Heart Disease and Water Contamination
When water becomes contaminated, there is a distinct possibility that people who drink or use the contaminated water could become sick. One of the more serious implications of this is various forms of heart disease, which can come from repeated exposure to certain contaminants in water. Heart disease is debilitating as well as frequently fatal for many people, especially those who are already at risk from weakened immune systems. These contaminants can be easily filtered out though, and some contaminants that cause heart disease include the following:
Atrazine
Atrazine is a chemical herbicide that ends up leaking into ground water through surface runoff in agricultural areas. While in small amounts atrazine doesn�t hurt people, continual contamination and a poor immune system in someone exposed to atrazine can lead to heart disease. One type of heart disease that atrazine can cause is congestive heart disease. This affects the body by impairing the heart so it cannot pump blood as well through the body. In a certainly related problem, atrazine exposure can also cause low blood pressure, also known as hypotension.
Antimony
Found naturally in the ground, antimony is a chemical metallic element. It is used in a wide array of household items as well as chemicals such as paints and enamels. It is from the poor disposal of these paints and enamels that antimony can find its way into ground water and surface water through surface runoff.
While it obviously isn�t harmful when put into products used every day, antimony can cause health problems when ingested for long periods of time in contaminated water. One of the most notable of these problems is heart disease. Antimony exposure can cause an increase in blood cholesterol, making it more difficult for the heart to pump blood efficiently which contributes to other health problems.
Barium
Barium is a metallic element that is not found in nature in its true form because of its reactive properties with oxygen. Yet, manipulated into many different chemicals and substances, barium is frequently used in common objects that many people use. It is used in the medical field as well as in many household items such as spark plugs and fluorescent lamps.
Barium is also used in rat poison in a form known as barium carbonate. This is definitely harmful to people, especially when it gets into water sources from improper disposal techniques and surface runoff. Water contaminated with barium can cause many problems, including some that lead to heart disease. This kind of contaminant can be the source of cardiac irregularity, most commonly an increase in blood pressure, which can be fatal to those already suffering from other problems.
Lead
Controversial for years, lead is a metallic element that has been banned from many products in the United States. Lead poisoning, which happens quite easily from this heavy metal, is quite toxic, building up in human soft tissues and bone matter over time. It has caused many problems for people, including tumors and degenerative nervous system diseases.
Lead poisoning from contaminated water can also cause types of heart disease. The most noticeable of these is hypertension, or high blood pressure. High blood pressure caused by lead poisoning can be hard to fight because lead builds in the body and stays there instead of leaving the system.
Selenium
An element on the periodic table, selenium is actually a trace element that people need to live. But when people get too much of this element, by contaminated water from soil runoff, they can have many health problems, including heart disease. Constant overdoses of selenium can cause circulatory problems, which can eventually have a negative effect on the heart as well as the rest of the body.
Illness caused by contaminated water is hard to diagnose. This is why filtered water is so important. Many health problems can be caused by contaminated water, including heart disease. But if you filter your water, you can easily avoid this and many other problems in the long run.