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15 Alarming Facts about Global Water Pollution

Water pollution, which is the contamination of water by hazardous substances like chemicals and untreated wastewater, threatens the environment and human health across the globe. Any body of water can be polluted, including lakes, rivers, oceans, reservoirs and groundwater. Water is essential to life on this planet, so pollution is a serious and urgent issue. In this article, we’ll discuss 15 alarming facts about global water pollution, its causes, its effects and how severe it is.

#1. Water pollution comes from six main sources

Water pollution comes from six sources: sewage and wastewater, oil spills, industrial waste, agricultural runoff, radioactive waste, and marine dumping and plastic. Sewage is wastewater with human waste, while wastewater is any water impacted by human activities. Oil pollution, which can come from land or offshore oil rigs, destroys water quality and animal life. The waste from industrial sites causes pollution when it’s poorly managed and dumped into water systems. Agricultural runoff can happen when chemicals seep into groundwater, get mixed with rain or spread through plowing and other activities. Radioactive waste, which can cause harm for thousands of years, originates at nuclear energy sites. The last pollution source, marine dumping and plastic, occurs when plastic and other waste get dumped into the ocean.

#2. Agriculture is a major cause of water pollution

It takes a lot of water to run a farm and raise livestock. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the agricultural sector uses around 70% of the world’s surface water supply. It’s also a huge source of pollution. In the United States, agriculture is the top source of river and stream pollution. Agriculture also contaminates groundwater. Why is agriculture so destructive? Agricultural processes create wastewater full of pesticides, fertilizers and animal waste. When those contaminants get into the water supply, they cause a lot of issues.

#3. Nitrogen is a big polluter

Nitrogen is a natural chemical found all over the world and in the atmosphere. It’s also used in agricultural fertilizers because it helps plants grow. However, when too much of it gets into the water supply, it encourages certain plants to grow too quickly. Slower-growing plants die, which can kill marine life, while the increase in algae threatens water quality and stops up waterways. According to a study in Nature Communications, nitrogen pollution contributes to severe water scarcity in over 2,500 sub-basins around the world. By 2050, nitrogen could impact water scarcity for 6.8-7.8 billion people.

#4. Water pollution affects food security

It takes clean, high-quality water to grow food. Crop irrigation is one reason why. According to the UNEP, irrigated land produces more food, and around 40% of crops worldwide come from irrigated land. Water is used at every stage of the food-growing process, but when poor-quality water gets used, crop growth, nutrition and appearance suffer. Contaminants like heavy metals, toxic chemicals, diseases, microplastics and other pollutants increase an area’s risk for food insecurity, so addressing water pollution needs to be part of the solution.

#5. Fracking can pollute water

Fracking (full name hydraulic fracturing) is a drilling method that injects liquid at high pressure into shale and other rocks to extract oil or gas. The process uses a lot of water and chemicals. According to the NRDC, the EPA has identified over 1,000 different fracking chemicals, most of which are dangerous to human health. The impact of fracking on pollution and health could be devastating. According to a paper from the Journal of Health Economics, each new well drilled within one kilometer of a public water source was linked to an 11-13% increase in the rate of preterm births and low birth weight for babies exposed before birth.

#6. The fashion industry is a big water polluter

We’ve talked about agriculture and fracking as sources of water pollution, but the fashion industry bears a lot of responsibility, too. Every step of the clothes-making process uses water. It takes around 2,700 liters of freshwater to make just one cotton T-shirt. The process pollutes the water, too. Wastewater from textile dyeing gets dumped into bodies of water, while microplastic pollution occurs during the production process and every time a material like polyester gets washed. The fast fashion industry, which rapidly churns out huge volumes of clothes, is especially harmful to the environment.

#7. 44% of wastewater doesn’t get treated

Wastewater is any water affected by human activities, like bathing, doing laundry, washing dishes and using the toilet. If the water has chemicals, food, oil and other contaminants in it, it’s considered wastewater. Most human activities produce wastewater, so it has to be treated before it can safely enter the environment again. However, 44% of the world’s wastewater is never treated. All the harmful substances, like human waste, oils and toxic chemicals, go into the environment where they damage humans, animals and plants.

