Benefits and risk factors of water

Water has an indispensable role in the formation of the body's resistance and in the regulation of biochemical processes in our body.

Most of the substances that make up human food can only be digested with water. 95% of our brain, 83-90% of blood, 75% of muscles, and 22-24% of bones are water. Water makes up 50-60% of a healthy, adult human body, while this figure varies between 70-80% in babies.

Experts say that 40 grams of water should be taken per kilogram of body weight per day. That is, a person of average weight (70-75 kg) should drink 2-3 liters of water per day. Acute dehydration can even lead to death. When we drink water, the toxic wastes in different parts of the body are cleaned from the body. At the same time, drinking water in moderation allows a person to maintain a healthy weight, physical development and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

In addition to the benefits of water for the human body, there are also risks. There are mainly 3 risk factors found in drinking water. These include microbiological, chemical and radiological risk factors.

Chemical pollution of water occurs naturally and artificially. Nitrogen, salts, agrochemicals, metals, bacterial toxins, human and animal drugs can cause chemical pollution of water. According to research conducted by the World Health Organization, nitrates and nitrites account for 50% of chemical pollutants in drinking water. This mainly occurs as a result of excessive use of agrochemical preparations, as a result of the components of these preparations filtering out and polluting fresh water sources.

Radiological contamination of water occurs through radionucleotides such as cesium, plutonium and uranium. Although radiological contamination is rare compared to other risk factors, it can mainly occur as a result of contamination of the environment with radiological waste. It should be noted that radiological pollution is also caused by waste water percolating from underground rocks.

According to the statements of the World Health Organization, every year more than 5 million people in the world die due to water-borne, especially intestinal infections. Harmful microorganisms can contaminate freshwater resources in a variety of ways. The most important of them is the mixing of sewage with drinking water. It should be noted that stagnant water bodies create fertile conditions for the reproduction of microorganisms. In particular, open water pools and natural water sources are more vulnerable to contamination. Disinfection is especially important at this stage. Chlorine, ozone and other disinfectants are used for this purpose. This taste leads to the formation of chemical risk factors if not applied properly.

Nowadays, the packaging of drinking water carries certain risk factors. When drinking water packaging materials are not selected properly, storage conditions are not followed, or when the used material is recycled, chemical-toxicological substances from those materials penetrate into the water. Long-term ingestion of toxicological substances that pass into water from packaging materials causes serious complications in internal organs and the central nervous system over time.

The geopolitical position of our country increases the risk of pathogenic microorganisms and toxic chemicals spreading over large areas through drinking water sources. Therefore, based on scientific principles, it is possible to significantly reduce the mentioned risk factors as a result of determination, assessment of chemical-toxicological risks and risk management in the relevant field.