Water Pollution's Annual Victims: A Startling Number

Water pollution is a serious issue that affects millions of people each year. Unsafe water is responsible for more deaths annually than war and other forms of violence combined. According to a study published in The Lancet, water pollution caused 1.8 million deaths in 2015. Contaminated water can also cause illnesses, with around 1 billion people falling sick every year.

Water pollution occurs when harmful substances contaminate bodies of water, making them toxic and unsafe for human use. This can include chemicals, waste, plastic, and other pollutants that degrade water quality. The effects of water pollution on human health are significant, leading to various diseases and health issues such as cancer, cardiovascular conditions, and infections.

The impact of water pollution is felt disproportionately by low-income communities, who often live closest to the most polluting industries. Additionally, children are particularly vulnerable to water-related diseases, and their health and development can be severely affected.

With increasing water scarcity, population growth, and the effects of climate change, the problem of water pollution is expected to worsen. It is crucial to address this issue and implement measures to protect water sources and improve water treatment processes to ensure safe and accessible drinking water for all.

Sewage and wastewater

Wastewater also includes stormwater runoff, which occurs when rainfall carries road salts, oil, grease, chemicals, and debris from impermeable surfaces into our waterways.

The effects of sewage on the environment are largely negative. It needs to be properly treated before it can be disposed of, usually into the ocean. However, there are two main problems with this. Firstly, if sewage is only partially treated before disposal, it can contaminate water and harm wildlife. Secondly, leaking or flooding can cause untreated sewage to enter rivers and other water sources, causing them to become polluted. This can have dire consequences for both wildlife and humans. For example, in one incident, a large part of the River Trent was polluted by sewage, which killed over 15,000 fish. If the sewage had reached a human water source, it could have caused the spread of diseases such as E. coli, diarrhoea, and hepatitis A.

According to the United Nations, more than 80% of the world's wastewater flows back into the environment without being treated or reused; in some less-developed countries, this figure exceeds 95%. In the United States, wastewater treatment facilities process about 34 billion gallons of wastewater per day. However, the nation's ageing and overwhelmed sewage treatment systems also release more than 850 billion gallons of untreated wastewater each year.

Unsafe water kills more people each year than war and all other forms of violence combined. In 2015, water pollution caused 1.8 million deaths, and every year, unsafe water sickens about 1 billion people. Diarrhoeal diseases caused by contaminated water are responsible for approximately 505,000 deaths annually, and diarrhoea is largely preventable. If risk factors were addressed, the deaths of 395,000 children under the age of five could be avoided each year.

Plastic and garbage pollution

The consequences of plastic and garbage pollution are far-reaching. It is estimated that 100,000 marine animals die from plastic entanglement annually, and many more suffer from ingestion of plastic waste or microplastics. This has led to a situation where humans are also inadvertently consuming plastic. According to a 2019 Reuters infographic, humans ingest about five grams of plastic every week, which accumulates to a full dinner plate's worth in a year.

The impact of plastic and garbage pollution extends beyond marine life and humans. It also contributes to air pollution and global warming. For instance, in the United States, plastic production is responsible for 232 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. Furthermore, the process of producing plastic food packaging and drink bottles involves fracking, transportation, and industrial processing, which release millions of tons of greenhouse gases, particularly methane.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the issue of plastic pollution, with an estimated 8.4 million tonnes of plastic waste generated from 193 countries since the start of the pandemic. Of this, 25,900 tonnes have leaked into the ocean, equivalent to more than 2,000 double-decker buses.

To address the problem of plastic and garbage pollution, it is crucial to focus on improving waste management strategies and reducing plastic consumption and production. This includes investing in recyclable plastics, developing better waste collection systems, and advocating for policies that support sustainable practices. By taking collective action, we can reduce the impact of plastic and garbage pollution on our planet and safeguard the health and well-being of future generations.