#8. The ocean is full of plastic

Plastic waste is one of the most severe forms of global water pollution. According to experts, 8-10 million metric tons of plastic get dumped into the ocean every year. By 2050, the plastic in the ocean could weigh more than all the fish. Why is there so much plastic? The material degrades very slowly. Some plastic can take 500 years to decompose, but even after decomposition, it’s not gone forever. Plastic gets smaller and smaller until it becomes microplastic. There are around 75 million pieces of plastic and microplastic in the ocean. Even if humans stopped making plastic right now, the plastic we made in the past would stay in the ocean for centuries. That doesn’t mean we should stop addressing plastic pollution; there are still ways to take action, like using fewer disposable plastics, improving recycling methods and pressuring manufacturers to use alternatives.

#9. Rainwater everywhere could be dangerous to drink

In 2022, researchers studied rainwater across the world only to find evidence of PFAS everywhere. PFAS, which stands for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, are human-made chemicals found in nonstick cookware, cleaning products, packaging and other household goods. PFAS are heavily regulated and even banned in some places, but they don’t break down, which has earned them the name “forever chemicals.” Their health effects aren’t known for sure, but they’re linked to cancer, infertility, immune system damage, high cholesterol and other health issues. When researchers examined rainwater, they found these chemicals just about everywhere on Earth, even in Antarctica. This could mean no one can safely drink untreated rainwater.

#10. Our freshwater water supply is getting saltier

The planet does not have a lot of available freshwater. Less than 3% of Earth’s water is fresh, but around 1.6% is frozen in polar ice caps and glaciers. Because we have so little freshwater, our supply is precious. It might be getting saltier. The use of salt to melt icy winter roads is one reason why. According to research, around ⅓ of the rivers and streams in the United States have gotten saltier over the last 25 years, and by 2100, more than half could have at least 50% more salt. Saltier water presents a problem for drinking water, but it also affects plant and animal life. The United States isn’t the only country that uses salt during the winter, so saltier freshwater is a global issue.

#11. Water pollution affects communities of color the most

Countries like Niger, Papua New Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chad have the highest rates of unsafe water, and even in countries with better numbers, water pollution affects marginalized populations the most. According to a study, U.S. counties with the most health violations and pollution were also home to the largest populations of people of color, non-native English speakers and low-income people. The Watered Down Justice study also found that race (with ethnicity and language) had the strongest link to slow and unequal enforcement of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

#12. Global water pollution disproportionately hurts women and girls

Water pollution is not only a health issue, it’s also a gender equality issue. According to the UN, women and girls face more threats to their health and safety when they don’t get properly managed water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services. The fact that women and girls are usually responsible for getting water is one reason why. Of the 1.8 billion people who don’t have water in their homes, women are tasked with water collection in 7/10 households. When there’s no unpolluted water nearby, women and girls often have to travel for miles to find a good source. This can take up most of their day, which leaves less time for work or school.

#13. Water pollution endangers millions of children every year

According to UNICEF, 600 million kids don’t have access to safe drinking water. The consequences can be fatal. Unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene causes the deaths of 400,000 children under five every year. Why are kids in so much danger from water pollution? It’s all about how the body processes toxins. Because kids are much smaller than adults, they drink more water per pound of their body weight. Harmful substances build up much faster. Kids also have more vulnerable immune systems. While some polluted water may make an adult sick, it can more easily kill a child.

#14. Water pollution is linked to displacement and war

Water is a precious resource, so it’s not shocking that it plays a role in global displacement and conflict. Consider the impacts of water scarcity. According to research, droughts could put 700 million people at risk of displacement by 2030. Water pollution makes things worse as it contaminates the scarce amount of water left. Direct attacks on water can also be used as weapons of war. In June of 2023, Ukrainian officials said Russia destroyed the Nova Kakhovka dam, which unleashed nearly all of its 4.3 cubic miles of water. The flood churned up all kinds of oils, chemicals and debris that damaged other bodies of water, farmland and groundwater supplies. The consequences could linger for years.

#15. A lack of clear data puts billions of people at risk

What we don’t know about global water pollution is one of the most alarming facts about it. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, over 3 billion people are at risk of disease because experts don’t know if their rivers, lakes and groundwater supplies are safe. Without clear and comprehensive data, it’s impossible to know how severe a situation is, which makes it hard to determine the best course of action. To prevent death and disease, experts must get the tools they need to collect and analyze as much data as possible.