El Salvador
The people most affected by the contaminated water are the elderly and young people. Many children die each year from diseases caused by tainted water – an alarming idea for a country that is deemed to be relatively developed in other areas.
El Salvador has a total population of 6.5 million people, and roughly 1.75 million of these live in the countryside. Only 25% of these people have access to water in their house (i.e taps). The rest have to walk miles to the nearest spring in order to carry barrels of water on their backs. In some households it is the women’s job to collect the water, with some having to walk for up to 4 hours a day to simply bring clean drinking water to their home.
The quality of El Salvador's natural water supply is very poor. Many of their rivers have been contaminated from mining and if used for consumption, outbreaks of infectious water-related diseases and other serious illnesses could happen. However, many people do not have a choice but to use this water, because several cities do not have access to wells with clean water or are not in stable financial situations to buy clean water or build purification systems, so they continue to suffer.
The problem is not only with water quality but also quantity. This seems paradoxical for a country that has so much rainfall. The UN stated that in 20-30 years, there will be no natural water at all in El Salvador, and people will be forced to migrate to different countries.
Flint
The four reported contaminants of the water in Flint are lead, trihalomethanes, Legionnaire's disease, and coliform bacteria.
Blood lead levels increased in children from 2.5% to 5% from 2013 to 2015. Lead poisoning poses the most substantial risks for children, leading to long-term deficits such as developmental delays, hearing loss, and seizures. Newborns are at risk for low birth rate, slowed growth, and premature birth if they’ve been exposed to lead. In adults, lead poisoning can lead to mood disorders, reduced sperm count, miscarriage, and high blood pressure. Kidney and nervous system damage are the most serious long-term impacts from lead and can precipitate death.
A critical form of pneumonia called Legionnaire’s disease was potentially linked to the water crisis. Eighty-seven individuals in the Flint region were affected, which included 10 deaths. Long-term impacts of the disease include fatigue, neurologic or neuromuscular symptoms, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
A boil advisory was instated in 2014 in response to levels of coliform bacteria in the water. Coliform bacteria is a gram-negative bacteria which can indicate the presence of pathogens. The most commonly known form of coliform bacteria is E. coli, which can lead to gastrointestinal or respiratory illness. In response to these findings, the water was treated with a by-product of chlorine called trihalomethane (THM). Following the water treatment, unsafe levels of THMs were found in the drinking water. THM exposure can have carcinogenic impacts, cause organ damage, and negatively impact development and reproduction.
The series of contaminants within the drinking water presented detrimental health concerns for the citizens of Flint.
The people most affected by the contaminated water are the elderly and young people. Many children die each year from diseases caused by tainted water – an alarming idea for a country that is deemed to be relatively developed in other areas.
El Salvador has a total population of 6.5 million people, and roughly 1.75 million of these live in the countryside. Only 25% of these people have access to water in their house (i.e taps). The rest have to walk miles to the nearest spring in order to carry barrels of water on their backs. In some households it is the women’s job to collect the water, with some having to walk for up to 4 hours a day to simply bring clean drinking water to their home.
The quality of El Salvador's natural water supply is very poor. Many of their rivers have been contaminated from mining and if used for consumption, outbreaks of infectious water-related diseases and other serious illnesses could happen. However, many people do not have a choice but to use this water, because several cities do not have access to wells with clean water or are not in stable financial situations to buy clean water or build purification systems, so they continue to suffer.
The problem is not only with water quality but also quantity. This seems paradoxical for a country that has so much rainfall. The UN stated that in 20-30 years, there will be no natural water at all in El Salvador, and people will be forced to migrate to different countries.
Flint
The four reported contaminants of the water in Flint are lead, trihalomethanes, Legionnaire's disease, and coliform bacteria.
Blood lead levels increased in children from 2.5% to 5% from 2013 to 2015. Lead poisoning poses the most substantial risks for children, leading to long-term deficits such as developmental delays, hearing loss, and seizures. Newborns are at risk for low birth rate, slowed growth, and premature birth if they’ve been exposed to lead. In adults, lead poisoning can lead to mood disorders, reduced sperm count, miscarriage, and high blood pressure. Kidney and nervous system damage are the most serious long-term impacts from lead and can precipitate death.
A critical form of pneumonia called Legionnaire’s disease was potentially linked to the water crisis. Eighty-seven individuals in the Flint region were affected, which included 10 deaths. Long-term impacts of the disease include fatigue, neurologic or neuromuscular symptoms, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
A boil advisory was instated in 2014 in response to levels of coliform bacteria in the water. Coliform bacteria is a gram-negative bacteria which can indicate the presence of pathogens. The most commonly known form of coliform bacteria is E. coli, which can lead to gastrointestinal or respiratory illness. In response to these findings, the water was treated with a by-product of chlorine called trihalomethane (THM). Following the water treatment, unsafe levels of THMs were found in the drinking water. THM exposure can have carcinogenic impacts, cause organ damage, and negatively impact development and reproduction.
The series of contaminants within the drinking water presented detrimental health concerns for the citizens of Flint.