Bottled water, city tap water, well water, rain water… people are trying to find the cleanest source of drinking water. By what are the possible contaminants and what are the health effects of drinking them? The EPA has set standards for more than 80 contaminants that may occur in drinking water and pose a risk to human health. The EPA sets these standards to protect the health of everybody, including vulnerable groups like children. The contaminants fall into two groups according to the health effects that they cause. Acute effects occur within hours or days of the time that a person consumes a contaminant. People can suffer acute health effects from almost any contaminant if they are exposed to extraordinarily high levels (as in the case of a spill). In drinking water, microbes, such as bacteria and viruses, are the contaminants with the greatest chance of reaching levels high enough to cause acute health effects. Most people’s bodies can fight off these microbial contaminants the way they fight off germs, and these acute contaminants typically don’t have permanent effects. Nonetheless, when high enough levels occur, they can make people ill, and can be dangerous or deadly for a person whose immune system is already weak due to HIV/AIDS, chemotherapy, steroid use, or another reason.
Chronic effects occur after people consume a contaminant at levels over the EPA’s safety standards for many years. The drinking water contaminants that can have chronic effects are chemicals (such as disinfection by-products, solvents, and pesticides), radionuclides (such as radium), and minerals (such as arsenic). Examples of the chronic effects of drinking water contaminants are cancer, liver or kidney problems, or reproductive difficulties.
Water contamination can occur to city water supplies, well water supplies, and fresh water sources, such as lakes, streams, and rivers. Consuming contaminated water can cause numerous effects.
Are you concerned about contaminants in your home’s water? Do you know if you can safely drink the water in your home? The first step is to conduct a water test from a trusted provider to further understand your water quality.
SIGNS/SYMPTOMS OF DRINKING CONTAMINATED WATER
First, it’s important to know the health effects people experience may or may not present themselves immediately. Further, factors such as the overall health, age, and physical condition of the person determine the extent of the actual effects experienced. Some of the more commonly reported problems experienced from drinking impure water include, but are not limited to, the following waterborne illnesses:
- Gastrointestinal Problem
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Intestinal or Stomach Cramping
- Intestinal or Stomach Aches and Pain
- Dehydration
- Death
Keep in mind, just because no signs or symptoms are experienced, it does not mean there are no potential long term effects. For example, if water sources are contaminated with radium or radon gas, you might not notice an immediate health effects. However, long term exposure has been linked to cancer and heart disease. Other possible contaminates found in tainted water sources are:
- E. coli Bacteria
- Coliform Bacteria
- Nitrates
- Lead
- Fluoride
- Arsenic
- Radium
- Radon
- Pharmaceuticals
- Herbicides