Autoimmune Diseases and Drinking Water
Drinking water pollution is not a new thing these days. Contaminated drinking water leads to numerous harmful conditions and diseases in humans and other living beings. Some common drinking water pollutants include heavy metals, chemicals, microbes, and cysts. In the past, several cases of water-borne diseases have affected the human population while causing a high death toll. However, the drinking water found today also has a chance of possible pollutants if it is not filtered properly.
The human population suffers from a number of diseases that may be caused by water pollution. Apart from the numerous water-borne diseases such as dysentery, diarrhea, and typhoid fever, water pollution may also cause auto-immune diseases in humans. For your information, autoimmune disease is a disorder of the immune system that mistakes parts of the human body, like joints or skin, as foreign. The system then releases proteins called autoantibodies that attack healthy cells, which is not a very pleasant experience. There are over 80 known or suspected autoimmune disorders including Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Trichloroethylene or TCE is an industrial solvent and water pollutant that is suspected to have an effect on immunologic connections including immunosuppression, hypersensitivity, and autoimmune-related effects on humans and animals. The major reason the connection is suspected is because of TCE’s effect on Thymus cells in subjects during experimental and human studies. Since TCE is estimated to be found in 9-34% of drinking water in the U.S., it is unquestionable that drinking water quality is one important factor to help guard against autoimmune diseases. Hence, people should learn about the possible solutions for purifying their water in order to get the safest drinkable water possible.
A research report has claimed that there are numerous synthetic chemicals that can cause drinking water pollution. Most of these come from agricultural activities, industrial waste, urban runoff, and even municipal water treatment plants. Possibly, the glass of water you are drinking now could have some traces of pesticides, weed-killers, fertilizer, and also petroleum by-products. Even the bio-hazardous pollutants from pharmaceutical drugs can occasionally be found in drinking water. Apart from these, other active water pollutants are chlorine, chloramines, and numerous man-made toxins. Again, natural calamities such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis are also major causes of water pollution.
Drinking water also gets polluted by all sorts of pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and other parasites. Waterborne diseases such as jaundice, typhoid, cholera, and severe dysentery affect a huge number of human populations every single day. Though developed countries have better water purifying systems in place, drinking water contamination is still an issue. As one of the most serious problems across the globe, water pollution eradication should be prioritized.
Lead contamination in drinking water is one of the most commonly found water pollutants today. The traces of lead in drinking water can cause joint pain, visual abnormalities, gastrointestinal problems, and natal defects in newly-born children. Even after boiling the water, the traces of lead will remain the same. Similarly, chlorine and arsenic pollutants can also cause severe illness in human beings. Apart from these harmful metals, the pathogenic cysts also affect the body as an external parasite. The cysts can survive in boiling water and contaminate the human gut thus affecting the gastrointestinal system.
To avoid such contaminants in your drinking water, you should opt for water purifiers with carbon, reverse osmosis, and UV filters. These advanced water filters have the capacity to kill cysts and remove chemicals and heavy metals.
