Research Poster 36 x 48 - C

1
5. Water Quality and Public Health
Mac Marshall Faculty Advisor Steve Taylor, PhD
INTRODUCTION
HEALTH CONNECTION
ABSTRACT
The distribution of the total volume of water on
earth is evident. It can be seen that 96.5 of
the worlds water resource is the water of our
oceans and seas. About 2.5 is low mineral water,
which is of the greatest interest to mankind. Of
this amount of low-mineral water, 70 is
accumulated in the ice of the Arctic and
Antarctica and glaciers of Asia, North America
and Europe. About 30 of low-mineral water occurs
in the form of groundwater in permeable rocks and
soil as very important temporary reservoirs of
atmospheric precipitation. Only .006 of all low
mineral water falls on terrestrial surface water
resources, lakes, swamps, and riverbeds (Fig. 2).
Water is one of the most important resources on
this planet, without it life wouldnt exist. The
hydrosphere forms the foundation of the critical
zone near the Earths surface, in which biologic
organisms flourish. The global demand for potable
water is increasing while the availability and
quality is decreasing. Hence, freshwater
environments are of major importance to human
health in both direct and indirect ways. This
project examines geologic variables that
influence water quality around the world and its
epidemiological effects. A case study of
groundwater quality from the Makutuapora in the
Dodoma region of central Tanzania reveals a
relationship between mineral-water interactions,
water chemistry, bedrock geology, and
microbiology. The natural geological and
geochemical environments, in addition to
providing beneficial elements that support plant
growth, may also give rise to undesirable or
toxic properties through deficiencies or
anomalous excess.
The significance of water for health has been
known for a very long time. Hippocrates
recommended bathing as the most effective measure
of protection against many diseases. The health
significance and role of water is reflected in
the fact that a supply of hygienically good water
in adequate amounts improves living conditions,
raises the level of public health, and reduces
morality. In this way, it directly increases the
length and quality of life. Classical medical
science and practice and current medical
postulates based on them indicate that the supply
of drinking water is closely correlated with the
danger of infectious intestinal diseases. Water
shortage in human organisms increases osmolarity
of the intestinal contents and threatens
equilibrium of the processes of absorption and
secretion of water and fluids from the lumen to
the blood vessels, this causes thirst. If water
loss is not compensated in time, all health
parameters deteriorate due to disturbance of
physiological processes, and death occurs with
loss of 10-20 of total fluids. The
epidemiological role of water in transmission and
spreading of infectious diseases today is well
known. Here are some examples Cholera, Typhoid
Fever (Fig. 3), Bacteria Dysentery,
Poliomyelitis, Coxsackie (Fig. 4), and Hepatitis.
solid load was greater during the wet season.
Most of the groundwater were above pH 7. In the
dry season the higher salinity reduces water
quality and would be a major factor in
determining use of water resources from
individual wells. The physiological status of the
community varies. This is undoubtedly related to
variations in the physicochemical and nutrient
conditions encountered by the bacteria at the
sites. There was considerable contamination of
the groundwater's by thermo tolerant coli forms
suggesting a significant health risk from enteric
pathogens in the groundwater's. Metals in the
water are largely in a particulate, possibly
colloidal from. The increase of metals suggest an
imbalance in the stead-state reactions between
groundwater's and magmatic minerals.
Fig. 2 Precipitation on Earth
Fig. 5
GEOLOGICAL PROCESS
CONCLUSIONS
Composition of water can depend on the pH, water
with a high pH occur in hyper alkaline springs
with ultra basic rock terrains, whereas water
with low pH occur in acidic environments
associated with the oxidations of iron sulphides
in soils and bedrocks. Pollutants from
urbanization, industry, and agriculture can
change the net balance of the components. Natural
geologic environment may also introduce harmful
substances to groundwater's used for drinking
purposes, an example of this is arsenic.
Despite major advances in science and
management, maintaining and improving the
environment will require better understanding of
the processes. Environmental quality and health
issues must be tackled within an integrated
framework of environmental science and
management, economics, politics, law and history.
Groundwater makes up over 95 of the worlds
available freshwater resources and is the main
source of drinking water for a large percentage
of the worlds population. We must keep an
abundant supply of water available for our
populations to maintain good health since water
is key to most all things here on earth.
Fig. 3 Typhoid Fever
Fig. 4 Coxsackie
CASE STUDY
Recent research has highlighted the high
concentrations of potentially toxic elements in
African groundwater's. (Ogbunkagu, 1996)
Groundwater, sediment, soil and rock samples were
collected in two field seasons in 1992 April-May
(wet season) and October-November (Dry season).
Thirty-two sites were sampled comprising of eight
surface water sites, 11 shallow sites, and 13
deep groundwater sites (Fig. 5). Africa is a
tropical region where rocks weather more quickly
and leaching is more intense than temperate
zones. The Dodoma area consists of migmatitic
gneisses, amphibolites, feldspathic quartzite's,
and quartz-feldspathic gneisses. In general
surface waters were weakly alkaline, at ambient
temperature and had a high total dissolved solid
concentration. The particulate
REFERENCES

• Bowell, 1996, Biogeochemical factors affecting
  groundwater quality in Tanzania, IN J.D.
  Appleton, R. Fuge G.J.H.McCall (ed),
  Environmental geochemistry and health with
  special reference to developing countries.
  London Geological Society of London (Special
  Publication no.113)
• Edmunds, W.M. and Smedley, P.L., 1996,
  Groundwater geochemistry and health an overview
  IN J.D. Appleton, R.Fuge G.J.H.McCall (ed),
  Environmental geochemistry and health with
  special reference to developing countries.
  London Geological Society of London (Special
  Publication no.113) p.91-105
• Komatina, 2004, Chapter 3-Other Natural
  (Environmental) Factors (water resources)
• Neal, 2003, Surface and Groundwater Quality and
  Human Health- Overview, in Skinner and Berger
• Rubenowitz and Hiscock, 2005, Water Hardness and
  Health, in Selinus, 2005
• Ogbukagu, I. K. 1984. Hydrology of groundwater
  resources of the Aguta area, SE Nigeria. Journal
  of Africa Earth Science, 2, 109-117.

Fig. 1 Population Growth Water Withdrawals
CONTACT
Mac Lee Marshall Dept. of Earth and Physical
Science mmarshall06_at_wou.edu