Got water?
Not everyone does, and as the population grows so do our water problems.
From Africa and Asia to the good ‘ol USA, this article reveals how America’s water filtration really stacks up.
You might be surprised at what you’re about to find...
Water quality isn’t just affected by man-made pollution. On the one hand, there's water filtration. However, it’s also influenced by geological events, rainfall runoff, and the movement of Earth’s crust.
For the most part, though, global water contamination comes from human activities like:
But pollution isn’t just limited to local lakes and streams...
In fact, believe it or not, toxic compounds are carried through the atmosphere and deposited in the most remote corners of the world. No body of water is safe!
According to the World Health Organization, roughly 5.3 billion people have access to safely managed water services.
This means that clean drinking water is within a short walking distance, free of contamination, and available 24/7.
But what about the other 2.2 billion people around the globe without safely-managed water services? Over 1.4 billion have to take a 30-minute round trip just to collect water, 435 million get their water from unprotected wells and springs, and 144 million drink from filthy surface water.
In addition, around the world, poor rural areas are usually the worst off. Quality water is for the well-to-do, and far too often the underprivileged get left behind.
Most of the time, polluted drinking water is due to poor wastewater management.
Compared to most of the world, the US is pretty good at treating their sewage and keeping bacteria levels low, but other regions aren’t so lucky.
Furthermore, have you ever had to drink poopy water? In fact, millions of people in Asia, Africa and Latin America do everyday, and faecal contamination is linked to dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, cholera, and polio.
The biggest killer of all is diarrhea. Roughly 1.5 million people die each year from diarrhea due to unsafe drinking water and poor hygiene, and at least 360,000 of them are children under the age of five.
These cases could easily be prevented with basic water sanitation.
Severe water pollution affects nearly one-third of river systems in Latin America, Africa and Asia, putting hundreds of millions of people at risk.
In fact, six or more months out of the year, water pollution levels soar as heavy rains empty sewage and other contaminants into rivers.
In urban areas along the coast, many communities are fortunate enough to receive basic sediment filtration and chlorine disinfection, but it typically isn’t up to the same standard as the US and other developed countries.
With that said, some developing countries are starting to dedicate more resources and attention to water management.
Water quality is improving in many parts of the world as organizations work hard to turn the tide.
In the year 2000, the United Nations signed the Millennium Development Goals, which aimed to cut unsafe water sanitation numbers in half. By 2015, they had already reached their goal five years ahead of schedule!
In Africa, the African Ministerial Council on Water and the Africa Water Vision for 2025 are taking steps in the right direction, but there’s still a lot more work to do.
Despite the progress, roughly 2.4 billion people are still stuck with unsanitary water.
In the annual Environmental Performance Index (EPI) report, researchers at Yale and Columbia University ranked 180 countries on 24 performance indicators of environmental health, including drinking water safety, sanitation and wastewater treatment.
How did America do?
Several countries scored perfect 100s across the board, including the United Kingdom, Finland, and Sweden.
The US scored an 89.2 for drinking water, an 81.4 for sanitation, and a measly 58.9 for wastewater treatment.
America’s scores have been dropping by several points each year. What gives?
Across the country, old distribution pipes are starting to break down, and when they do they allow dangerous contaminants to seep through.
Even worse, many pipes installed before 1980 contain lead. Furthermore, lead pipes are most common in the Northeast and Midwest.
This is exactly what happened in the Flint Water Crisis that lasted from 2014 to 2019, exposing an estimated 6,000 to 12,000 children to dangerous levels of lead.
But wait a sec… isn’t the US supposed to have impeccable water standards? And shouldn’t treatment plants be able to remove toxins like lead, arsenic and nuclear waste before they reach your tap?
The answer might surprise you...
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates over 90 different contaminants in drinking water.
But when it comes to actually testing and reporting it falls on local and state officials, and oftentimes their testing is inaccurate and inconsistent.
Plus, the EPA’s list of 90 contaminants hasn’t been revised in decades, and common contaminants like BPAs aren’t even tested for. It isn’t uncommon for dangerous contaminants to slip through and find their way to your tap.
US drinking water comes from lakes, rivers, reservoirs and groundwater.
Rural homes are usually on private wells, but in the cities and suburbs drinking water is processed at municipal treatment plants.
Most utility companies treat their water with the following steps:
Despite their best efforts, your tap water could still contain dangerous toxins. Most treatment plants aren’t able to fully remove some of the worst pollutants like arsenic, lead, nuclear waste and pesticides.
In many cases, local governments have been forced to issue warnings when contamination levels get out of control.
Residents on private wells may be even more at risk. The groundwater in agricultural areas can contain pesticides from nearby farms, and wells are notorious for bacteria, viruses and parasites.
However, if this sounds unnerving, the good news is that there’s a simple solution to take your family’s drinking water into your own hands...
In-home reverse osmosis (RO) systems can remove up to 99.9% of harmful contaminants, including disease-causing bacteria, chemicals and heavy metals.
RO systems also remove chlorine, which has been shown to damage the nervous system, cause cancer, and increase the risk of birth defects.
Here’s a quick look at how RO systems work:
By the time it reaches your tap, you’re left with nothing but pure, safe, nutritious drinking water.
Cloud Water Filters use reverse osmosis to remove 99.9% of harmful contaminants, and with their built-in software you can monitor your water quality 24/7.
Click here to learn more.
