WATER POLLUTION:

TOXIC LIVING
By: Alma Cazares
Water Pollution is caused by
us and it affects us. Would you really
enjoy living in a world where our
most valuable natural resource is
consumed by trash and waste? The
Earth and the people who reside in it,
can't live without water; this we all
know. Water pollution is when toxic
substances pollute an area of water
such as lakes, rivers, or the ocean.
Water pollution is a big issue because
it means that we are living off of
polluted water and too little is being
done to prevent it.

chemicals when they do. Furthermore,

some animals who bump into plastic
trash in the ocean, mistake it for food
and die when they eat it. Thus, the
combined evidence provides us with a
better understanding of some of the
many the issues that come along with
water pollution.

What is causing the issue?

There are many causes of water
pollution including: industrial and

What is the problem?

Water Pollution kills marine animals
and poisons the planet along with the
humans who reside on it. It is an issue
caused by humans that can hurt not
only the ocean but also our health and
the life of marine animals. For
example, one study shows that,
?Every day 2 million tons of human
waste are disposed of in waterways
around the world.? (National
Geographic Society, 2016). This
means that our oceans are filled with
human waste and the number is rising
day by day. However, this is not the
only toxic substance that is polluting
our oceans. According to another
source, ?More than 5 trillion plastic
particles weighing 268,940 tons are
estimated to be floating in Earth?s
oceans.? (David Schultz, 2014).
Plastic substances take centuries to
biodegrade and release toxic

radioactive waste, oil pollution,

marine dumping, and agricultural
runoff. For Example, one source
shows that ?Oil spills make up about
12% of the oil that enters the ocean.
The rest come from shipping travel,
drains and dumping.? (Water
Pollution Guide, 2015) This
emphasizes the idea that oil spills are
a very common water pollutants. Oil
Spills make our water dense and
uninhabitable for marine animals and
cause toxins to develop in our

drinking water. According to another

source, ?Many industrial facilities use
freshwater to carry away waste from
the plant and into rivers, lakes and
oceans.? (SSWN, 2010) Furthermore,
water pollution is also caused when
millions of factories around the world
wash their trash into areas of water as a
form of disposal. Some of this
industrial waste contains radioactive
chemicals that can be toxic to marine
animals and humans. Our water sources
are polluted by natural causes as well.
Yet Another source tells us that,
?Agricultural runoff is water leaving
farm fields because of rain, melted
snow, or irrigation. As runoff moves, it
picks up and carries pollution, which it
can depose into ponds, lakes, coastal
waters, and underground sources of
drinking water.? (ToxTown, 2015) This
shows another method in which our
land waste is carried into bodies of
water as a form of pollution. Overall,
there are many causes for water
pollution and most of them involve
carelessly dumping unneeded resources
into the ocean and other areas of water.

What are the impacts to the

environment?
Water pollution has a detrimental
impact on the natural habitat of marine
life and our planet. The fact that only
10% of plastic bottles are actually
recycled, has a great pull on water
pollution. For example, the trash that is
found in our polluted oceans is mostly
plastic. Plastic is not biodegradable,
meaning that it does not deteriorate
easily and can not be consumed by a
living organism. One study shows that,
? The average time for a plastic bottle
to completely degrade is at least 450
years. It can even take some bottles
1000 years to biodegrade.? (Kari
O?Connor, 2011). In addition, The long
lasting plastic in our oceans and rivers,
affect the animals who live in them.
According to another source, ?Out of
10 plastics, 1 sea animal will die from
consuming it. Sea turtles and birds have
a 92% chance of dying from plastic
objects because of water pollution.
Plastic is a very effective way of
causing extinction.? (Project Aware,
2015). This reveals that water pollution

is not only a long lasting

problem because of
non-biodegradable plastic, but
it is also killing off our animal
friends under the sea. The
plastic pollution that lands in
the ocean is mistakenly eaten
by marine animals like sea
turtles, dolphins, and
hundreds of other species.
Thus, the combined evidence
provides us with a better
understanding of how water
pollution affects the
environment.

