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Published byMyron Johns Modified over 9 years ago
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More than 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water WHY?
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Minimata, Japan
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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
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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
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Pathogens in water Harder to test for than E. coli Include organisms that cause: –Cholera –Typhoid fever –Gastroenteritis –Meningitis –hepatitis
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Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Agriculture Pesticides being applied to lettuce in California Danger to applicators and many other environmental issues Runoff
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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?
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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.
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VOCs
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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
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Point vs. non-point source
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