Analysis of Water Reserves, Contamination, and Toxic Chemicals Impact

This assignment provides an overview of principal water reserves, emphasizing groundwater as the primary source. It addresses how waterborne pathogens, such as Cryptosporidium, can contaminate treated water due to factors like weather patterns, poor storage, and parasite resistance to disinfection. The assignment also identifies five toxic chemicals—fluoride, chlorine, lead, mercury, and PCBs—that may enter public water supplies, detailing their potential health effects, including neurological damage, developmental complications, and increased cancer risk. The document is available on Desklib, a platform offering study tools and resources for students.

Running head: WATER
Student name
Student No.
Unit
Title: Principle Water Reserves

WATER
Icecaps, glaciers and fresh water lakes are non-renewable water resources. These
resources cannot be called water reserves because most of them do not store water for long.
Therefore the principle water reserve is the ground water (Dennehy, 2016). According to Al-
Ghazawy (2012), Africa has the largest underground water reserves as compared to other
continents, with more than 100 times the surface fresh water resources. A research carried out
by the University College of London showed that the largest water reserves are found along
the dry North African Regions (Sudan, Egypt, Algeria and Libya). It could be difficult to use
this water for drinking or irrigation as it is found more than 150 meters below the surface.
Pandey, Kass, Soupir et al. (2014) argue that weather patterns are the potential causes
of increased pathogens in water resources. The World Bank (2010) claim that poor water
storage structure result to contamination of even treated water resources making the water
unsafe for human consumption. The Cryptosporidium parasite is found in rivers and waters
especially those contaminated with animal wastes and sewage. Even a good water treatment
system does not render the water safe for consumption after it was infected with this parasite
as it is resistant to disinfection (Apec Water, 2018).
People since 1940s added fluoride to drinking water to reduce tooth decay without
realising its side effects. Fluoride affects the thyroid glands and the pineal gland as it is
neurotoxin and endocrine disruptor. Chlorine added to water can bond with the elements of
water to form hydrochloric acid in the digestive system which could damage cells and cause
respiratory complications. Lead in water pipes may corrode in to the water. Lead is toxic and
causes deafness, growth and development complications, brain damage and behavioural
problems. Other chemicals which could be found in water include mercury and PCBs.
Mercury causes blindness, brain damage, impaired nervous system, memory loss, tremors,
muscle atrophy and skin rushes. PCBs cause cancer, affects the nervous, endocrine,
reproductive and immune systems (Edward, 2016).

WATER
References
Edward, D. (2016). Toxins in Your Drinking Water. Retrieved from:
https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/12-toxins-in-your-drinking-
water/
Apec Water. (2018). Guidance for people with severely weakened immune systems.
Retrieved from:
https://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water-contamination/cryptosporidium-removal-
water.htm
World Bank. (2010). Water resources management. Washington D. retrieved from:
http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/waterresourcesmanagement#2
Pandey, P. K., Kass, P. H., Soupir, M. L., Biswas, S., & Singh, V. P. (2014). Contamination
of water resources by pathogenic bacteria. AMB Express, 4, 51.
http://doi.org/10.1186/s13568-014-0051-x
Al-Ghazawy, O. 2012. Africa floats on underground water. Retrieved from:
reserveshttps://www.natureasia.com/en/nmiddleeast/article/10.1038/
nmiddleeast.2012.72
Dennehy, K. F. (2016). Ground water resources program. Retrieved from:
https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2005/3097/