Risks Associated With Unfiltered Drinking Water

Jassica Wilton
3 min readSep 7, 2017

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Is the water that you are drinking completely safe? Do you know that unfiltered water can carry a wide range of chemical and microbiological risks? Read on to find out.

Have you ever wondered whether or not the water that you’re receiving through the taps of your house are safe enough for drinking? If yes, then you ought to know the fact that filtering the tap water at your house is one of the best ways to remove impurities from it and reduce the risk of illnesses. Speaking of risks, there are many of them associated with
unfiltered drinking water and they can very well get you bedridden if you are not careful enough.

So let’s take a look at those risks as explained by experts of water filtration & treatment in Kerry:

Chemical Risks

Nitrite — Although this chemical is initially in the form of nitrate, which is completely harmless, its converted form of nitrite can pose a serious threat to infants and young kids because of its ability to decrease the oxygen content of their blood.

Herbicides & pesticides — The chemicals contained in these can leach slowly into waterways, particularly in the rural regions. They can remain in the environment for prolonged periods and are highly carcinogenic.

Fluoride — Despite the fact that fluoride helps to reduce tooth decay and has been used in drinking water since the 70s, in high concentrations, it can cause dental fluorosis. However, the potential risks posed by fluoride to one’s health are unknown.

Chlorine — Chlorine is added to water for killing off bugs present in distributed water. But this chemical can potentially react with organic substances occurring naturally in the water. The reaction can lead to creation of harmful trihalomethanes, which are detrimental to one’s health.

Aluminium — To be exact, chemicals which contain aluminium are utilised for removing suspended particles present in water. And during the process, small quantities of aluminium might pass through. It can also have an adverse impact on human health.

Microbiological Risks

Viruses — There are certain viruses which survive the disinfection of water and pass into home water mains. They can cause various illnesses.

Bacteria — Most of the pathogenic bacteria present in water originate from contamination by nitrogenous waste substances. They can even come from the water mains of a residence. The ones responsible for water-borne diseases usually survive chlorine disinfection.

Protozoa — The ones that contaminate water are giardia and cryptosporidium. Their cysts are often capable of resisting disinfection and can trigger severe illness.

Thus, these are the main reasons why you should consider buying a proper filtering device for your home.

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