Of all water in the world, only 3% is fresh (water with less than 0.5 parts per thousand dissolved salts). Less than one third of the 1% is available for human use.

The rest is frozen in glaciers or in the polar ice caps, or even in the depths of the earth where we can not have access. This 1% that is available to us is not always safe to drink.

Even seemingly clear water contains contaminants like bacteria, virus, and parasites such as protozoa. Those organisms are harmful to the human body. They make water unsafe to drink, and sometimes even unfit for bathing.

If left untreated, contaminated water can cause a range of water-related diseases that can take a terrible toll on human health, and often cause death.These substances come from either the physical environment in which water has evolved, or through contact with human and animal waste. Water is the preferred vehicle of transmission of many diseases.

Our only way to prevent the spread of these organisms is good sanitation (water purification) and personal hygiene. While Safe Water is essential to health, Polluted Water is your Health-Destroyer.

Water pollution remains one of the most critical problems facing the world today. In nature, water is not always the source of life; it can be a source of diseases and eventually death. It transmits a number of microorganisms, bacteria, viruses and protists of all kinds.

These organisms can sometimes lead to serious diseases when they enter the human body. Treating the water you use is necessary to stay healthy. Some bacteria, including Escherichia coli responsible for colibacillosis and vibrio cholera responsible for cholera, and some amoebae, parasites of the human body, cause severe diarrhea. Left untreated, water loss during diarrhea can lead to a significant dehydration of the body and eventually death. Typhoid fever is also due to a bacterium (Salmonella typhi) that can be transmitted by polluted water.

Unless it is treated, contaminated water is not safe to drink. In addition, drinking polluted water may affect the immune system, and facilitates the development of many diseases. Are we safe from contaminated water in United Sates?No. People in Industrialized nations including the richest country in the world, the USA, suffer from water-related illnesses.

Not long ago, the town of Alamosa, Colorado, paid the price of drinking contaminated water. March of this year, salmonella somehow entered the city’s water supply. Within a week of the March 8 discovery, about 250 of all the town’s 10,000 residents have become ill, with many of those illnesses confirmed as salmonella poisoning.

What can you do?

At vital food store, we offer you and your family a quality of water that Nature has provided to only a select few. By using natural purification processes in combination with advanced technology, we produce what many believe is the best drinking water on Earth. Our water purification systems not only remove harmful contaminants but it also enhances the water through a patented process that creates a quality of water beyond the reach of conventional water filters. Visit our whole house water filtration systems store for more information.

Water pollution refers to the changes in the physical, biological, and chemical conditions of any body of water which harmfully disrupts the balance of the ecosystem.

Like any type of pollution, water pollution results when an overwhelming amount of waste coming from different sources of pollutants can no longer be accommodated by the natural ecosystem. Consequently, when the wastes are not destroyed as fast as they are produced, they make it unfavorable to humans and many other organisms. But that’s not all. Learn more about what causes water pollution.

There are actually many specific reasons behind what causes water pollution. However, it is important to familiarize yourself with the two main categories of water pollution. Some pollution comes directly from one’s specific location. This type of pollution is called point source pollution such as sewage pipes that empty polluted water into the river and farmland. Meanwhile, non-point source pollution is pollution that comes from large areas like gasoline and other dirt from highways that go into the lakes and rivers.

What are the causes water pollution? Who are the culprits who should be responsible for the harm brought by their pollutants? How do these sources of pollution pollute different bodies of water?

One major cause of water pollution that has caused serious environmental and health problems are the pollutants coming from chemical and industrial processes. When factories and manufacturers pour their chemicals and livestock wastes directly into streams and rivers, the water becomes poisonous and oxygen levels are depleted causing many aquatic organisms to die. These wastes include solvents and toxic substances. Most of the wastes are not biodegradable. Power plants, paper mills, refineries, automobile factories dispose waste into the rivers.

The heated water from the power plants is called thermal pollution. This kills aquatic animals and plants by reducing the oxygen content of the water. Power plants use water to cool their machineries, thus changing the temperature of the water.

Aside from thermal pollution, there are also organic and inorganic pollutants. The organic wastes include refuse from slaughter houses, fish and meat canning factories, and leather tanning companies, manufacturing plants, pesticides and crude oil companies. Since organic wastes are decomposed by microorganisms, much of the dissolved oxygen in water is used up and the waster begins to stink.

Inorganic wastes include toxic and corrosive substances like acids, heavy metals, mercury, cadmium and lead which can impair the normal body processes. Battery manufacturers, mining, paper mills increase the concentration of mercury making the water dangerous and poisonous for most living things.

Another cause of water pollution is from pesticides. Farm pesticides poison aquatic plants and animals. Animal manure, chemical fertilizers, phosphate detergent pollute water by supplying excess nutrients. This pollution is known as eutrophication. This greatly increases the growth of algae in water thereby decreasing the amount of oxygen level in water causing the death of many aquatic organisms.

Water is also being polluted by garbage specifically plastics and other plastic-like substances. Some plastic like nylon can entangle fishes and other marine animals. Plastics that have broken down into tiny pieces can be eaten by sea creatures which may cause their death. Since plastic is non-biodegradable, it will continue to kill more fishes.

One more cause of water pollution is sewage coming from households. Since no one wants to live in a polluted area, near a dumpsite or landfill, the wastewater and untreated sewage are carried away from the home polluting different bodies of water. Most developing countries practice this type of sewage disposal. Even modern countries carry poorly treated sewage to canals leading to major bodies of water. The danger is when the sewage pipes gets broken and waste contaminates the drinking water. When this happens, the breakage will open a wide array of water borne diseases that will surely pose peril to consumers.

Last among the causes of water pollution are personal care and household products. Shampoo, lotion, moisturizer, hair dye, bleach, laundry detergent, fabric softener, and many others contribute to water pollution. Human waste is not the only thing that goes to sewage. These products also join the wastewater to contaminate the streams, rivers, and lakes.

Although the world abounds with water, only three percent of it is potable. Included in the 3% source of potable water are the streams, spring, rivers, lakes, and waterfalls that are continuously being threatened and contaminated by the different factors that cause of water pollution. If the sources of water pollution are not controlled, this basic necessity will eventually become a rare commodity only a few can afford to have.