Human Health Risk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Human Health Risk - Essay Example The Safe Drinking Water Act calls for security plans of water systems utilizing groundwater sources. The process involves in protecting the surface area above an aquifer from contaminations infiltrating into the groundwater (http://www.lenntech.Com/groundwater /contamination.htm#ixzz0XC smocST, retrieved 18 Nov. 09). Pure water comprises of indispensable chemical constituents of water. Drinking water generally contains a certain quantity of minerals, which it gets from its source, storage conditions, treatment, supply, and household plumbing system and their conditions. These minerals and components mostly take place at very low degrees and do not present a major risk to human or animal health (http://earthsci.org/teacher/basicgeol /groundwa/groundwa.html, retrieved 20 November 2009). A broad range of chemical compounds can lead to contamination of groundwater if released to the underground environs. They are organic and synthetic compounds, inorganic compounds, like pesticides, and other pollutants. Since drinking water arrangements obtain their water from groundwater origins so if the source is polluted then naturally the drinking water is also contaminated (http://earthsci.org/teacher/basicgeol /groundwa/groundwa.html, retrieved 20 November 2009). Groundwater is in constant motion; even though the rate of its movement is normally slow than the water movement in a stream. The reason behind the slow motion is that the ground water has to pass by the complex passages between open spaces inside the rock. Initially the groundwater moves down as a result of the pull of gravity. Groundwater can also move up as it flows from high-pressure regions to low pressure regions (http://earthsci.org/teacher/basicgeol/groundwa/groundwa.html, retrieved 20 November 2009). The chemical contamination mentioned above is known as "point sources" of water contamination. Chemical pollution in water will have the same effect as that of any other kind of