Water Pollution Effects

Human Health: 

I think all of us are well aware about it. Have you ever had cholera/typhoid or dysentery? Whoa..Whoa,whoa.. don,t take it otherwise, I never want that for you. These diseases come from polluted/contaminated water especially from sewage pollution. Various types of Cancer, Skin & fertility related diseases are the worst health effects. The effluent contains a variety of chemicals, metals, heavy metals, pesticides & other poisonous & harmful substances. These substances have potential for serious health hazard.

Pesticides:

The big question is where they come from in drinkable water? The facts are, only from farmers’ fields. Farmers are using different types of pesticides, herbicides & fungicides to control the pest, unwanted herbs and fungus. These pesticide chemicals leach down to aquifer through soil and contaminate the ground water. The surface runs off from agricultural fields is also a cause of surface water contamination by these chemicals.

Types of pesticides & Health Hazard:  

• Organophosphate:
• Carbamate
• Organochlorine
• Pyrethroid

The most of the pesticide is able to damage our nervous system, digestive system & can cause cancer too, because of organophosphate, carbomate, organochloride & pyrethroid. Chlorides are also in it might cause reproductive & endocrine damage.

Heavy Metals:

Heavy metals have high density or atomic weight, found in the earth's crust, but due to human activities like industrialization activities their geochemical and biological balance has changed and they enter into ground water and other drinking water sources. The major sources of heavy metals in the water are mining, industrial effluents, urban runoff, sewage discharge, insecticides & pesticides.

Harmful Effect on Human Body:

Once any heavy metal enters in the human body, they get deposited inside, it is significant to know that our body can’t release them outside. It doesn’t have any immediate effect if the quantity is small, but after a long it will have a prolonged impact, including brain & nervous system disorder, kidney problems, lung problems and on other organs too. These metals are also known as carcinogens because of their carcinogenic nature. Some heavy metals and their health hazard are assembled below-

Mercury: 

One of the most important metals for us, used in various household, scientific & medical equipment’s. The most common instrument is thermometer, barometer & a fluorescent light bulb. Mercury enters in wastewater from various sources like hospital waste, fertilizers, from industrial solid waste, paints etc. The majors are neurological disorder like tremors, insomnia, memory loss, headache and neuromuscular effect.  

Lead: 

The lead acid battery manufacturer, lead smelters & recyclers are major sources of lead pollution. Lead in the environment is distributed mostly by air, but there is some discharge into soil and water. The lead can damage some of the most vital body organs like kidney, reproductive systems, nervous system & to the cardiovascular system. The Lead exposure can also cause High blood pressure and drastic reduction of oxygen carrying capacity of blood. “Lead exposure through water is generally low in comparison to air”

Arsenic: 

Major sources are mining and smelting & combustion of fossil fuel in industrial process. Arsenic is discharged in water through the refining process of metals like copper, zinc and lead. It also comes from chemical & glass manufacturing industries. Long Exposure of arsenic can cause damage skin/skin cancer. It also has an adverse effect on the eyes and can damage the liver.

Cadmium: 

It generally comes to water from the mining and plastic industries.  Long Exposure of arsenic can cause cancer, especially lung cancer. It also has an adverse effect on the kidneys.

Water Pollution Effect on aquatic life:

A variety of aquatic flora & fauna are found in river, pond & lakes. All water bodies have their own ecosystem, the biotic and abiotic both components are essential to form an aquatic / terrestrial ecosystem. The flora & fauna are the biotic & light, temperature, Dissolve Oxygen, Carbon dioxide including other gases, dissolve minerals, pH & Turbidity of the water are abiotic components. The biotic components/living organisms are connected with each other’s in a form of produces, consumers & decomposers.  

When effluent gets dissolved in any water body or stream it bothers the biotic components. Organic, inorganic pollutants, toxic metals are the main constituents of effluent, these are found in dissolving, suspension & colloidal form. These pollutants affect the abiotic components like rise in  turbidity, disturbance in pH & temperature etc. We can say this is the primary effect of water pollution, which will have horrible if it continues.

The suspended particles drastically reduce the sunlight penetration into the water body and disturb the photosynthesis which inhibits the plant growth and also dissolve oxygen level. The microbes/aerobic bacteria rapidly consume the dissolve oxygen present in water during the digestion of organic pollutants of effluent. It is also an important factor in the reduction in oxygen level. Organic pollutants and excess nutrients can cause a rise of algae, which is also a big consumer of dissolved oxygen. Depletion in oxygen level disturbs the respiration & metabolism of organism accordingly because nobody can survive without oxygen.  

Finally, I accomplish that the continual addition of untreated effluent in any water body (River, Lake, Pond etc.) will destroy their respective ecosystem.  

The industrial effluent contains toxic substances & heavy metals which gets accumulated in water bodies & then transfer to aquatic flora & fauna and subsequently to humans. The sewage & hospital waste are the house of harmful microbes, it infects the aquatic and terrestrial life.