Water Contamination: How Does Industrial Waste Get Into Water Systems?
July 11, 2023
When it comes to preventing
water contamination from industrial activities, there’s a lot more than meets the eye.
Industrial wastewater has long been flowing into our rivers and oceans without any restrictions or regulations for decades. A burning, yet neglected issue is the water contamination with industrial waste. For years, toxic industrial wastage has been polluting and contaminating fresh water sources everywhere – causing an increase in death rates and lack of access to clean drinking water.
Do You Want to Prevent Water Contamination?
What’s worse, is that even after so many years of neglecting this growing environmental hazard by authorities all over the world; only recently have governments started cracking down on companies responsible for dumping hazardous pollutants into public waterways.
From persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as DDT, dioxin, lead etc., emerging contaminants like endocrine disruptors (EDCs), heavy metals like arsenic, mercury, radioactive elements and microplastics—what makes matters worse here is these substances leaching out through sewage drains are entering new sources thereby leading to severe irreversible damage. Not just in terms of harm done directly but also indirectly via secondary or bioaccumulation process if left unchecked.
In short whereas each toxic element might enter source of freshwater individually; accumulation level after several chemical reactions could be exceptionally dangerous – making prevention important to preserve current and future generations health and livelihood.
Have You Think About Industrial Waste Effects on Water?
It is a seldom-recognized reality that industrial waste can find its way into our water systems, resulting in serious contamination of the supply. The water ingression is about countless potential environmental and health issues for those who are exposed to it eventually.
Industrial waste, in all terms, is a real and dangerous concern for many years now, but exactly how does this waste get into our water bodies in the first place? What effects does it have on our environment and already declining human health? And importantly, how can we prevent water contamination further from occurring? Seemingly harmless everyday practices may contribute to shoddy industrial processes that release contaminants into streams, rivers, and lakes — all with regularity few know about. Here are the industrial effects on water you know about:
- Water Pollution: Chemicals, oils, sludge, heavy metals, and toxic waste can damage the quality of the water.
- Eutrophication: Continuous discharge of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus from industrial waste causes an excessive growth of algae and aquatic plants in water bodies.
- Thermal Pollution: Some industries discharge heated water into water bodies, causing a sudden change in the temperature.
- Impact on Aquatic Life: The discharge of industrial waste disrupts the biological systems of aquatic organisms.
- Health Impacts: Humans who drink or bathe in contaminated water can suffer from various health issues, ranging from skin diseases to severe illnesses such as cancer.
- Biodiversity Loss: Prolonged exposure to industrial waste decreases biodiversity.
- Groundwater Contamination: If not properly managed, industrial waste can seep into the ground, contaminating the groundwater.
- Economic Impacts: Costs of cleaning up polluted water are often high, and there’s also the economic loss related to declines in fishing, tourism, and other industries.
Choose What You Can Do
It’s 2023 and the earth is suffering from industrial pollution more than ever. By now, we all know how to reduce plastic waste and recycle properly, but what about the silent killer – water contamination? So, will preventative measures we could take to prevent it help or not? Water ingression via industrial waste is very real and can have devastating effects on our aquatic ecosystems. If you need some other help related to Industrial water contamination then you can contact our
Micro-lube team for help and guidance.