There is only a very small pocket of uncontaminated water on our planet. Water found in the Antarctica has the purest ice and snow in the world. Antarctica's isolation has allowed it to avoid industrial pollution common to all the other continents. We look into the ways in which all water, including drinking water, become contaminated.
By Natasha Ruckel
© 2008 Green Log Home
Where does the water from underground aquifers originate?
Water is cycled from one state to another around the Earth, this process is known as the ‘Water Cycle’. Simply put the water cycle is a continuous loop: The sun’s energy heats the Earth’s surface causing evaporation of water, and plant transpiration to occur. The evaporated water (from the soil and water bodies, combined with the loss of water from plants) condenses into the earth’s atmosphere, forming clouds and water vapor. Precipitation from the clouds descends back to the earth’s surface: flowing into water bodies, watering plants and filtering down through the layers of soil until it reaches non-porous rock. Large, sustainable volumes of water contained by rock below the water table are naturally stored as aquifers. Water flowing from rivers and streams eventually drain back into the sea. And so the cycle continues.
How pure is the water in aquifers?
The purity of the Earth’s water is in question. At various points of the water cycle, water comes into contact with a cocktail of pollutants, pesticides and other synthesized chemicals. Pollutants in the air mix with water vapor. Pesticides and other chemicals seep through the soil into the ground water. Pharmaceuticals are flushed in with our wastewater. Is the water from the ground or tap water really pure and chemical-free?
Existing water-purification plants don’t have the ability to remove very small amounts of synthesized chemicals such as pharmaceuticals, nor does the ground as the water seeps through it on its journey to the aquifers. These are present in the water in minute quantities, and over time they accumulate in living organisms. The long-term prognosis from exposure to synthesized chemicals is not fully understood. However, documented cases of abnormalities are on the increase.
Let us examine the effect of hormone-disrupting chemicals. During 2002 a US study revealed that 139 tested streams were contaminated with hormones and synthetic chemicals. Some of those chemicals were found to disrupt the hormonal systems of plants and animals. 4A study based on Carp and Large-Mouthed Bass living in waters that contained hormone-disrupting chemicals was recently conducted, several ‘biomarkers’ that indicate reproductive changes were observed. 4Goodbred, S.L, and others, 2007 Biomarker Benchmarks USGS.
And what of other synthesized contaminants? Human waste and biodegradable food may well be removed from drinking water, but there are still traces of other substances in the water you drink. People drink water everyday. Traces soon build up. The build up can also be found in the environment and in the food that you consume.