Under normal or natural circumstances, our groundwater is an ideal drinking water. However, due to human interference with nature, the water table is falling, so drinking water is no longer just groundwater, but also surface water.
Surface water and agriculture
Surface water contains residues from agriculture – nitrates from fertilizers, pesticides such as pesticides, veterinary drugs – heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury) and persistent chlorinated hydrocarbons, etc. from the environment. Similarly, surface water can be severely contaminated by “acid rain” (sulfuric and nitric acids).
Drinking water and pipelines
Furthermore, metal ions – such as lead or copper – get into drinking water from old pipes. For this reason, lead pipes are no longer used today. However, they can still be found in older buildings. The water in public baths can carry diseases. These include athlete’s foot, warts or even conjunctivitis of the eyes.
Wastewater pollution
Wastewater contains polluted rainwater (car washing) as well as domestic sewage containing fecal matter, food waste, disinfectants, and dishwashing and cleaning products that often contain components that are difficult to break down. If humans come into contact with wastewater, infections with typhoid, paratyphoid, bacterial dysentery and cholera can be transmitted. In industrialized countries, however, such diseases occur very rarely. In countries that are less developed and do not purify water of all contaminants before using it again, even tap water should not be drunk.
Car traffic and water quality
Road traffic is an environmental burden on water quality.Through the abrasion of brake pads and tires, 932 tons of copper, 2078 tons of zinc and 80 tons of lead are released into the environment every year. In terms of water quality, the limits for copper and lead are exceeded at more than half of the measuring points.Water can therefore be contaminated with agricultural residues, environmental pollutants and heavy metals as well as with organic solvents, chlorinated hydrocarbons and surfactants. For this reason, contact with water that is more or less contaminated often results in complaints that can affect health.
Contaminants in water – possible complaints and diseases:
- Athlete’s foot
- Warts
- Conjunctivitis
- Typhoid, paratyphoid
- Bacterial dysentery
- Cholera
- Etc.
Swimming pools
Chlorinated water in swimming pools increases the risk of allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and may increase the frequency of attacks of bronchial asthma if disposition.The reason is probably that chlorine compounds damage the barrier of the lung epithelium, facilitating the penetration of allergens.Since 1980, according to DIN standards, the water in swimming pools must not contain more than 0.3 to 0.6 mg/l of free chlorine and 0.2 mg/l of combined chlorine at a pH between 6.5 and 7.6.
