Module

1.2
1.2 Water Cycle and Human Health Relationships

Humans need clean

water in many ways in
order to remain healthy.
This module explains
the water cycle and how
humans fit within this
cycle. There are
improper practices in
the management of
water that result in
contamination and can
lead to poor health. On
the other hand, there
are good practices and
habits that can be
improved which will
lead to better health.
Module 1.2 Water Cycle and Human Health Relationships

1.2 WATER CYCLE AND HUMAN HEALTH RELATIONSHIPS .........................................................1

H2O...............................................................................................................................................................2
HYDROLOGICAL OR WATER CYCLE......................................................................................................................2
WATER QUALITY AND POLLUTION.......................................................................................................................3
MICROBIAL POLLUTION......................................................................................................................................4
CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS.................................................................................................................................4
Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General, WHO........................................5
RESOURCES......................................................................................................................................................6

H2O
Water is the result of the combination of natural hydrogen and oxygen: two hydrogen
atoms and one oxygen atom form the water molecule. It exists in three states: gaseous,
solid and liquid.

Water vapour as it rises from the liquid phase is water in very pure form. When we use
the word “pure” it has different meanings depending on what the water is used for.

Pure drinking water is safe water, no harmful elements and microbiologically SAFE
Chemists require pure water that is free from minerals, gases and organic impurities
Industries have many sets of standards such as IEEE and ASTM to define pure water
suitable for various purposes (the manufacture of semi conductors requires very “pure”
water)

Water is one of Mother Nature’s products. Like other things in nature, it is rarely found
in a pure form. While percolating and permeating within the ground, on the earth’s
surface, water collects things: particles, vegetation material, living micro-organisms,
mineral salts, organic matter and gases. Even in this contaminated state, water is man’s
most importance resource. Water is the lifeblood of the earth.

Eighty percent of earth is covered in water, yet less than 1% is fresh water. The seas and
oceans represent over 59% of that water with the balance in our rivers, lakes, aquifers and
glaciers.

Hydrological or Water Cycle

Nature’s water recycling system uses the following water handling processes:
evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, runoff and infiltration. Water
vapour re-enters the atmosphere due to evaporation from bodies of water and due to
transpiration where plants take in water through their roots and release it through their
leaves. About 70 % of the water from the earth’s surface will evaporate or transpire back

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Module 1.2 Water Cycle and Human Health Relationships

into the atmosphere while the remaining 30 % replenishes the surface water bodies and
underground aquifers.

Contaminants can enter a water stream in many places and ways. Every place where
water is in contact with any material, small particles can enter water as a contaminant.
Some of these are harmless to human health whereas others can be very dangerous.

The make-up of water evolves as it moves through the hydrological cycle. The
components of the ground and surface water depend on the precipitation and infiltration
water as well as the soil and other materials that it comes in contact with.

Typically, water can dissolve and pick up:

• metals • dust
• mineral deposits from rock • organic matter
• waste materials • micro-organisms
• gases

It was not until the late 1700’s that scientists (the famous astronomer, Halley, among
them) began to realize that water followed a natural cycle moving continuously between
the earth and the atmosphere.

This cyclic movement is called the "water cycle." Water evaporates from wet ground,
from the leaves of growing plants and trees and from lakes and streams, leaving any salts
behind.

It is carried in the air as water vapour. Clouds then form and the moisture falls as rain.
The rain feeds the rivers and lakes. Rivers carry water back to the ocean, and the whole
cycle begins again. Water moves from oceans and land to the atmosphere, then falls back
again to the oceans and land in its continuous cycle. No water is lost from the earth. In a
way, we could say that we are drinking the same water that once quenched the thirst of
dinosaurs!

Water Quality and Pollution

As water recycles itself throughout the world, it dissolves minerals (natural salts) and also
carries with it small soil and dust particles. Water naturally picks up many things along its
path. Therefore, its quality will vary from place to place, with the season, and with the
kinds of rocks and soil through which it moves. For the most part, it is natural causes that
affect water quality. In addition to nature's influence, the activities of human beings
throughout the world also affect the quality of water.

Pollution means different things to different people. A simple definition of water

pollution can be "any damage in water quality that makes it harmful to living things or

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Module 1.2 Water Cycle and Human Health Relationships

unsuitable for beneficial use." If we add things to water that make it unhealthy for people,
plants and animals, we are polluting the water.

Pollution comes in many forms. It may appear as germs (microbial contamination) that
cause disease, as poisonous chemicals (chemical pollution), as too many minerals and
soil particles, or even as changes in water temperature (physical pollution). Water
pollution usually occurs when something outside the natural water cycle disrupts the
balance of life.

