The importance of electricity in our lives cannot be overemphasized. It is one resource that finds multiple vital applications in our everyday life, including cooling, heating, lighting, refrigeration, and running all electrical appliances. Over 3.8 trillion kWh of electricity was used in the United States only in 2020 – 13x more than the consumption rates of the 1950s. You will agree that life without electricity will never be the same. But the truth is the more we cannot do without electricity, the more vulnerable we are to problems that come with blackouts, including water scarcity.
Although half the year has gone by in 2021, it is still unbelievable for most people. The events around the world are so surreal, and it looks like the doomsday movie is happening in the real world. From the volcanic eruptions in the Philippines to influenza B in the United States and blizzards in Canada, it all looked like the earth unleashed its hell mode. Other situations like rare storms in Brazil, fire disasters in Australia, and coronavirus worldwide were also happening concurrently. Initially, the disasters didn't attract much attention. It all started as a wildfire, then a drought, and the extinction of a species. Although most people were concerned about the disappearance of a city, the events around the world wasn't a major concern till it was relevant to everyone.
Our water supply plays a significant role on our personal health, the environment, climate change, and much more. Statistically speaking, by 2025 over half of the world will be residing in regions facing stressful water supplies. This will be particularly true for countries with predominantly low to middle income households. The risks posed to regions such as this only serve to further highlight the importance of determining the amount of heavy metals in surrounding water sources, if only to decrease the dangers posed to human health. The Agency for Research on Cancer (or IARC), and the Environmental Protection Agency (or EPA), believe the exposure to arsenic and heavy metals are both serious concerns when it comes to drinking water sources.
In the United States, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates drinking water among public water systems through the Safe Drinking Water Act. The act sets a maximum concentration level for water chemicals and pollutants that we come into contact with. Contaminants are physical, chemical, biological, or radiological substances or matter in water. Anything other than water molecules may be considered a contaminant. Contaminants can be naturally occurring, caused by human activity, or both. Drinking water requires treatment that removes dangerous contaminants. If consumed, some drinking water contaminants can lead to health effects, such as gastrointestinal illness, reproductive problems, and neurological disorders. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), contaminated drinking water causes roughly 485,000 diarrhoeal deaths each year.
The United States is vulnerable to almost all natural disasters, from storms to wildfires and others. Over the last five years, loss from natural disasters has risen to over $600 billion. The average record is over 60,000 deaths across the world. And with the increasing global climate change, the United States is even at a higher risk of more disasters. Considering all of these factors, it is important to know how to stay protected in the face of these disasters. It may take several years to recover from a disaster that lasted for a few minutes. From major infrastructural damages to extensive clean-up works, there is always a lot to do. Interestingly, municipal water is highly prone to the effects of almost all forms of natural disasters.
It’s the month of the Olympics! The Tokyo 2020 Olympics is finally happening in 2021. The city of Tokyo is welcoming people from all over the world to enjoy the games. Despite the call to cancel the games, the WHO and the organizers decided to hold the games, but with strict health measures in place to protect everyone. However, several other issues need to be resolved. Let’s take a look at some of them;
Recent heavy rainfall has led to a situation in Tokyo Bay concerning sewage leakage and runoff. With the Olympics in Tokyo well underway, there were rising concerns over the pool's putrid smell, in addition to various health concerns. Residents were already having to live with the issue of sewage runoff, however, Olympians were facing the possibly of swimming in water conditions contaminated with E. Coli.
The majority of the tap water supply in America has been treated by chloramine or chlorine. Just like chlorine, chloramine is a type of disinfectant added in water supply to improve drinking water quality and remove the harmful components. Chloramine is used to kill bacteria, viruses, and protozoan by breaking down their cell walls. This prevents them from causing diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, hepatitis, and typhoid. Since bacteria, viruses, and protozoa are too small for filters, there's no physical or chemical-free method of handling these tiny contaminants.
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) reveals that, although most households of the U.S. population depend on a municipal water system for water, about 15% of them still drink water from a private well. EPA is responsible for monitoring and regulating municipal water supplies that is normally disinfected with chlorine at a local water treatment facility. On the other hand, the property owners are responsible for the monitoring, testing, and treating their private well and the water it provides.
Recently, Japan has announced it will release more than 1m tons of contaminated water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. The announcement triggered a warm discussion among neighboring countries, including China and South Korea.