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Water Safety: A drink to good health?

By Megan Roth

Yesterday, I rep'd my city. Yup, I gloated about our clean drinking water and gave the Big Apple a pat on the back for doing things right when it comes to water safety.

I also commented that you don't want to know the inevitable results when city's don't take proper measures to ensure the safety of their water.

Well, folks - I changed my mind. I think you do want to know. I think you need to know what happens when harmful bacteria contaminate the water we consume. But to help you understand the results, you need to understand how water contamination happens.

When proper safety measures aren't implemented (such as effective waste management, proper maintenance and repair of septic systems, etc.) microbial pathogens, chemical compounds, and/or radiological agents may come in contact with the water we use (be it to drink or to bathe in).

And not to sound extreme, but when this happens, it has the potential to destroy an entire population (after all, safe drinking water is a cornerstone of public health).

Now, I'm not saying that the effects are always that drastic. Sometimes they may resemble those of food poisoning, with diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and other flu-like symptoms ; other times, they may be so minimal the someone who has been contaminated may not even know they've been effected.

Still other times, chemical compounds may contaminate the water and result in an Erin Brokovich-worthy situation. What, you ask, is an Erin Brockovich-worthy situation? It's one in which the health of millions is put at risk and people are adversely affected by water related diseases (the effects of such diseases may vary from a minor headache to the delayed onset of cancer, to birth defects).

Now, just in case you aren't already shaking with anxiety, let me just add one more quip: our society regularly uses approximately 75,000 standard chemicals (ranging from pesticides to household cleaners, man-mades to organics). The use of those chemicals has become so frequent and extreme it's virtually impossible to find public water that does not contain a trace of one of these toxins. Alright, that's an understatement; here's a fact: according to the Ralph Nadar Study Group, U.S. drinking water contains more than a trace - it contains more than 2100 toxic chemials that cause cancer.

Like I was saying: 2100 (plural) toxins present a much larger cause for worry than a (singular) trace of a chemical.

So what do you do? Better yet, what does our administration do? What should they do? Why should they do it? And who's responsible for making sure that they do?

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Megan Roth

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on November 13, 2008 (boomark / email).