Are First World Countries At Equal Risk of Water Contamination?
Photo by Steve Johnson
How does the melting glaciers in the northern hemisphere relate to the clean water crisis?
Well, it makes things for the rest of the world very unpredictable. That uncertainty ripples into disastrous situations causing continuous damage to the ecosystem.
On another note, consumer habits brought on by capitalistic culture have, time and time again made their effects known by the major devastations directed towards the world’s many habitats.
Photo by Steve Johnson
So what have been the repercussions brought on by these actions and loss of habitat?
It’s widely known that water in the U.S. is generally safe to drink. Around 150,000 public water systems supply drinking water to the majority of Americans (EPA, 2024). In the U.S., 90% of people obtain tap water from public systems that must meet EPA safety standards. There are strict regulations to report, if otherwise (CDC, 2025).
What is really safe to drink and who is most at risk? The most vulnerable include young children, the elderly and pregnant women with their immune system being more susceptible to diseases.
Though the majority of the country has access to clean water, The American Public Health Association reports, in lower income neighborhoods, water contamination prevails with lead poisoning, PFAS and Legionnaires’ disease (2019). These chemicals can also infiltrate farm lands and places which contain poor plumbing systems.
Photo by Dale Johnson
On another account, the excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture accounts for 40% of water pollution in England, while untreated sewage released by water companies is responsible for 35%.
The Royal Society of Chemistry claims that their government urged the overhaul of drinking water standards after an analysis found over a third of watercourses in England and Wales contained medium or high-risk levels of PFAS.
While the situation in first-world nations such as America and England are tricky, for the most part they are in the clear for clean water, as for the rest of the world, there is much to be solved.
What is being done to achieve these mighty goals?
The United Nations hope to provide equal access to safe water for all by 2030. In addition to this goal, they aim to have universal and equitable sanitation for women and girls in need (Martin, 2023). Challenges include the absence of handwashing facilities and basic sanitation services. Managing these sustainability practices are important for healthy consumption of food and energy, contributing in return to economic growth.
In New York City, the UNICEF Tap Project began in 2007, where diners donated $1 for UNICEF's WASH programs instead of paying for tap water. It expanded nationwide and earned a creativity award from the Advertising Club of New York. Several renowned chefs and restaurateurs participated in the initiative (Dineen, 2017). If other nations could adopt this program into their cities, it would be a massive act of conservation.
More initiatives like such have promised for a better future in the case of clean water options. So hope does remain for the rest of the world to reach the clean water standards of modernized countries like North America and the United Kingdom.
References
EPA. (n.d.). Ground Water and Drinking Water.
https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-your-drinking-water
CDC. (n.d.). Drinking Water.
https://www.cdc.gov/drinking-water/about/
UNICEF USA. (Jessica Dineen, 2017). How the UNICEF Tap Project Brought Safe Water to Over 500,000 People. https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/how-unicef-tap-project-brought-safe-water-over-500000-people
United Nations Sustainable Development. (Martin, 2023). Water and Sanitation - United Nations Sustainable Development. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-and-sanitation/
United Nations. (n.d.). World Water Day | United Nations.
https://www.un.org/en/observances/water-day/
American Public Health Association. (2019). Creating The Healthiest Nation: Water and
Health Equity.
https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.35-4525/
Water pollution: How clean are the UK’s rivers and lakes? – Institute of Fisheries
Management. (n.d.).
https://ifm.org.uk/water-pollution-how-clean-are-the-uks-rivers-and-lakes/
Royal Society of Chemistry. (n.d.). Cleaning up UK drinking water PFAS.
