Water pollution and its implications on human health

What is water pollution?

According to Hogan (2013), water pollution can be defined as the contamination of natural water bodies by chemical, physical and/or pathogenic microbial substances. Water pollution is also refers to the advanced change in the composition or condition of water, rendering it less suitable for use, these changes may be physical, chemical or biological in water quality that affect water living organism or makes water unsuitable for desired uses (Gupta, 2005 as cited in Olojoba, 2009).

The health implication caused by water pollution may include water borne disease, illness and deaths e.g. cholera, typhoid fever that kills approximately 50 million people per year worldwide, increased doctors visits, increased amount of money in medical care, more hospital admission and premature death especially children under 5 year of age (Avwoka, 2013).

Types of water pollution

According to (Park, 2009) some of the types of water pollution are.

• Nutrient water pollution
• Ground water pollution
• Surface water pollution
• Natural water pollution
• Suspended matter

1. Nutrient water pollution: These are waste water that contains high level of nutrient enter into water bodies. Nutrient in water encourage the growth of algae and weed in the water, this makes the water unfit for consumption.
2. Ground water pollution: These are chemical from fertilizer, pesticides applied to the soil and crops which washed or seed in the ground contaminating the ground water.
3. Surface water pollution: Surface water include river, lake and oceans etc. surface run-off substances that are hazardous dissolve and mix with water polluting the surface water, the run-off can comes from factories, domestic, sewage and agriculture.
4. Natural water pollution: Sometime pollution caused by microorganisms like bacteria and protozoan, this natural pollution cause death for fishes and other water-life. Consumption of this water can lead to serious illness to human.
5. Suspended water pollution: These particle matter of chemicals and other substances do not dissolve in water easily, this suspended particle matters settle at the bottom of the water body harming the aquatic at the floor of water body.

Sources of water pollution

According to Emeka (2010), sources of water pollution can be classified into two groups.

• Point sources of water pollution.
• Non-point sources of water pollution.

1. Point sources of water pollution: These are direct waste water discharge into water body e.g. abattoir waste and industries waste water.
2. Non-point sources of water pollution: These are indirect waste water from different areas that enter into water bodies, waste water from community, run-off water from field that is been spray with pesticides etc. which in turn affects aquatic animal e.g. fishes. Non-point sources of water pollution are much more difficult to control (Dennis, 2007).

Causes of water pollution

The contaminants that lead to water pollution include a wide variety of substances like chemicals, pathogens and the causes are:

• Industrial activity
• Agricultural sources
• Municipal sewage
• Oil spills
• Marin dumping, etc.

1. Industrial activity: These are waste water that are discharge direct into rivers, adding toxic chemical to water that are harmful to human and aquatic animal. The chemical contain heavy metal like mercury and lead. The toxic chemical have the capability to change the colour of water and pose serious hazard to water organism (Merlin, 2014)
2. Agricultural sources: Agricultural source of water pollution include; pesticide and fertilizers which are use by farmers to protect crops from insect and bacteria. However when these chemical are mixed up with rain water and flow down into rivers and stream, they pose serious damage for aquatic animals. Also animal wastes that are washed into rivers can cause water borne diseases like cholera and typhoid fever etc.
3. Municipal sewage: These are waste water generated from household. For example toilet, bathroom, kitchen and laundry. It contains harmful bacteria and chemicals that can cause serious health problem to human.
4. Oil spillage: Oil pollution of water bodies may arise from pipeline leakage, disposal of used oil and usage of chemical into river, etc. Any of these can also lead to contamination of drinking water and destroy aquatic life.
5. Marine dumping: These are indiscriminate dumping of refuse into water bodies. When these litter caught marine animals it may result to death of aquatic life. For example, newspaper takes six weeks, foam takes fifty year, aluminium takes two hundred years, plastic packaging takes four hundred years to degrade.

Classification of water pollution

Classification of water pollution are very numerous, we have;

• Solid waste pollution.
• Agricultural waste pollution.
• Shipping water pollution.
• Radioactive waste pollution.
• Thermal pollution.

1. Solid waste pollution: Solid wastes vary in composition with the social economic status of the generating community. The following materials could be classified as solid waste;

• Garbage: Which includes all decomposable wastes from households, as well as from food canning and meat–processing operations.
• Rubbish: Includes all non-decomposable wastes. These materials may be either combustible or non combustible e.g. broken bottle, plastic, can, leather, etc.

