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| Groundwater Contamination: How It Affects the Ecosystem & You | ||
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| Water is something that no person, animal, or plant can live without. Luckily, there is plenty of water found on our generous planet that can be used for drinking and growing food. But unfortunately, groundwater contamination is rampant and spreads quickly, resulting in a serious lack of safe water for people around the world to make use of. Here is how groundwater affects our ecosystem and your health: Dangerous Algae Toxic algae species tend to flourish in contaminated water. When this happens, the algae produces toxins that end up poisoning aquatic animals such as birds, fish, dolphins, manatees, and sea turtles. These toxins build up in the tissues of the animals and can cause reproductive problems, growth stunting, and even death. Unfortunately, this is a situation experienced by both sea and fresh water animals. People can also be exposed to toxic algae when swimming in contaminated water or consuming aquatic animals that have been exposed to contaminants themselves. |
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| Harmful Drinking Water Most peoples’ drinking water comes from surface water on the planet, such as rivers, lakes, and groundwater. When groundwater is contaminated, it can quickly and easily spread to nearby lakes and rivers and spread to contaminate multiple communities around the area of contamination. If the problem is not detected in a timely fashion, the contaminated water ends up being consumed by people and in turn, serious health problems can result. Sometimes these health problems don’t show up for months, or even years, making it hard to correlate the problems back to contaminated water. Other Serious Health Risks Frequent outbreaks of diseases such as cholera are common in areas that are exposed to contaminated water, even in developed nations. Drinking and swimming in contaminated water can produce skin diseases and lead to the development of various cancers. Highly polluted water tends to lead to organ damage, especially in the liver and kidneys. Carbonates and other pesticides that make their way into human water sources are harmful to the nervous system and inhibit proper functioning of the endocrine system. With these considerations in mind, Modernize encourages you to minimize your household’s contribution to groundwater contamination. You can make a big difference by using cleaners that are made of natural ingredients so they won’t contaminate your pipes or water, properly recycling things like tires and motor oil that are known carcinogens that can easily enter the water system, and making sure that your vehicle is in proper working condition so it doesn’t leak fluids on the road as you drive. |
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