Microbial Pollution
Microbiologically unsafe water is one of the leading causes of disease and death in many
communities around the world. Diseases are transmitted through ingestion of water that
has been polluted with excrement from people or animals.

The ingestion can be direct, as through drinking water; or indirect, as through ingesting
foods or beverages that have been contaminated with polluted water; or accidentally
swallowing water during swimming or bathing. Some infectious organisms can also
penetrate the skin of people when they bathe in polluted waters. Many excreted micro-
organisms are able to survive for extended periods of time outside the human body,
particularly in water and occasionally in soil. Communities with poor sanitation are likely
to have problems with microbial contamination of water sources in the form of
pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and helminths.

WATER, SANITATION & HYGIENE LINKS TO HEALTH - FACTS AND FIGURES

Global burden of disease from water, sanitation and hygiene:
3.4 million people, mostly children, die annually from water-related diseases.
2.4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation including the poorest in the world.
1.1 billion people lack access to improved water sources.
Access to safe water supply and sanitation is fundamental for better health, poverty alleviation
and development.

Chemical Contaminants
In addition to microbiological agents of disease, water may contain chemical substances
which may be harmful to humans or animals if ingested, or which may give the water
other properties such as a taste, colour or odour which the local population finds
unacceptable. Toxicity is a general term that refers to the poisonous effect of an agent to a
living organism.

One of the greatest chemical contamination threats in the water supplies of the
developing countries is arsenic. Arsenic is a naturally occurring, toxic metalloid element
found in the groundwater of over 30 countries in the world. In south Asia alone, it is

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Module 1.2 Water Cycle and Human Health Relationships

estimated that 60 to 100 million people are affected through exposure or from long term
health effects. Long-term ingestion of arsenic contaminated water can cause diseases
ranging from skin lesions to vascular complications to cancer of various forms.

Fluoride, which comes from natural geological sources, can contaminate drinking water.
Small amounts of fluoride are good for teeth but at higher doses, it destroys teeth and
accumulates in bones, leading to crippling skeletal damage. With their bodies still
growing, children are most at risk.

Another important toxic, organic contaminant contained in water is pesticides, which are
being used in ever-increasing volumes in both the developed and developing worlds.
However, the bulk of pesticide application is in agriculture and thus most human intake is
in food and not in water. The application of fertilizers can result in elevated
concentrations of nitrate which can be harmful to infants.

In addition, the content of iron or manganese in ground water may cause the water to be
coloured and to stain clothes during washing. This represents no health hazard, but may
cause the users to reject this ground water in favour of a more contaminated surface water
source. This is a major problem in Bangladesh, for example.

It is necessary to ensure that there are no chemical pollutants which constitute a health
hazard in the water supply of any community, and that the water has properties which are
acceptable to the population using it. It should be emphasized, however, that although
there are several contaminants in water that may be harmful to humans, the first priority
of any water supplier in any country is to ensure that drinking water is free of
micro-organisms that are capable of causing disease.

The above material was taken from the following web sites.
http://www.idrc.ca (2003)
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs210/en/index.html (2005)

"Safe water supply and adequate sanitation to protect health are among the basic
human rights. Ensuring their availability would contribute immeasurably to health and
productivity for development".
Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General, WHO

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Module 1.2 Water Cycle and Human Health Relationships

Resources
The following is an excellent video that can be used for instruction purposes.
Title: Prescription for Health (1983) Length: 23 minutes
Topic: An instructional film showing the path of diseases such as typhoid, cholera and
dysentery and the importance of hygiene.
Dist: The International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada

To Order Contact:
Precision Transfer Technologies Inc.
22 Hamilton Avenue North Tel: (613) 729-8987
Ottawa, ON, Canada Fax: (613) 729-5517
K1Y 1B6 E-Mail: salesott@precisiontransfer.com

The cost of each video is $19.95 CAD for NTSC copies in North America including
shipping and handling and can be paid for by credit card.

World Health Organization – Diarrhoeal disease

http://www.who.int/topics/diarrhoea/en/ (Apr 05)

Books and publications available from the WHO

http://www.who.int/publications/en/ (Apr 05)

The Power Point presentation used in the CAWST workshop uses drawings from the
SODIS web site. (Used with permission from SANDEC)
http://www.sodis.ch/Text2002/T-Rotafolio-Eng/Rotafolio-Page1.htm (Apr 05)

This is a great educational web site that describes the hydrological cycle in detail.
This site has the water cycle diagram available in 50 languages.
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html (Apr 05)

The World Health Organization has considerable amount of material on drinking water
and the links to health at this web site.
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/database/en/ (Apr 05)

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