2.Agricultural water pollution: Includes pesticides that sprayed on the crops, as well as fertilizers, plant and animals debris that carried into water ways during the period of rain fall or as run-off and during the irrigation of farmland. Debris mean dirty.

3.Shipping water pollution: It includes both human sewage and other wastes, the most important of which has been oil. There are about fifteen (15) million water craft on navigable waters and their combined waste discharges are equivalent to city with a population two million.

4.Radioactive waste pollution: The major sources of radioactive wastes have been nuclear explosives, accidents at nuclear power plants, fuel reprocessing plants and research laboratories and hospital that release these wastes into the atmosphere or into the water.

5.Thermal pollution: It takes places because many electric-generating companies use water in the process of cooling their generators. This heated water is then released into the system from which it was draw, causing a warming trend of the surface waters.

Effects of water pollution

According to Abdul (2013), water pollution extensively affects health of humans and aquatic animal. In the following ways;

• Water pollution kills aquatic life e.g. fish.
• It causes water washed disease e.g. Ring worm.
• It causes water borne disease e.g. cholera and typhoid fever. That is through consumption of water.
• It causes flooding due to accumulation of refuse in water body.
• Through food chain, most plant, animal acquires heavy metal which causes death to children and women.
• Encourage the growth of algae, pathogen that course series of water borne disease.
• The polluted water also killed birds and other animals that used the water.
• It causes turbidity which reduced photosynthesis.
• Aquatic animals in oil polluted water died of oxygen starvation, as oil coat water surface.
• Rising water temperatures destroy.

Prevention and control of water pollution

According to Abisha (2011), prevention and control of water pollution are too numerous to mention. However, let us look at some of them.

1. Industrial waste water should be treated before discharging into water body to avoid killing of aquatic animals.
2. Indiscriminate dumping of refuge into water body should be prohibited.
3. Avoid oil pipeline vandalization.
4. Avoid defecating into water body.
5. Use of pesticide, herbicide close to water body should be discouraged.
6. Health education of the public.
7. Proper waste disposal management. That is those that can be burn, should be burn properly.

Summary

From the above, we can see that water pollution has health implications not just on human health but also on aquatic lives such as the fishes, hence as stated in this study, the necessary measures should be taken so as reduce health impact associated with water pollution.

Conclusion / recommendations

In conclusion, water pollution has effect on man and its environment. And the following ways has been recommended for the control of water pollution which includes the prohibition of indiscriminate dumping of refuse into water body. Therefore, it is recommended that;

1. Environmental health officers should health educate the public on how to dispose their waste sanitarily.
2. The use of pesticide, herbicide and fertilizer near to water body should be discouraged.
3. Individuals should stop defecating into water body to avoid water washed diseases and water borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, etc.
4. The government should provide dump sites so as to avoid water pollution.

References

Avwoke, A.P. (2013). Introduction to Water Supply and Treatment [Unpublished]. Ofuoma Ughelli: Delta State College of Health Technology, Environmental Health Department.

Abdul, A. (2013). Effects of Water Pollution. Retrieved on 10^th October, 2014 from http://www.water-effect.blogspot.com

Abisha, J.S. (2011). Control of Water Pollution. Retrieved on 12^th October, 2014 from http://www.studyofcontrol.blogspot.com

Dennis, H. (2007). Source of Water Pollution. Retrieved 12^th October, 2014 from http://eoearth.org/view/article/156620

Emeka, A.N. (2010). Environmental Health: Pollution and Environmental Management. Abraka: Totan Press.

Hogan, M.C. (2013). Water Pollution. Retrieved 7^th October, 2014 from http://eoearth.org/view/article/153670.

Madhu, S.D. (2011). Classification of Water pollution. Retrieved 2^nd October, 2014 from http://www.studyofpollution.blogspot.com

Merlin, H. (2014). Course of Water Pollution. Retrieved 2^nd October, 2014 from http://waterwise.co.za/site/water/environment/causes_of_water _pollution.html.

Olojoba, A.O. (2009). Millennium Technology in Waste Management and Environment pollution Mitigation. Ughelli: Ama Ohoror Printing Press.

Park, S. (2009). Types of Water Pollution. Retrieved 2^nd October, 2014 from http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/156920.