Contaminates
Unwanted contaminates in our water supply such as iron, manganese, sulfates, nitrates, calcium, magnesium, PFC’s (per-fluorinated compounds) and endocrine disruptors can be a very serious problem to our health and the health of animals that drink it. Water hardness, caused by dissolved calcium and magnesium is a wide spread problem that in high concentrations lead to decreased water intake and scaling inside pipes. Iron not only discolors water, wreaks havoc on tools/fixtures that use water and gives it a foul taste but has also been a shown to produce a great environment for the growth of pathogenic bacteria. In rural areas a very common water contaminate, nitrates, can also act to further bacterial growth in water. Another contaminate, sulfates, in the water supply pose a different complication to health, diarrhea. Especially in young populations increased levels of sulfates in the water supply are associated with diarrhea. Whereas adults in a population can generally adapt to some levels of sulfates the younger population is left at an increased risk of developing prolonged episodes of diarrhea. Less well known then the aforementioned chemicals are the relative new comers on the scene of water treatment, PFC's and endocrine disruptors. These contaminants are different from the other ones listed for a number of reasons but mostly because of the low concentrations that it can be toxic. PFC’s and endocrine disruptors in our water supply can interfere with our body's own signaling pathways and lead to a whole host of biological problems when not properly dealt with. These range from increased likelihood of cancer for PFC’s to near irreversible physiological changes due to long term exposure to endocrine disruptors. Although these may not be immediately concerning to the agricultural industry, it is important to note that these chemicals build up in an animals tissue and are then consumed with the animal and can lead to these effects becoming widespread in the human population. In a nutshell having unwanted chemical contaminants in your water supply cannot only be an undesirable sight, smell or taste but a possible pathway for disease transmission or a gateway for physiological disruption within human populations.
Iron in our water is typically the easiest contaminate to notice, having a very distinct iron taste and at high concentrations causing a rust like stain. Issues that can arise from having increased iron in a water supply can also be some of the easiest to note, such as distaste and aversion to drinking water and issues caused by an increased buildup of iron deposits on tools or other fixtures that use water. Along with these quite easy to notice symptoms of iron buildup are other more easily missed such as iron buildup on the inside of pipes. This buildup is worrisome not only as it has the ability to restrict flow but also act as a prime breeding ground for bacteria. Like almost all living organisms most bacteria require a source of iron in order to survive, however unlike more mobile organisms bacteria cannot move large distances to find new sources of iron and thusly, must rely on what is readily available in its environment. This makes iron rich water and or the deposits it forms on pipes a prime location for bacterial growth. Irons' role in promoting the growth of infections pathogens is so important that when our immune system senses an infection one of the first things it does in response is restrict and protect our bodies own iron stores to make sure the infections bacteria does not get a hold of it. With these facts in mind the presence of iron in our water supply is not only a nuisance but can also pose a health risk. Manganese in our water is another quite noticeable problem in water which shares many similarities with iron. It shares these similarities because it is most commonly found in the same forms as iron (a 2+ and 3+ state). Like iron manganese can cause stains on tools and fixtures that can negatively affect its usefulness.
Water Hardness also can cause physical problems for equipment when it is at high levels. Hardness is caused by two different minerals, calcium and magnesium. The physical effects from water hardness, scaling, can reduce the flow rate through pipes and decrease the pressure that can be build up behind pipes. Scaling is especially important when it comes to fixtures that rely on smaller diameter holes to function as these can clog the easiest and be a pain to fix.
High levels of sulfates, like iron and manganese, can cause negative health effects. High levels of sulfates in a water supply can have laxative effects and cause diarrhea in humans and animals. Although adult humans and animals can adapt within a few days, younger members of a population have a less adaptive response to high levels of sulfates and may suffer worse and longer duration of symptoms. Thusly, the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines limit the levels of sulfates in water to 250 mg/L.
Nitrates in a water sources can also pose significant health risks. Nitrates are essential for life however high concentrations of them have been known to be associated with increased risks for infection as they can be beneficial for the growth of bacterial colonies. Further consumption of high concentrations of nitrates during pregnancy has been shown to lead in increased likelihood of the infant developing methemoglobinemia, or "blue baby" disease.
Lastly PFC’s and endocrine disruptors pose additional health risks, but unlike the previously mentioned chemicals are almost impossible to detect. PFC’s were originally introduced in industry as they made for good reagents in polymer chemistry as well as their usefulness as lubricants. As a lubricant PFC’s can be used in conjunction with everyday products to created things such as non-stick frying pans. PFC’s are also known for stain resistant qualities and can be found in anything for stain resistant carpets and shirts to scotchguard. All of these properties that make PFC’s marketable also make them dangerous to our water supply, because they are great lubricants and stain protectors they have proven quite tricky to purify out of water and can bypass even the best water treatment technology. Yet the most concerning thing about PFC’s is it ability to interfere with biological organisms at a cellular level. Because many of these PFC’s share a quite similar chemical structure to lipids it is impossible for the body to recognize them as xenobiotic and eliminate them. Thusly, the half-life can be greater the 5 years in humans. Further its unstable carbon-fluorine bond can degrade and generate free radicals within the body, which until captured can cause immense damage to the body. Endocrine disruptors, which are also hard to detect in water, can wreak havoc on our endocrine system, our body's chemical communication network. Endocrine disruptors are any naturally occurring or man-made chemical that interferes with normal hormonal communication within the body. As such a there are a plethora of negative physiological effects that can come as a result of our exposure to these chemicals. Endocrine disruptors such as estradiol, can be introduced via many different pathways into our water but once in our body our bodies have no way of differentiating these chemicals from our own naturally occurring hormones and as such will treat them as if they were produced by the body. This along with the chemicals fat solubility means they can stay in biological systems for prolonged periods of time, which is of particular concern to the agricultural industry as these chemicals could then migrate up the food chain to humans who consume them or effect animals that drink the water.