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Public Health Importance of Safe Drinking Water

This week I will be talking about the public health importance of safe drinking water.

Water is essential for life. It is the basis of life and something that we use everyday. Our bodies are composed of 60%-70% water. Without clean water we would not be able to survive. Prior to the Clean Water Act (1972) there were no regulations on discharges of pollutants in the waters of the United States. Regulating quality standards for water were nonexistent.. The Clean Water Act allowed the implementation of pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards of industries.
It is important to have safe drinking water so the humans are not exposed to chemical pollution through the water they drink. It's also important to have disinfected water as well. It would be a health concern if people were drinking contaminate water. Disease would spread quickly through the distribution of contaminated water. Additionally, there are many ecological benefits to clean water. Aquatic ecosystems are needed to protect human health and provide a healthy habitat for fish, plants, and wildlife.

Hope you enjoyed this weeks blog!

Comments

  1. Hi Iliana,

    Safe drinking water is very important for the overall health of the public. We have seen in many cases, in third world countries and even our own backyards, how contaminated water can negatively impact the health of humans and ecosystems. The Clean Water Act not only takes into account chemical contamination, it takes into consideration contamination by pathogens. One thing that I found shocking about the Clean Water Act, was that it wasn't implemented until 1972. That means that there are people living today who likely consumed water with unsafe levels of chemicals or even pathogens and did not know it.

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  2. Hi Iliana,

    What I liked most about this post is that you did a really great job of summarizing the importance of having clean drinking water. I like that you highlighted the ways in which disease could spread, which is a huge aspect of public health!! I wonder how many people get diseases and die due to low quality drinking water, just in California alone? Clean water is our most important resource, so I'm so glad the Clean Water Act was passed for us, and that we can enjoy water that is, for the most part, not dangerous to us!

    -Aveena

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