Researchers have identified the microorganism Acanthamoeba, which can cause an extremely rare but potentially sight-threatening eye infection, in seawater at four New South Wales coastal sites. The new research is published ...
Aug 24, 2023
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Manganese is an unregulated contaminant often found in drinking water, but safe levels of this metal are currently unknown, and prior research has indicated that overexposure to manganese may be harmful to children.
Jul 10, 2023
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The old "get out of the water" fear once was stoked by a fictional shark tale set off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.
Mar 7, 2023
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A person in southwest Florida has died after being infected with an extremely rare brain-eating amoeba, health officials said.
Mar 4, 2023
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A brain-eating amoeba has killed a Florida man, state health officials reported.
Mar 3, 2023
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Iodized salt helps prevent iodine-deficiency disorders, including goiters and certain birth defects. Yet it's unclear how this seasoning interacts with chloramine-treated drinking water if some of the disinfectant is left ...
Mar 1, 2023
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The worst cholera outbreak to affect Malawi in two decades has now claimed 750 lives, a government minister said, while the World Health Organization chief described the southeast African country as among the hardest-hit ...
Jan 12, 2023
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Australians are fortunate to have access to safe and healthy drinking water in our towns and cities, which is acknowledged as a basic human need globally. Sadly, the World Health Organization estimates about 2 billion people ...
Dec 19, 2022
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As the White House prepares for the first conference on hunger, nutrition and health in more than 50 years, public health officials point out that providing access to safe potable drinking water must be part of the national ...
Sep 23, 2022
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A child likely died from a rare infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba after swimming in an eastern Nebraska river, health officials said, making it the second such probable death in the Midwest this summer and raising ...
Aug 19, 2022
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Tap water (running water) is part of indoor plumbing, which became available in the late 19th century and common in the mid-20th century.
The provision of tap water requires a massive infrastructure of piping, pumps, and water purification works. The direct cost of the tap water alone, however, is a small fraction of that of bottled water, which can cost from 240 to 10,000 times as much for the same amount.
The availability of clean tap water brings major public health benefits. Usually, the same administration that provides tap water is also responsible for the removal and treatment before discharge or reclamation of wastewater.
In many areas, chemicals containing fluoride are added to the tap water in an effort to improve public dental health. This remains a controversial issue in the health, freedoms and rights of the individual. See water fluoridation controversy.
Tap water may contain various types of natural but relatively harmless contaminants such as scaling agents like calcium carbonate in hard water and metal ions such as magnesium and iron, and odoriferous gases such as hydrogen sulfide. Local geological conditions affecting groundwater are determining factors of the presence of these substances in water.
Occasionally, there are health concerns regarding the leakage of dangerous biological or chemical contaminating agents into local water supplies when people are advised by public health officials not to drink the water, and stick to bottled water instead. An example is the recent discovery of potentially hazardous nitrates in the public water supply in Phoenix, Arizona.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA
