. No matter how isolated it is from sources of contamination, it will always not be 100% pure. Minerals from soil and rocks and gases from air dissolves in water, therefore changing the characteristics and composition.

MICROORGANISM

Viruses, parasites, pathogens, germs, bacteria, microbes and eggs (cysts) are collectively known as microorganism. They cause water borne diseases. Water tanks can sometimes be the breeding ground for microbes, but it is common in water from wells and surface water. Recently a new type of parasite Microorganisms are eliminated through ultra-filtration which has pore size of about 0.01 micron.

LEAD

Lead is the commonest of heavy metals. It accounts for 13mg/kg of earth’s crust. With introduction of legislation restrictions in its use in fuels, water has assumed new importance as the largest controllable source of lead exposure, especially in US. As a result of its dissolution from natural sources, primarily from household plumbing systems i.e. pipes, solder and fittings that contain lead, it is therefore present in tap water.

In children, when lead, instead of essential nutrients, is presence in their bodies to make bones, muscles and brain connections, permanent harm to health can occur. It is associated with;

• Nervous system damage
• Speech and language impairment
• Decreased muscle growth
• Decreased bone growth
• Kidney damage

High level of lead is life threatening and can cause unconsciousness, seizures and death.

In adults, it leads to the following;

• High blood pressure
• Fertility problems in both men and women
• Digestive issues
• Muscle and joint pain
• Nerve disorders
• Increased chance of pregnancy

Top 10 Impurities Bad Water can have

Water is the other name of life. One cannot imagine what would happen to civilization and mankind without its existence. For centuries we have seen the effect of source of water in dictating where human settlement would be. Even to this day we can infer it from the fact that most of the major cities of the world are located either on the riverside or on the sea shores. Apart from supporting civilization by providing means of transport, one of the major uses of water is in drinking. An average person can spend weeks without food but he or she can never spend more than a couple of days without drinking water. Not only that, it plays a vital role in quenching thirst and aids in the metabolism of the body by helping in digestion and excretion.

1. Human Waste

We as humans are very much aware about the damage that we can cause to nature and all the natural resources available to us. But history is the witness that we are programmed to be careless and we by our own actions sometimes cause our downfall. Human wastes that tend to pollute the water include wastes from defecation, wastes from unused food and materials, plastic wastes and other suspended matter. In fact most of the impurities that are present in the water listed below (even some of the major ones) are present as a result of the human activities.

2. Suspended Impurities

Suspended impurities can originate from humans, animals and plants etc. But some of the suspended impurities can be inherent to the water and can originate from the source as well as it can get into the water body anywhere in its course. Suspended impurities can make the water hazy and impure. Some of the suspended impurities like sand, mud and clay tend to pollute the water.

3. Animal Waste

Animal waste is similar to human waste but they contain a bigger plethora of impurities. Animal waste can get into water naturally or by civilization. In rural areas, people tend to wash their livestock in the water body and that tends to pollute the water in deadly ways.

4. Heavy Metals

In the United States of America alone, heavy metal poisoning accounts for a big proportion of the deaths in a year. Some of the heavy metals that can get into the water are Iron, Lead, Cadmium, and Arsenic etc. Heavy metal poisoning is not only harmful by itself, but also it can pair up with other health problems and can lead to deadly consequences if not treated properly. Heavy metals can be present in the surface of the earth and get into the flowing stream of a water body. Essential steps should be taken to treat the water that contains heavy metals to render it safe for use.

5. Hard Metals

Hard metals like Calcium and Magnesium lead to the hardness of the water and cause what we know as hard water. When dissolved in water these metals split into Ca++ and Mg++ ions that account for the hardness of the water. For washing purposes, the harness can be treated by Na2CO3 or washing soda or it can be passed through ion exchange softener.

6. Colloids

Colloids are distinct from true solutions in the sense that colloidal solutions show various properties like scattering of light and particles show Brownian movement. The particles of the colloidal solutions have the property of selectively absorbing ions and result in pollution of the water. As a result of this it is very important to remove these impurities to make the water potable.

7. Dissolved Gases

Several dissolved gasses in potable water can cause a lot of problems and health issues. Excess oxygen and nitrogen dissolved in water not only may cause water pollution but also it can cause soil pollution when it seeps into the ground. As a result it results in damaging the plants and trees. One can therefore firmly say that getting rid of the dissolved gasses is an essential part of the process of purification of water.

8. Radioactive Wastes

Radioactive impurities and wastes like Radon can get into water from naturally occurring sources. It is always advised to check the water source for radioactive wastes. These, if present can lead to a variety of problems. Activated Carbon filter can be used to get rid of most of the radioactive wastes. Radon can be most effectively removed by RO water filters.

9. Chemical Impurities

Salts of Chromium, Barium and Selenium and their presence in ppm (parts per million) more than a fixed amount can lead to deadly consequences. Hexavalent chromium, fluorides and mercury can get into water from various resources. Fluorides are often applied to tread water, but they can also be present in some of the toothpastes and other such sources. Chemical impurities, apart from the microorganisms are the biggest pollutants of water.

10. Microorganisms

Microorganisms are perhaps the most important and deadly impurities present in water. Living organisms like algae, bacteria, protozoa and several kinds of virus like rhino-virus, echo-virus etc. can present a variety of diseases that can even be transmitted by water and are therefore called water borne diseases. Some of the water borne diseases are cholera, diarrhea, guardian etc.