Drinking Water Contamination
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There are various ways in which drinking water supplies can become contaminated. The two major sources for drinking water are surface water and ground water. About half of the nation's water supplies are provided by ground water (3:39). In rural areas, this figure is as high as 97 percent, because most of the water in those areas is obtained directly from the ground through wells (6:61). Both of these sources are subject to contamination. For example, surface water is contaminated by the chemicals, pesticides and other pollutants which are dumped into the nation's rivers and lakes. Ground water is contaminated by waste from landfills and also by leakage from hazardous-waste sites (6:61). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is aware of the "serious health risk" which is posed by this situation and has issued strict standards for the reduction of contaminants in drinking water (5:17). This decontamination is carried out in water-treatment plants through a process known as disinfection. At this time, there are three major methods for the disinfection of water: chlorination, ozonization, and the use of ultraviolet light (2:94). Chlorination, the most popular of these methods, involves the addition of chemicals into the water supply. This method of disinfection has shown many benefits since it was first introduced in the early 1900's. Specifically, it has "allowed us access to plentiful, fresh drinking water, and helped curtailed a host of diseases and ailment
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an beings, these by-products may be especially influential in causing liver cancer. Furthermore, research has shown that the use of chlorinated water in large amounts may cause genetic damage as well as various forms of cancer (6:69). Recent studies by the Environmental Protection Agency have indicated still more ways that chlorination may be harmful to human health. These studies have shown that chlorine alters the way that cholesterol and fats are handled in the bodies of laboratory mice (7:398). The alteration of these substances in the human body has serious implications in terms of the maintenance of health.
These problems occur primarily with the use of free (pure) chlorine. Therefore, scientists have been seeking ways to improve the chlorination process and to thus make it more healthy as well as more effective. For example, chlorine dioxide has been used in some water-treatment systems. The utilization of this compound has been found effective for removing the bitter taste which frequently occurs with chlorination. Another method that has been tried is known as chloramination. When ammonia is added to chlorine, a compound known as chloramine results. This combination has been found to be very effective in term
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Approximate Word count = 1746
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
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