Abstract
The research paper has evaluated water pollution and its impact on the environment. Quality drinking water is essential to the wellbeing and health of humans, plants, and animals. Water is contaminated during the hydrological cycle. Water may become contaminated through lead from pipe solder, air pollution, sulfur from a smokestack, chemicals, bacteria, detergents, wastewater, animal waste, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, hard minerals such as iron, calcium, and magnesium, and other minerals such as arsenic and limestone ( Ringquist, 2016) . Water quality was tested through a test kit and through human senses, and the results were recorded. The results were evaluated in the discussion section. The research paper also compares the quality of bottled and tap water. Furthermore, it highlights the limitations of the water quality experiment.
Water Pollution and its Environmental Impact
About 97% of the world’s water is unsuitable for drinking while only 3% is suitable for human and animal consumption ( Ringquist, 2016) . 2% of the suitable water is found in ice and glaciers. Therefore, only 1% of suitable water is portable and accessible ( Ringquist, 2016) . Quality drinking water is essential to the wellbeing and health of humans. Water is used daily in homes for laundry, cooking, bathing, cleaning, and many other purposes. Also, water is significant in most of the products that humans purchase and consume daily. Additionally, a person utilizes about 75 gallons of water daily while manufacturing a single automobile requires about 4000 gallons of water ( Ringquist, 2016) . On the other hand, during beer processing, a pint of beer needs about 2 gallons of water ( Ringquist, 2016) . However, the survival of biodiversity is threatened by water pollution. The research paper will evaluate water pollution and its impact on the environment.
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Figure 1 showing the hydrological cycle ( Ringquist, 2016) .
Water is contaminated during the hydrological cycle. The hydrological cycle refers to the movement of water from the earth to the air and back again. Since water is a natural solvent, it dissolves many items. As it moves through the earth towards the water table, it may carry many substances that it has been in contact with. Water may become contaminated through lead from pipe solder, air pollution, sulfur from smokestack, chemicals, bacteria, detergents, wastewater, animal waste, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, hard minerals such as iron, calcium, and magnesium, and other minerals such as arsenic and limestone. Over 85% of water in the US is hard water ( Smith, 2015) . Furthermore, even the 15% soft water may be contaminated including bottled water ( Smith, 2015) . The research paper will conduct experiments to evaluate the quality of water, how people can identify contaminated water and the impact of contaminated water on the environment.
Materials and Methods
The students took the test kit and read the instructions. The instructions explained how long the strip would be exposed to water and the temperature of the water. Also, they filled glasses with water and allowed them to reach room temperature. The students exposed each strip to water from the tap in the laboratory. The strips were dipped into the water and submerged for approximately five seconds while moving the chlorine strip back and forth gently. The strips were pulled out of the glasses of water, and any excess water was shaken off. The students waited for the strips to slowly change color so that they could compare it with the color chart provided by the testing kit. They also determined the quality of water according to the level of each substance or mineral in the water sample. The color chart provided different concentration levels as either hazardous or acceptable.
The second experiment involved testing water quality using senses. The students collected a new sample of water from the laboratory tap and smelled it. Also, they were supposed to record the smell as either earthy smell, good smell, rotten egg smell, or bleach smell. The students also checked for particles and cloudiness in the water sample. They also examined the color of water. Also, they checked the pipes for build up or corrosion. The results were then compared to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards.
Results
Table 1 showing the results of the water quality experiment.
| Substance | Concentration |
| pH | 7.2 |
| KH mg/l | 50 |
| GH mg/l | 50 |
| Nitrate mg/l | 10 |
| Nitrite mg/l | 0.5 |
The water had a bleachy smell, was slightly cloudy, there were some particles in some water samples, and the pipes were corroded. After comparing the results with the standards provided by US EPA, the concentration of substances was within acceptable limits.
Discussion
The bleach smell from the water originated from the local water treatment plant, and it is used as a water disinfectant. Also, the scent will dissipate if the water when exposed to air. The particles in water were highly likely to have occurred due to rust in fixtures or pipes ( West, 2018) . Some of the pipes had a lot of mineral buildup and corrosion because they had not been changed for many years. The students proposed that the institution's water pipes should be evaluated by a professional plumber.
The concentration of substances in water is critical because if the substances exceed the acceptable standards, it may cause a chain of destruction. When polluted water often ends up in local rivers and streams, it damages life within the water and the life around the water bodies ( West, 2018) . Animals and plants that depend on the water may die because of the polluted water. When the polluted river or stream deposits the water in larger water bodies such as lakes, oceans or seas, ocean life is affected. Therefore, water pollution affects not only rivers or streams but also the entire ecosystem.
Figure 2 showing the impact of acid rain on trees ( West, 2018) .
