Why Do We Purify Water?
According to the World Health Organisation, 4.3 million people die every year from drinking contaminated water, mostly in underdeveloped countries where people drink water that has not been treated. More than 900,000 people become ill, and about 900 die each year in the U.S. alone from ingesting water contaminated by various microorganisms. Hence, awareness of the health effects from drinking contaminated water is of vital importance.
Inorganic elements in tap water
At least 2,110 different components have been found in drinking water supplies. Contaminants such as lead, asbestos, and trihalomethanes, could still be in your water supply after the water leaves the treatment plant. Elements like nitrates, nitrites, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chlorine, fluoride, lithium, and sulphates are just some of the other inorganic (don't contain carbon) elements of our drinking water.
Organic elements in water
"Cryptosporidium" (Cryptosporidium parvum) and "Giardia" (Giardia lambia) are the two species of protozoa that have been known to be the most notorious in the nation. They are only two of the many reasons why you should drink water that has been purified.
Cryptosporidium is a unicellular parasite about 3-4 microns in diameter (that's about half the size of a red blood cell). Therefore, it can't be seen with the naked eye. Remarkably, Cryptosporidium is resistant to chlorine disinfection.
And since it can fold to an even smaller size (as small as 1 micron), the best defence against (and probably the most effective method in killing) this possibly fatal creature is with a combination of submicron (less than 1 micron) filtration and ozone disinfection. Cryptosporidium is a waterborne cyst that may be present in some water supplies. A cyst is an egg-like form of the parasite in its infectious stage. In this form, the protozoa can thus survive harsher conditions for longer periods of time. Once this parasite gets into the system, the cyst sheds its shell and infects the intestines.
Previous | Back to Knowledge Topics | More on why do we purify water
