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More than 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water WHY?

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Presentation on theme: "More than 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water WHY?"— Presentation transcript:

1 More than 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water WHY?

2 Minimata, Japan

3 Minamata Chisso Corporation, in Minamata, Japan –Plastics, drugs, perfumes 1920s, dumped waste in Minamata Bay –Cheaper to pay fishermen than properly dispose of waste 1950s: people had numbness, slurred speech, deformed limbs –Animals (cats, birds) died 1960s: linked to mercury in fish

4 Fecal contamination Well over 2 million people—mostly children in poor countries—die of diarrhea every year –Almost always a waterborne illness Fecal contamination usually detected by testing for E. coli or fecal coliforms Usually: NOT pathogenic

5 Pathogens in water Harder to test for than E. coli Include organisms that cause: –Cholera –Typhoid fever –Gastroenteritis –Meningitis –hepatitis

6 Dhaka, Bangladesh

7 Agriculture Pesticides being applied to lettuce in California Danger to applicators and many other environmental issues Runoff

8 Groundwater contamination About 50% of US population gets drinking water from groundwater – in agricultural areas, that percentage is HIGHER However: more pesticides detected in surface water than in groundwater. WHY?

9 Pesticides, Denver metro area cide Percent detectionMaximum concentration (µg/L) Surface water Ground water Surface water Ground water Carbaryl9705.2< 0.003 Atrazine86430.2 Prometon86630.161.4 Diazinon6900.24< 0.002 Simazine64300.0480.068 DCPA6100.029< 0.002 Tebuthiuron53170.170.79 Chlorpyrifos3100.11< 0.004 Malathion2500.089< 0.005 Color indicates type of pesticide: Herbicide and Insecticide.

10 VOCs

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12 Atrazine Common herbicide Evidence as recently as 2010 that it affects development of ``amphibian gonads’’  frog gender becomes confused In agricultural communities, evidence of lowered sperm count among men

13 Point vs. non-point source


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