Water Pollution
Kara Acosta
Aimie Pham
Harding
ENGL 1312 - 34
26 April 2013
Water Pollution: Pollutants & Solutions Imagine swimming out of a narrow cavern following a scrumptious meal, and you come to realize it was poisonous. You begin to drown as your life slowly fades right before your very eyes; this is not a frightening hallucination. Everyday, schools of fish are unaware that their meals are products of millions of tiny pieces of garbage, assimilated. This is one of the many consequences of water pollution, which is the contamination of water bodies caused by human activities that affect plants and animals residing at these sites. It is also a concern for human beings. “[Over seven hundred] million people do not have access to safe, clean drinking water [and] 4,000 children die each day from unsafe water” (Clean Water Campaign). Based on the death toll, the effects of water pollution are undeniably devastating. Indeed, it is a perpetual struggle across the globe. One method of action is to become familiar with the different types of pollutants such as disease-causing agents, oxygen-demanding wastes, plant nutrients, organic chemicals, and radioactive materials, and to discover techniques to reduce their presence. It is essential to know the effect of disease-causing agents in order to decrease the illnesses of the population. Disease-causing agents, also known as pathogens, are viruses or bacteria that enter the body and cause an array of symptoms. Giardia lamblia, for example, derives from human feces and causes a parasitic disease known as Giardiasis. Although it is a global disease, it is most common in developing countries where “nearly 33% of people [in these regions] have had [Giardiasis]” (Parasites - Giardia). These countries possess inadequate sewage treatment, water scarcity, and overpopulation, which all contribute to the expansion of Giardiasis. A majority of pathogenic microbes are linked to several species such as parasitic worms,
Aimie Pham
Harding
ENGL 1312 - 34
26 April 2013
Water Pollution: Pollutants & Solutions Imagine swimming out of a narrow cavern following a scrumptious meal, and you come to realize it was poisonous. You begin to drown as your life slowly fades right before your very eyes; this is not a frightening hallucination. Everyday, schools of fish are unaware that their meals are products of millions of tiny pieces of garbage, assimilated. This is one of the many consequences of water pollution, which is the contamination of water bodies caused by human activities that affect plants and animals residing at these sites. It is also a concern for human beings. “[Over seven hundred] million people do not have access to safe, clean drinking water [and] 4,000 children die each day from unsafe water” (Clean Water Campaign). Based on the death toll, the effects of water pollution are undeniably devastating. Indeed, it is a perpetual struggle across the globe. One method of action is to become familiar with the different types of pollutants such as disease-causing agents, oxygen-demanding wastes, plant nutrients, organic chemicals, and radioactive materials, and to discover techniques to reduce their presence. It is essential to know the effect of disease-causing agents in order to decrease the illnesses of the population. Disease-causing agents, also known as pathogens, are viruses or bacteria that enter the body and cause an array of symptoms. Giardia lamblia, for example, derives from human feces and causes a parasitic disease known as Giardiasis. Although it is a global disease, it is most common in developing countries where “nearly 33% of people [in these regions] have had [Giardiasis]” (Parasites - Giardia). These countries possess inadequate sewage treatment, water scarcity, and overpopulation, which all contribute to the expansion of Giardiasis. A majority of pathogenic microbes are linked to several species such as parasitic worms,
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