Effects of Water Pollution on Humans

The subject of water pollution encompasses an enormous field of study. It involves biological and biochemical aspects such as diseasecausing organisms and different chemical contaminants. These diverse components tend to alter the environment. Since Americans now spend more than ten billion dollars a year on medical problems caused by outdoor pollutants (Grove 517), whatever has an affect on the environment also has direct implications for human welfare.

Water pollution can be defined as anything, physical or chemical, which affects the natural condition or intended use of water (Wilber 3). Obviously then, any degree of pollution is respective of the intended function of a particular body of water: for instance, water judged too polluted for drinking, might be considered suitable for agricultural purposes. In general though, natural bodies of water are considered polluted if they give off offensive odors, are highly turbid, or are brownish in color (Wilber 67).

The different materials which cause water pollution can be broadly classified into three categories (Wilber 7). The first group, organic pollutants, generally consists of carboncontaining substances which often originate with living organisms (Wilber 7). The second group, inorganic pollutants, includes noncarbon contaminants (Wilber 7). The third and final category, miscellaneous water pollution, includes physical pollution and radioactive pollution (Wilber 7).

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dinavia and the northeastern United States, the consequences have been devastating: in Sweden, some 4,000 lakes are fishless, while in the U.S. nearly 20,000 or about 20% of the nation's freshwater lakes are either fishless or about to become so (LaBastille 653657). In addition, acid rain leaches minerals from soils (LaBastille 673). This is thought to cause declines in forest growth (LaBastille 673): the health of spruce trees in New York's western Adirondacks continues to deteriorate while nearly half of Germany's forests are afflicted by signs of dieback (Grove 530). Although no direct human health problems have reportedly been caused by acid rain, indirect affects have been observed (LaBastille 675). Communities in the western Adirondacks have experienced corrosion of their plumbing systems with concomitant elevated drinking water levels of copper and lead (LaBastille 676). Acid pollution can come from other sources as well. Acidic runoff from stripmining activity in the Appalachians has left many adjoining bodies of water nearly sterile (Wilber 159). Furthermore, when a mine shuts down, its pollution continues (Wilber 164). Unless such conditions are corrected, acid mines can blight an area; adversely affect
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Approximate Word count = 3269
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page)

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