Essential for life, but must be free of poisonous
salts(eg. phosphates and nitrates) and harmful
micro-organisms - these can cause diseases such
as cholera and dysentery
Most of our drinking water comes from reservoirs -
flows into reservoirs from rivers and groundwater -
water companies chose to build reservoirs where
theres a good supply of clean water
Government agencies keep a close eye
on pollution in reservoirs, rivers and
groundwater
To monitor water quality, water companies
take samples of water - from the water
entering the treatment works right through
to the taps in consumers' houses
Some people still aren't satisfied - buy
filters that contain carbon or silver to
remove substances from their tap
water. Carbon in the filters removes
the chlorine taste and silver is
supposed to kill bugs. Can also buy
water softeners
Totally pure water with nothing dissolved in it
can be produced by distillation - boiling water to
make steam and condensing the steam
Adding Fluoride and chlorine to water has disadvantages
Fluorine is added to drinking
water in some parts of the
country - reduces tooth decay,
chlorine prevents disease
Some studies have linked adding
chlorine to water with an increase
in some cancers - chlorine can
react with some natural
substances and produce toxic
by-products - some think these
may cause cancer
In high doses fluoride can cause
cancer and bone problems in humans -
some think it shouldn't be added to
drinking water - 'mass medicating' -
choose whether to have fluoride
toothpaste but not about tap water
Levels of chemicals added
need to be carefully
monitored as too much could
be harmful