Air pollution can cause water pollution and affects animals and plants through acid rain. The term ‘acid rain’ was quite common during the 1980s ( Magnus, 2018) . When the air is polluted by factories, the substances are often dissolved by evaporated water in clouds. Ultimately, the atmosphere releases the water on the earth in the form of acid rain. Most lakes and reservoirs depend on rainfall to stabilize water levels. When toxins reach the water supply through acid rain, plants and animals may die ( West, 2018) . Therefore, water pollution can occur without dumping pollutants directly to water sources. Air pollution has a direct impact on water quality.
Water pollution affects farming and human health. When water used in irrigation contains pollutants, the crops may absorb the chemicals. When such plants are consumed by either animals or humans, it may have adverse health effects. It means that people may be placing toxins at the dinner table daily ( Magnus, 2018) . Moreover, the meat may also contain toxins because they may have consumed polluted water. One of the disadvantages of a family beach vacation is that people may bring home unwanted illness such as respiratory infections, earaches, gastroenteritis, and pink eye as well as hepatitis ( Magnus, 2018) . Such illnesses may be transmitted through polluted beach water. The illnesses can range from severe illnesses to mild irritations according to the immune system and age of the individual who contracted the illness ( Magnus, 2018) .
Water pollution through oil spills has devastating short and long-term impact on the environment. Regardless of the size of the oil spills, it may affect the environment for many years. For instance, oil may sink through sandy beaches and permeate to muddy bottoms of tidal flats and marshes. Birds that dive or swim for food are highly likely to be covered in oil because of oil spills. for instance, the BP Deepwater oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 ( Magnus, 2018) . The oil spill occurred during the mating and nesting season of many marine species and birds. Oil spills often kill marine mammals such as sea otters, whales, seals, and dolphins. Oil can easily clog the blowholes of dolphins and whales thus making it challenging to breathe properly while adversely affecting their ability to communicate. Furthermore, oil spills also have a deadly toll on fish especially if their larvae or fish eggs are exposed to oil spills. Oyster and shrimp fisheries were among the main casualties of the 2010 BP Deepwater oil spill ( Magnus, 2018) .
Figure 3 showing a bird covered in oil after an oil spill ( Magnus, 2018).
Bottled Water
Over the past three decades, the mineral water industry has made most people believe that bottled water is healthier than other forms of water. According to the US FDA, mineral should not contain added minerals, less than 250 ppm of dissolved solids, and should originate from protected underground water sources, and from one or more springs and boreholes ( Magnus, 2018) . A study conducted in North America showed that mineral water contained a similar amount of essential; minerals as tap water. There are many benefits of bottled water associated with particular minerals such as sulfate, calcium, iron, magnesium, chloride, bicarbonate, and their combinations thereof. The study showed that minerals are essential to human health and not that mineral water is healthier than other forms of water.
Regardless of the health benefits of mineral water, it may have particular adverse effects. One of the main health concerns regarding bottled water is the transfer of chemicals used in manufacturing plastic containers into the water. Additionally, there may be contamination from microbial contaminants and micro-plastics. To improve the handling properties and flexibility of containers, bottling companies use plasticizers ( Magnus, 2018) . However, the plasticizers have endocrine disruptors that have a negative impact on the endocrine system and the overall human health. Plasticizers are also used in manufacturing PET bottles. At the pollutant level, estrogens are associated with prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women ( Magnus, 2018) . Additionally, estrogens adversely affect the reproductive system of fish and both wild and domestic animals.
Limitations
The glasses used in the experiment could have contained remnants from previous experiments that could have altered the concentration of substances in the sample water. Additionally, human error especially when reading the results from the test strip and kit could have caused errors. In future experiments, the glasses should be properly washed to eradicate sources of error while student should be keen when recording the results.
Conclusion
The research paper has evaluated water pollution and its impact on the environment. Quality water is one of the most important resources globally. In as much as humans can survive a few weeks without food, they can survive less than a week without quality water. Millions of gallons of water are required daily for cooling industrial processes, washing, and irrigation in addition to water sports centers and swimming pools. However, regardless of the significance of water, humans also use water sources as a dumping ground for various types of pollutants. Water pollution affects not only plants but also animals as well. There are several threats to the environment through water pollution. All in all, all stakeholders must take appropriate measures to protect the environment from water pollution or humans may risk future devastating effects of destroying the ecosystem.
References
Magnus, A. (2018). What's healthier - bottled mineral, filtered or tap water? Is filtered water healthier? Retrieved from https://tappwater.co/us/healthier-bottled-filtered-or-tap-water/
Ringquist, E. J. (2016). Environmental Protection at the State Level: Politics and Progress in Controlling Pollution: Politics and Progress in Controlling Pollution . Routledge.
Smith, Z. A. (2015). The Environmental Policy Paradox (1-download) . Routledge.
West, L. (2018). Major Oil Spills Can Damage the Environment in 5 Areas. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/environmental-consequences-of-oil-spills-1204088
