Consequences of Drinking Contaminated Water
Not many people stop to wonder about the safety of our potable drinking water. But in California, drinking water has recently come into question due to nitrate contamination in the San Joaquin Valley area and statewide groundwater contamination risk. Citizens fear the intrusion on groundwater supplies by toxic chemicals, such as lead and septic pollution.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) reviewed California’s dwindling groundwater stores and found that more than 15% of the groundwater assessed in 2000 was contaminated independently by the five most prevalent and harmful classes of contaminates. Sixteen years later, this percentage has risen to almost 20% of California’s total groundwater by surface area. Currently, toxic pollutants that contaminate California’s groundwater include:
- Arsenic
- Nitrate
- Mercury
- Pathogens
- Pesticides
- Salts
- Metals (lead)
This is in addition to other manmade and naturally-occurring impurities. Paired with the extended period of drought that California has faced for the last few years, the state’s water quality has decreased in oxygen and increased in salinity, creating a shocking amount of salt buildup from the Pacific Ocean that is reducing farmland quality.
Contaminated water is being used to irrigate agricultural lands and is thus re-filtered back into our groundwater. It is an ongoing cycle of contamination that is currently alarming California citizens, who are beginning to wonder about the safety of their drinking water.
Your Odds of Drinking Contaminated Water
In San Diego, drinking water (both tap and bottled) is host to contaminates such as pesticides, herbicides, carbon, and bromide. While San Diego does employ water treatment processes, these disinfection procedures do not guarantee total safety and can only reduce some of the risks associated with drinking contaminated water.
San Diego has to import over 85% of its water supply from other locations. This means our city is using water that traveled hundreds of miles before reaching us – subjecting it to dozens of potential pollutants. There are several sources of groundwater contamination, including:
- Industrial sources
- Landfills
- Agriculture
- Leaking underground storage tanks
- Sewage
- Natural sources
- Hazardous waste
- Chemicals and road salts
In California, our water is subjected to every one of these contaminates. While there are mandatory health-related standards for our drinking water, they allow certain amounts of each pollutant to pass inspection, including trace amounts (no more than 10%) of copper and lead that enter drinking water via the deterioration of plumbing materials.
Health Problems Associated With Drinking Contaminated Water
Ingesting water that has metals such as copper and lead can lead to stomach distress, nervous system damage, kidney failure, and brain damage. Drinking water with nitrates can result in bacteria growing in the stomach – especially in infants. The bacteria interferes with blood’s ability to carry oxygen through the infant’s body, will turn their skin a bluish color (known as “blue baby syndrome”), and result in death if left untreated.
Drinking water contaminated with sewage or industrial toxins can lead to hepatitis. Arsenic occurs in water naturally, but in high amounts, it can be fatal. It even causes cancer. There is a long list of water-related diseases recognized by the World Health Organization, and the residents of California are no strangers to many of them.
As our state continues to grow and our groundwater is leached away, drinking water contamination will become a major issue. If you think you have contracted an illness due to the consumption of contaminated water in San Diego, contact the personal injury lawyers of Liljegren Law Group. We are passionate about our clients’ health and can give you expert guidance according to your symptoms, the water you consumed, and other relevant details. Reach out to us today for more information.