Effects of Water Pollution on Human Health

Health problem and pollution have a greater association. Microorganisms that cause

diseases such as pathogen spreads diseases among humans directly. Some of these pathogens are

worldwide found and some are found in areas that are well defined. Consumption of

contaminated water may transmit dangerous diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, and

typhoid, to just name a few. According to a report published by The Lancet, “water pollution has

caused 1.8 million deaths in 2015” alone (Denchak, 2018). Consumption of contaminated water

causes many devastating diseases in human beings. According to research conducted by Cornell

researcher, “With 1.2 billion people lacking clean water, waterborne infections account for 80

percent of all infectious diseases. Increased water pollution creates breeding grounds for malaria-

carrying mosquitoes, killing 1.2 million to 2.7 million people a year…” (Lang, 2007).

The spreading of many waterborne diseases through human activities. For example, it is

argued that wastes from residential homes and sewage systems make up for mother than 70% of

the cases of water pollution (Halder and Islam, 2015). It is recognized that residential places may

have sewage treatment mechanisms connected; however, these systems may be either not

sufficient or misused. A sewage system primarily entails bio-degraded wastes like human

excretion, wastes of animals and compounds such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats and urea

among others (Lu et al.,2015). Furthermore, the sewage system may entail inorganic nitrates and

phosphate from detergents which lead to pollution of water. According to Singh and Gupta

(2017) “when these materials are accumulated in water they make it unsafe for human

consumption, and when this water contaminated with domestic wastes is consumed by human

beings before it is properly treated, within the acceptable regulations, it causes bacterial diseases,

such as dysentery, cholera, typhoid, and human diarrhea among others” (p.45). Fundamentally,
effective control of these diseases link back to hygienic handling of domestic wastes through

ensuring that they are treated before being disposed. Alternative mechanisms should be

developed so as to prevent the domestic wastes from being deposited in to water sources.

The release of Heavy metal from industries into water is further linked by human

problems like loss of hair, liver cirrhosis, heart failure and liver cancer. According to Zeitoun and

Mehana, (2014), when heavy materials are released in to rivers, lakes, and oceans, they affect the

respiratory system of fishes. For instance, when an iron is released from the industrial operations

and in to the water bodies, without proper treatment, it forms an iron clog in the grills of fish,

which is considered massively harmful to these fishes (Zeitoun and Mehana, 2014). When the

fishes are taken up and consumed by the human being, primary health complications such as

failure of renal systems and the liver cirrhosis are likely to emerge. Furthermore, nitrogenous

components from industrial operations which are released into the water, have been linked to the

rate of occurrence of cancer and blue baby syndromes; especially in regions where proper water

treatment plans are not established (Singh and Gupta, 2017). For instance, it is argued that the

rate of mortality is higher in the rural regions when compared to urban settings due to the view

that the urban settings have water treatment plans while the rural areas operate without

significant water treatment mechanisms and the population primarily depend on unprocessed

water, which places their health at significant risks (Singh and Gupta, 2017).

Furthermore, people living below the poverty line also put are at greater risks of

contracting these health complications due to compromised sanitation systems and unhygienic

supply and management of water. In women, water exposed to industrial wastes or chemicals has

massive health effects, especially during pregnancy, as such chemicals are associated with the

low birth weight due to the effects the chemicals have on the health of the fetus (Lu et al., 2015).
It is critical, therefore, to initiate proper mechanisms of handling industrial wastes other than

being disposed into waterbodies due to the massive health effects, both to aquatic life and human

life, associated with such disposal mechanisms (Singh and Gupta, 2017). Proper treatment plans

of water, meant for supply to the human population, also critical to ensure the protection of the

health of the vulnerable members of the society.

References

Denchak, M. (2018, May 14). Water Pollution: Everything You Need to Know. NRDC. Retrieved from

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/water-pollution-everything-you-need-know.

Halder, J.N. and Islam, M.N., 2015. Water pollution and its impact on the human health. Journal

of environment and human, 2(1), pp.36-46.

Lang, S. S. (2007, August 2). Water, air and soil pollution causes 40 percent of deaths worldwide,

Cornell research survey finds | Cornell Chronicle. Cornell Chronicle.

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2007/08/pollution-causes-40-percent-deaths-worldwide-study-

finds

‌Lu, Y., Song, S., Wang, R., Liu, Z., Meng, J., Sweetman, A.J., Jenkins, A., Ferrier, R.C., Li, H.,

Luo, W. and Wang, T., 2015. Impacts of soil and water pollution on food safety and

health risks in China. Environment international,77, pp.5-15.

Schwarzenbach, R.P., Egli, T., Hofstetter, T.B., Von Gunten, U. and Wehrli, B., 2010. Global

water pollution and human health. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 35,

pp.109-136.
Singh, M.R. and Gupta, A., 2017. Water pollution-sources, effects and control.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Asha-Gupta-6/publication/321289637_WATER_PO

LLUTION-SOURCESEFFECTS_AND_CONTROL/links/

5a194005aca272df080a9dd3/WATER-POLLUTION-SOURCES-EFFECTS-AND-

CONTROL.pdf

Zeitoun, M.M. and Mehana, E.E., 2014. Impact of water pollution with heavy metals on fish

health: overview and updates. Global Veterinaria, 12(2), pp.219-231