It’s not a shock to say that drinking contaminated water is bad for you.
Most people don’t really think of the actual specific effects that can come from drinking bad water. Modern sanitation and water filtration systems mean we don’t need to think about that anymore in Alberta.
However, if you’re not careful, you can still suffer from these negative effects. What kind of problems can come from drinking contaminated water? Our blog explores this unpleasant topic.
What Diseases Can Arise from Drinking Contaminated Water?
Modern sanitation and water filtration standards have come a long way in reducing the cases of water-borne diseases in Alberta. Many once-common diseases have become scarce, nothing more than punchlines. However, you can still get them if you’re not careful, and they can be devastating.
It’s important to remember that it’s not just drinking the water that can land you in trouble. Swimming in it or even coming into contact with it can lead to infections if you’re not careful.
Dysentery
One of the most famous diseases you can get from drinking contaminated water is dysentery. Famously associated with the Oregon Trail emigration route (and the early educational video game inspired by it), dysentery is a terrible, debilitating disease that affects your intestines.
Either parasites or bacteria cause it and have symptoms such as fever, nausea, diarrhea with blood and mucus, and belly cramps.
Cholera
Another disease that was extremely common before modern sanitation standards was cholera. Cholera is a truly nightmarish disease that can spread very easily and kill very quickly, within hours if not treated. During the nineteenth century, cholera outbreaks were common and caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands with alarming regularity.
Symptoms include acute, watery diarrhea, but often, many victims do not present symptoms at all.
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is another serious disease that can come from contaminated water. There is no specific treatment for hepatitis A, and recovery can be slow, taking weeks or even months. You should avoid unnecessary medications that can affect the liver.
Symptoms of hepatitis A include fever, malaise, loss of appetite, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal discomfort, dark-coloured urine, and jaundice.
Water Filters Are Your Friend
Fortunately, modern sanitation techniques make those diseases fairly rare. Water treatment and filtration devices can easily remove contaminants so that the water is safe for use.
Purified and filtered water can safeguard your health by eliminating any contaminants such as parasites or bacteria. This means you and your family or employees have access to safe drinking water no matter what. Water filtration systems can also remove pollutants and help conserve water, making for a much more sustainable system overall.
Keep Your Water Safe
Western Pump is a Western Canada-based company that specializes in water and wastewater pumps, water treatment equipment, pool and spa products, and accessories. We have offices in both Calgary and Edmonton, which will allow us to provide Alberta with high-end water filtration devices. If there is anything to do with water, we can do something about it.
Our goal is to ensure safe drinking water for everyone. Contact us today for more information.