How does contaminated water affect animals

Rain can wash fertilizers, pesticides , and contaminated soil into rivers and streams, where it creates excessive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous in the water. This excess of nutrients stimulates the growth of plants in lakes, taking up additional oxygen from the water and eventually killing organisms, insects and other aquatic life.

Pollution due to excess nutrients in freshwater or saltwater also results in algal blooms, which are a thick sludge or discoloring that covers the surface of a body of water.

These toxic blooms pose a threat by depriving the water of oxygen, which is essential to the survival of aquatic species. A lack of sufficient oxygen kills off aquatic life and plants, resulting in dead zones and threatening the survival of the ecosystem. Land animals, birds, and humans can also be harmed by the contaminated water, or by consuming fish or shellfish that lived in contaminated water. Wikimedia Commons. Animal waste from factory farming contributes to water pollution when the large, open-air lagoons that house wastewater from the farms leak and contaminate local water supplies, or when runoff from the farms makes its way into nearby lakes and waterways.

Like pollution from pesticides and fertilizers, animal waste can contribute to algal blooms by introducing dangerous levels of ammonia, nitrogen and phosphorus into lakes and waterways. Animal waste from factory farms also contains hormones which, when introduced into water systems, can cause reproductive problems in fish. To put it bluntly: Water pollution kills. In fact, it caused 1. Contaminated water can also make you ill.

Every year, unsafe water sickens about 1 billion people. And low-income communities are disproportionately at risk because their homes are often closest to the most polluting industries. Waterborne pathogens, in the form of disease-causing bacteria and viruses from human and animal waste, are a major cause of illness from contaminated drinking water. Diseases spread by unsafe water include cholera, giardia, and typhoid.

Even in wealthy nations, accidental or illegal releases from sewage treatment facilities, as well as runoff from farms and urban areas, contribute harmful pathogens to waterways. Meanwhile, the plight of residents in Flint, Michigan —where cost-cutting measures and aging water infrastructure created the recent lead contamination crisis—offers a stark look at how dangerous chemical and other industrial pollutants in our water can be.

The problem goes far beyond Flint and involves much more than lead, as a wide range of chemical pollutants—from heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury to pesticides and nitrate fertilizers —are getting into our water supplies.

Children and pregnant women are particularly at risk. Even swimming can pose a risk. Every year, 3. In order to thrive, healthy ecosystems rely on a complex web of animals, plants, bacteria, and fungi—all of which interact, directly or indirectly, with each other. Harm to any of these organisms can create a chain effect, imperiling entire aquatic environments.

When water pollution causes an algal bloom in a lake or marine environment, the proliferation of newly introduced nutrients stimulates plant and algae growth, which in turn reduces oxygen levels in the water. In certain cases, these harmful algal blooms can also produce neurotoxins that affect wildlife, from whales to sea turtles. Chemicals and heavy metals from industrial and municipal wastewater contaminate waterways as well. Marine ecosystems are also threatened by marine debris , which can strangle, suffocate, and starve animals.

Much of this solid debris, such as plastic bags and soda cans, gets swept into sewers and storm drains and eventually out to sea, turning our oceans into trash soup and sometimes consolidating to form floating garbage patches.

Discarded fishing gear and other types of debris are responsible for harming more than different species of marine life. Meanwhile, ocean acidification is making it tougher for shellfish and coral to survive.

Though they absorb about a quarter of the carbon pollution created each year by burning fossil fuels, oceans are becoming more acidic. This process makes it harder for shellfish and other species to build shells and may impact the nervous systems of sharks, clownfish, and other marine life. Fortunately, there are some simple ways you can prevent water contamination or at least limit your contribution to it:. Tell the federal government, the U. Also, learn how you and those around you can get involved in the policymaking process.

Our public waterways serve every American. The mighty bivalves are both, and this former schoolteacher and bartender seeks to inspire a new generation of aquaculturists while putting North Carolina oysters on the map. I enjoy learning new technologies and like playing with them.

I believe in open-source products and seek to contribute to them. The tech industry is constantly growing, changing and moving in different directions. I find it challenging and exciting - it incites me to continue to evolve while I develop my skill set. Akshay G Paraskar. Gyanendra Shravan. Gaargi Tomar. Abinaya Suresh. Maharshi Ghosh. Sai Prabhas Mallidi. Environment Effects of Water Pollution. Important Facts about QR Codes. Human skills in administration Gyanendra Shravan November 12, While water contamination and its causes are a global issue, certain populations are much more vulnerable than others to illness and death from water pollution.

The communities that are typically most affected by water pollution are often also communities of color.

Because of this demographic, the disparity in world heath on the topic of water pollution is frequently an example of environmental racism. The cholera outbreak in Haiti , just 10 months after the devastating earthquake, is an example of the impact of water pollution on vulnerable communities.

It was discovered that the Artibonite River, a body of water from which many Haitians use and consume, contained the bacteria that cause cholera. Another example of water pollution is in Gaza. The causes of water pollution in Gaza frequently result from frequent failure of water treatment and filtration systems.

This allows for sewage, wastewater, bacteria, and disease to pollute the water supply. Because of the transboundary nature of bodies of water and water sources, this issue does not only affect the very highly dense population living in Gaza, but also risks contamination of water sources in Israel and other Middle Eastern countries.

A third example of the effect of water pollution on a community is that of Flint, Michigan. Because many of the homes in Flint are old, they have lead piping. This caused an immense amount of health issues for Flint residents. These examples demonstrate the drastic way that already vulnerable communities are exposed to the harmful effects of water pollution. The need for solutions to water pollution is urgent.