Contaminants in Water and The Benefits of Drinking Purified Water
Hazards and contamination in drinking water
Water-borne diseases are a major cause of ailments in many countries, with highly-contaminated drinking water fatally affecting people, especially children. In India, drinking water contamination is at its peak with less than 50 percent of the population having access to hygienic drinking water. According to UNICEF, chemical contamination of water, mainly through fluoride and arsenic, is present in 1.96 million dwellings. Since it is vital to drink adequate amounts of water every day, addressing this issue and ensuring safe drinking water for all should be of prime importance for everyone.
Drinking water is derived from two major sources - surface water and groundwater, but none of the sources are contamination-free. Although groundwater is less prone to contamination than surface water, it is not completely safe for drinking. When it comes to surface water, the likelihood of pollution, chemicals, and other microbes from industrial and agricultural waste contacting it is higher. Contaminants get into water through various practices like the use of fertilisers, pesticides, or other chemicals used on land and manufacturing units around the water source. Sometimes unintended chemical byproducts from water treatment can also contaminate the water and lead to silt buildup in water pipes.
Microbial contamination or microorganisms contamination of water is usually caused by pathogens in faecal matter, which can lead to diseases like diarrhoeal, cholera, and typhoid. Chemical contaminants form another type, which includes toxins like arsenic, fluoride, selenium, uranium, iron, manganese, chemicals used in agriculture, by-products of water treatment, and many more. In order to avoid consuming contaminated water, whether it comes from the surface or the ground, water must first undergo efficient treatment. The several steps of purification used by Pureit purifiers, each of which is tailored to a specific type of toxin, enable them to flush away a wide range of contaminants, whether they are organic, chemical, or biological. Additionally, the new Vital series by Pureit has an integrated mineral enhancer cartridge that supplements important minerals like calcium, magnesium, and others to ensure your good health.
Classification of contaminants and their effects on the human body
● Inorganic contaminants, which include fluoride, arsenic, lead, copper, chromium, mercury, antimony, and cyanide, contain metals that can enter drinking water (surface and groundwater) via natural sources, industrial processes, and plumbing systems.
Effects: Depending on the chemical and quantity of exposure, overconsumption of inorganic contaminants may harm the liver, kidneys, neurological system, circulatory system, blood, gastrointestinal system, bones, or skin..
● Organic contaminants include substances such as pesticides and untreated home and industrial waste that can contaminate rivers, lakes, ponds, and even groundwater. These contaminants cause the depletion of aquatic ecosystems and environmental degradation, and have significantly harmful effects on human health. Effects: Organic material contamination can lead to major health issues like cancer, hormonal imbalances, nervous system abnormalities, obesity, endocrine disruption, and diseases of the reproductive system.
● Biological contaminants involve the presence of harmful living things in water, such as bacteria, viruses, algae, or protozoa. Each of them can cause a variety of health issues in people.
Effects: These toxins pose the greatest risk to a person's health. Biological pollutants are to blame for the majority of water-borne illnesses like giardiasis, typhoid, E. coli, cholera, dysentery, polio, hepatitis, and schistosomiasis.
● Radiological contaminants include radioactive substances that can be produced by industrial waste or that are naturally present in soil or rocks and can mix with both surface water and groundwater near the source.
Effects: Exposure to or consumption of water with radiological contaminants can cause irritation of the skin, lungs, genitalia, and hair loss. The more long-lasting and serious health issues include pneumonia, cholera, dysentery, bone marrow issues, onset of cataract, cancer promotion, and a variety of illnesses resembling radiation damage. Acute radiation syndrome or cutaneous radiation damage can result from high radiation doses.
It has been established that contaminated drinking water has adverse effects on your health. But is there a solution to this? The answer here is the proper filtration of drinking water, and there are various types of water filters available today that offer different solutions based on the user’s needs.
Types of water filters to remove contaminants
Having your water tested is the most effective approach to discovering the toxins present. Many pollutants are invisible to the human eye, tasteless, and odourless. Therefore, it is easier to treat the water once the primary contaminants have been determined.Here are the technology and features to choose in a water purifier based on the type of contaminants present in your drinking water:
● Inorganic contaminants: The most common membrane technology to get rid of inorganic contaminants are microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis.
● Organic contaminants: For eliminating organic pollutants, a filter with granular activated carbon (GAC) is the best option. Reverse osmosis at low pressure (LPRO) is another.
● Biological contaminants: Biological contaminants can be eliminated using a variety of techniques, some of which may or may not be effective on all the contaminants, such as boiling, filtra power technology, UV radiation, ultrafiltration, and reverse osmosis water filtration.
● Radiological contaminants: One of the best methods for removing radioactive elements from water is reverse osmosis. In addition, there are methods like triple threat, ion exchange, and activated carbon.
Benefits of drinking clean water without contaminants
It is a fallacy to obtain water that is fit for consumption before filtration. Your water source is probably going to come into contact with one of the contaminants, as we've said about many of them and their many sorts. It will lead to disorders of the reproductive system, cancer, obesity, endocrine disruption, Giardia, typhoid fever, E. coli, cholera, dysentery, polio, and many more. Drinking purified water can improve overall health, reduce the risk of contracting a water-borne illness, improve sanitation standards, hydrate the body and remove contaminants.
In conclusion, with the amount of toxins that our drinking water hosts, it is becoming increasingly critical to ensure robust filtration systems to combat diseases that were once thought eradicated or controlled. Pureit’s latest Vital range consists of a 6/7 stage filtration process, the water purification process has never been more powerful. If there was a good time to invest in a strong and savvy water purifier, it is now!
