Water and health
From GLGI
return to Water
What is the relationship of water and our health?
- We need to drink a certain amount of water to survive. The number varies according to who you are quoting:
- 1.5-2 litres per day to drink and another 1 litre to consume from foods we eat (Water Health FAQ - Lenntech)
- 13 cups a day for men and 8 cups a day for women (Water: How Much Should You Drink Every Day? - Mayo Clinic)
- Don't worry about numbers of glasses consumed - but you should be making 7-12 trips to the bathroom daily (The Wonders of Water - Web MD)
- "Drinking fluids serves a range of purposes in our bodies, such as removing waste through urine; controlling body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure; and maintaining a healthy metabolism." (The Quest for Hydration - Web MD)
- Lack of access to clean water leads to disease and death. From the director of the WHO: "Water and Sanitation is one of the primary drivers of public health. I often refer to it as “Health 101”, which means that once we can secure access to clean water and to adequate sanitation facilities for all people, irrespective of the difference in their living conditions, a huge battle against all kinds of diseases will be won." Dr LEE Jong-wook, Director-General, World Health Organization. (WHO - Water, sanitation and hygiene links to health)
- Water-related diseases
- The water-related infections of man are extremely numerous and diverse. In general the following are the ways in which diseases may be carried by water.
- Pathogenic organisms are transmitted from one person to another through their domestic water supply.
- (e.g.) cholera, typhoid and hepatitis.
- Inadequate water supply, lack of personal cleanliness
- (e.g.) trachoma and skin infection
- Infection transmitted by organisms which live in water.
- (e.g.) helminths (parasitic flukes) that spend part of their life cycle in water.
- Insect vectors which are related in some way to water transmit inflection.
- (e.g.) yellow fever, malaria etc. (Water and Disease - Excel Water Technologies Inc)
- Pathogenic organisms are transmitted from one person to another through their domestic water supply.
- The water-related infections of man are extremely numerous and diverse. In general the following are the ways in which diseases may be carried by water.
- Water-related diseases
