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Drinking water
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Drinking water
Mineral Water
Drinking water is water that is intended to be ingested by humans. Water of sufficient
quality to serve as drinking water is termed potable water whether it is used as such or
not. Although many sources are utilized by humans, some contain disease vectors or
pathogens and cause long-term health problems if they do not meet certain water quality
guidelines. Water that is not harmful for human beings is sometimes called safe water,
water which is not contaminated to the extent of being unhealthy. The available supply of
drinking water is an important criterion of carrying capacity, the population level that can
be supported by planet Earth.
As of the year 2006 (and pre-existing for at least three decades), there is a substantial
shortfall in availability of potable water in lesser developed countries, primarily arising
from overpopulation. As of the year 2000, 37 percent of the populations of lesser
developed countries did not have access to safe drinking water[1]. Implications for disease
propagation are significant. Many nations have water quality regulations for water sold as
drinking water, although these are often not strictly enforced outside of the developed
world. The World Health Organization sets international standards for drinking water. A
broad classification of drinking water safety worldwide can be found in Safe Water for
International Travelers.
Typically water supply networks deliver a single quality of water, whether it is to be used
for drinking, washing or landscape irrigation; one counterexample is urban China, where
drinking water can be optionally delivered by a separate tap. In the United States, public
drinking water is governed by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Among other
provisions, it protects the right of employees to report potential violations. 42 U.S.C.
300j-9(i). Within 30 days of any retaliation, a whistleblower can file a complaint with the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
The standard test for bacterial contamination is a laboratory analysis of coliform bacteria,
a convenient marker for a class of harmful fecal pathogens. The presence of fecal
coliforms (like Escherichia coli) serves as an indication of contamination by sewage.
Contents
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1 Metabolism
2 Access to drinking water
3 Drinking water quality monitoring
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
[edit] Metabolism
Water is essential for all life on Earth. Humans can survive for several weeks without
food, but for only a few days without water. A constant supply is needed to replenish the
fluids lost through normal physiological activities, such as respiration, sweating and
urination. Water generated from the biochemical metabolism of nutrients provides a
significant proportion of the daily water requirements for some arthropods and desert
animals, but provides only a small fraction of a human's necessary intake. There are a
variety of trace elements present in virtually all potable water, some of which play a role
in metabolism; for example sodium, potassium and chloride are common chemicals
found in very small amounts in most waters, and these elements play a role (not
necessarily major) in body metabolism. Other elements such as fluoride, while beneficial
in low concentrations, can cause dental problems and other issues when present at high
levels.
[edit] Access to drinking water
As a country’s economy becomes stronger (as its GNP per capita or PPP rise) a larger
percentage of its people tend to have access to drinking water and sanitation. Access to
drinking water is measured by the number of people who have a reasonable means of
getting an adequate amount of water that is safe for drinking, washing, and essential
household activities.
It reflects the health of a country’s people and the country’s capacity to collect, clean, and
distribute water to consumers. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) more
than one billion people in low and middle-income countries lack access to safe water for
drinking, personal hygiene and domestic use. These numbers represent more than 20
percent of the world’s people. In addition, close to 2 billion people did not have access to
adequate sanitation facilities.
While the occurrence of waterborne diseases in developed countries is generally low due
to a generally good system of water treatment, distribution and monitoring, waterborne
diseases are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in low- and middleincome countries, frequently called developing countries.
According to the United Nations over 1.1 billion people are currently without safe
drinking water. For details see data on the website of the Joint Monitoring Program
(JMP) on water and sanitation of WHO and UNICEF.
The access to safe drinking water to the populations in several countries is listed below.[2]
Table 2: Percentage of population with access to safe drinking water
Country %
Country %
Country
% Country %
Albania 97 Algeria
89 Azerbaijan
78 Brazil
87
Chile
93 Cuba
91 Egypt
97 Iraq
85
Iran
92 Mexico
88 Morocco
80 Peru
80
Syria
80 Sudan
67 South Africa 86 Turkey
82
Tunisia 80 Venezuela 83 Zimbabwe
83
The main reason for poor access to safe water is the inability to finance and to adequately
maintain the necessary infrastructure. Overpopulation and scarcity of water resources are
contributing factors.
Common places to find safe drinking water after a disaster are
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Water heater
Household water pipes
Toilet tank[citation needed]
Many other countries also lack in the amount of safe drinking water that they need to
survive. Some of the countries have less than twenty percent of the population that has
access to safe drinking water. For example in Africa, with more than seven hundred
million people, only forty six percent of people have safe drinking water. The more
populous Asia Pacific region with over three billion people, eighty percent of whom with
access to drinking water, still leaves some six hundred and twenty seven million people
without access to safe drinking water. [1]
The lack of water and the lack of hygiene is one of the biggest problems that many poor
countries have encountered in progressing their way of life. The problem has reached
such endemic proportions that 2.2 million deaths per annum occur from unsanitary water
- ninety percent of these are children under the age of five. [2] One program developed to
help people gain access to safe drinking water is the Water Aid program. Working in 17
countries to help provide water, Water Aid is useful in helping the sanitation and hygiene
education to some of the world's poorest people.[3]
[edit] Drinking water quality monitoring
The standard test for bacterial contamination is a laboratory analysis of coliform bacteria,
a convenient marker for a class of harmful fecal pathogens. The presence of fecal
coliforms (like Escherichia coli) serves as an indication of contamination by sewage.
[edit] See also
Water Portal
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Backflow prevention device
Bacterial water analysis
Boil water advisory
Bottled water
Carl Rogers Darnall
Drinking water quality legislation of the United States
Food safety
Giardia lamblia
ISO 5667
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ISO 10359
Overpopulation
Plumbing
Tap water
Vapaire
Waterborne diseases
Water crisis
Water fluoridation
Water purification
Water resources
Water law
[edit] References
1. ^ I.A. Shiklomanov, Appraisal and Assessment of World Water Resources, Water
International 25(1): 11-32 (2000)
2. ^ Safe Drinking Water (UNICEF website article)
[edit] External links
This article or section includes a list of references or a list of external links, but
its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations.
You can improve this article by introducing more precise citations.
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UKWIR Forefront - UK Water Industry Research Reports concerning Drinking
Water Quality & Health
OpenWater Project - Instructional content about safe drinking water.
Safe Water for International Travelers - A broad classification of drinking water
safety worldwide.
US Environmental Protection Agency Drinking water page
Louisiana Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness.
The Drinking Water Inspectorate - The drinking water regulator in England and
Wales.
Safe Water International - Non-Profit committed to creating solutions to unsafe
drinking water problems
California Drinking Water Regulations - The drinking water regulator for the
State of California.
Safe Drinking Water Is Essential - An online exhibit of the Marian Koshland
Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences that examines the state of
the world's water supply and what can be done to improve it.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drinking_water"
Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements
since August 2007 | Articles lacking in-text citations | Drinking water | Water supply
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