Oil pollution

Sources of Oil Pollution

Blowouts and Oil Spills

While major oil spill blowouts have become less frequent in the past two decades, they still represent a significant source of oil in the oceans. Eruptions from coastal refineries or drilling operations can release millions of tonnes of liquid petroleum hydrocarbons, wreaking havoc on marine environments. Other human activities that contribute to oil spills include oil tanker cleaning, boat refuelling, and leaks from transport vessels and cruise ships.

Effects of Oil Spills

Oil spills have devastating consequences for ocean environments and can affect both animals and ecosystems. Animals exposed to high levels of oil may die from its toxicity or suffer long-term health issues. Oil can destroy the insulating properties of mammals' fur and the water-repellency of birds' feathers, making them susceptible to hypothermia and drowning. Dolphins and whales that breathe in oil damage their immune, respiratory, and reproductive systems. Oil spills can also disrupt food supplies and reproduction abilities, destabilizing entire ecosystems.

Additionally, oil sediments that settle on the seafloor can kill coral and the organisms that depend on them for food and shelter. Oil spills also affect humans, as they contain high levels of toxic chemicals, including mercury. Oil spill cleanup workers, for example, often suffer from respiratory and cardiac issues due to exposure. People who consume seafood or swim in contaminated areas are also at risk of exposure to these toxic chemicals.

The economic impacts of oil spills can be significant, particularly for local communities in the Global South. Fishermen in these regions often lose income for years after oil spills, as marine ecosystems can take decades to recover.

Historical Oil Spills

Some of the most notable oil spills in history include:

• Persian Gulf Oil Spill (1991): The Iraqi military spilled up to 2 billion litres of oil during the Persian Gulf War, killing up to 90% of the fauna in the area and destroying important mangrove forests in Kuwait.
• Deepwater Horizon Spill (2010): An explosion on a drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in approximately 134 million gallons of oil being spilled, devastating the coastal environment and causing long-lasting damage to coral, seabirds, and dolphins.
• Ixtoc I Oil Spill (1979): An offshore oil well off the Mexican coast spilled up to 30,000 barrels of oil per day for almost a year, severely damaging marine life, including octopi, dolphins, turtles, and shrimp.
• Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (1989): A large oil tanker hit a coral reef off the coast of Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil and killing billions of salmon and herring eggs, sea otters, and seabirds.

Radioactive waste

Radioactive contamination is more prevalent in groundwater than in surface water due to its proximity to radioactive elements found in rocks. Percolation of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) from soil sediments to the aquifer causes groundwater contamination. Nuclear calamities, nuclear power plants, and the dumping of radioactive waste are also major sources of contamination.

The effects of radioactive waste on human health can be severe. Exposure to radiation can cause various disorders, including cancer, leukaemia, genetic mutations, osteonecrosis, cataracts, and chromosomal disruption. High doses of radiation can lead to acute radiation syndrome or cutaneous radiation injury.

While the ocean has a huge capacity to dilute radiation, signs indicate that nuclear isotopes are moving up the local food chain. Studies have shown that radioactive material travels with ocean currents, is deposited in marine sediment, and climbs the marine food web. It is absorbed by phytoplankton, zooplankton, kelp, and other marine life and then transmitted up the food chain, potentially affecting fish, marine mammals, and humans.

Fracking

Water pollution is a critical global issue that jeopardizes human health and safety. Unsafe water is responsible for more deaths annually than war and all forms of violence combined, with 1.8 million deaths attributed to water pollution in 2015. Contaminated water also causes illnesses, affecting around 1 billion people each year.

One of the significant contributors to water pollution is fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, a process that employs high-pressure fluid injections to fracture rock formations and extract natural gas. While fracking has boosted natural gas production, it has also raised concerns about its environmental impact, particularly regarding air and water quality.

The impact of fracking on water pollution is significant. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), each fracking well consumes a median of 1.5 million gallons of water, resulting in billions of gallons of wastewater annually. This massive water consumption reduces the availability of water for drinking and irrigation and threatens to contaminate local water sources. The high-pressure injections used in fracking have also been linked to increased seismic activity, leading to damaging earthquakes in some areas.

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