What are the impacts

to global
communities?
People in Developing
countries also suffer from the
effects of water pollution. One
source tells us that, ?783
million (1 in 9) people do not
have access to clean water and
almost 2.5 billion (1 in 3) do
not have access to adequate
sanitation.?(Ohio University,
2009) This shows how water
pollution deprives a lot of
people on earth from their life
necessity of clean water. In
addition, ?Access to
sanitation, the practice of
good hygiene and a safe water
supply could save the lives of
1.5 million children a year.?
(Ohio University, 2009)
Therefore, we should have a
wider focus on how to solve
water pollution. This is an
ecological problem that
affects the global community
world wide.

What are the impacts

to per sonal health?

Toxic substances in our water

sources are affecting our
personal health. For example,
one study shows that, ?Heavy
metals from industrial
processes can accumulate in
nearby lakes and rivers. These
are toxic to marine life such as
fish and shellfish, and
subsequently to the humans
who eat them.? (Water
Pollution Guide, 2016) This
shows how toxins in the water
are eaten by fish and then
those toxins travel up the food
chain when we eat the
contaminated fish. In addition,
the consumption of dirty
water can also have serious
effects on our personal health.
For example,?Drinking,
accidentally swallowing or
swimming in water affected
by extreme water pollution
can cause serious health
problems like, rashes,
stomach or liver illness,
respiratory problems, and
neurological effects.? (EPA,
2015) In other words,
contaminated water contains
harmful chemicals that may
cause diseases if you consume
it. Overall, to protect our
personal state of health,we
should be aware of the
consequences that come with
water pollution.

What are cur rent

solutions?
Because technology continues
to improve, we are able to
detect new pollutants in the
water to help solve this issue.
For example, ?Technology has
also offered a solution in the

form of expensive filtration

and treatment plants that make
our drinking water safe to
consume.? (National
Geographic Society, 2016)
This is one of many current
solutions to protect us from
the negative effects of water
pollution. In addition, ?Some
cities are even promoting
"green" infrastructure, such as
green roofs and rain gardens,
as a way to naturally filter out
pollutants.? (National

Geographic Society, 2016)

This proves that there is a way
to avoid the expansion of
water pollution. Furthermore,
you can help prevent water
pollution from becoming a
bigger problem by recycling
plastic and other non
biodegradable trash. Overall,
there are many ways for us to
contribute to the problem
solving solutions for water
pollution.

Final Remar ks
In conclusion, water pollution
has a detrimental effect on the
planet and our personal
health. It is caused in many
ways and can cause serious
health issues. Water pollution
kills marine life and poisons
our lifestyle with toxic
contaminations. Needless to
say, water is essential to life
so why are we are still facing
this ecological threat today?

Resources

David Schultz. (2014). How Much Plastic is There in The Ocean.

Retrieved from
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/12/how-much-plastic-t

[Clean water info graphic]. Retrieved from

http://engineering.online.ohio.edu/civil/10-ways-clean-w
ater-can-improve-the-world/

here-ocean
EPA. (2015). The Effects:Human Health. Retrieved from
http://www.epa.gov/nutrientpollution/effects-human-health
Kari O'Connor. (2011). How Long Does it Take a Plastic Bottle to
Biodegrade?. Retrieved from
http://www.postconsumers.com/education/how-long-does-it-ta

[Drinking glass of dirty water]. Retrieved from

http://waterliberty.com/news/2014/10/20-water-pollutio
n-facts-for-the-u-s-and-throughout-the-world/
[Man sitting in trash water]. Retrieved from
http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/15/governmentpledges-to-clean-up-yamuna-river-again/

ke-a-plastic-bottle-to-biodegrade/
[The optimist cartoon]. Retrieved from
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/solution-pollution-pe
National Geographic Society. (2016). Water Pollution. Retrieved from
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/fresh
water/pollution/
Project Aware. (2015). What if Plastic Never Became Waste?. Retrieved
from
http://www.projectaware.org/update/what-if-plastic-never-became
-waste
SSWM. (2015). Water Pollution. Retrieved from
ehttp://www.sswm.info/content/water-pollution
Tox Town. (2015). Agricultural Runoff. Retrieved from
ehttp://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/text_version/locations.php?id=1

oples-humane-revolution-paul-c-garner