Water Pollution & Health

Water has been one of the most precious commodities of human beings; indeed it is essential to our survival. Humans use water for drinking, for cooking and cleaning, for industrial purposes, to water crops and feed animals, for fishing and transportation, and in religious ceremonies as well. Today, however, 40% of America's rivers and 46% of America s lakes are too polluted for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life. And that s just in the US. Water pollution is global, with Asian rivers, for example, being the most polluted in the world, containing three times as many bacteria from human waste as the global average and 20 times more lead than rivers in industrialized countries. Less than half the world has regular access to clean drinking water; each year about 5 to 10 million deaths and about 250 million cases of illness result from contaminated water. This essential book examines water pollution in depth, including exploring the impact of global warming on the world s water supplies. The book reveals the fascinating and deadly cases of early water pollution and presents water pollution as it is today its causes from both manmade as well as natural sources, the health consequences of water pollution, how water is tested and treated, what measures governments and industries are taking to provide clean water for living, and more. Included are specific examples of how contaminants get into our rivers, lakes, oceans, and groundwater, and what corrective steps are being taken to combat the problem. Water Pollution & Health highlights the vulnerability of the world s water supplies and looks at the problem from both personal and global viewpoints. Water Pollution & Health uses an abundance of special features to capture the interest of students: * over 60 full-color photos and illustrations * ask the expert sections, providing real answers to insightful questions * find out more sections, directing readers to additional resources * glossaries of terms at the beginning of each chapter, reinforcing important terms * real-life stories and events, providing examples to reinforce the text * excerpts from primary sources, modeling document-based questions and answers, providing cross-curriculum links.