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Why is Water Quality Testing Important for our Health Safety?

by Rahul G. Founder

Do you know that the water we use for various purposes, whether home, agricultural, or commercial, or the glass of water you may be sipping while reading these lines, maybe of poor quality?

According to the 2019 World Bank Report, the worsening quality of water around the world is reducing the economic potential of extremely contaminated places. It also cautions that an invisible water quality problem is endangering human and environmental well-being.

"Water is life's matter and matrix, mother and medium," stated Albert Szent Gyorgyi, a Hungarian biochemist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in Physiology or Medicine. "Without water, there is no life." Water is essential for all activities. However, it is concerning that the quality of water is declining due to a variety of circumstances.

Other simmering factors such as weather and meteorology floods caused by climate change can increase water pollution as pollution from farms, residential lawns, overfilled sewage systems, trash, animal waste, nitrogen phosphorous mixes in waterways, increasing the risk of contamination and increasing the cost of water treatment. Climate change is thought to be having a negative impact on water quality.

Chemical Water Quality Testing Indicator

Several parameters contribute to the determination of water quality testing.

1. Ion chloride:

In natural water systems, the concentration of chloride ions is quite low. It becomes more prevalent in contaminated water. Furthermore, a high concentration of chloride ions makes the water salty and corrodes water pipelines.

2. Ammonia:

The breakdown of organic materials, such as protein and amino acids, raises the concentration of ammonia in water. Furthermore, it rises with the use of chloramine in the water treatment process. NH3 concentrations in groundwater systems are typically 3mg/ltr. It has a distinct flavor and odor when its concentration exceeds 50mg/ltr.

3. Nitrite:

It is a highly unstable intermediate produced during the conversion of NH2 to nitrate. Nitrite is oxidized to nitrate in aerobic conditions but reduced to ammonia in anaerobic conditions. If the percentage of nitrate in drinking water is high, it poses a major health risk to consumers. The blue baby syndrome is a disease that is caused by a high concentration of nitrite in neonates and is characterized by blue skin coloring.

Nitrite levels in drinking water should not exceed 3mg/ltr.

4. Nitrate:

It is the most stable form of oxidized nitrogen. Nitrate is formed in water as a result of organic matter decomposition and atmospheric nitrogen fixation. Similarly to nitrite Nitrate levels in drinking water should not exceed 3mg/ltr. It is because nitrate can be converted to nitrite in newborns' guts, resulting in nitrate poisoning. Nitrate is particularly essential in natural water systems such as lakes and ponds because high nitrate concentrations promote the rapid development of aquatic plants, resulting in eutrophication.

5. Phosphate:

Phosphate is found in water in the forms of H2PO4-, polyphosphate, and organic phosphate. Phosphate in water sources is derived from agricultural wastes, sewage, and industrial effluent. Phosphate is not hazardous to humans, but it is an important chemical in natural water systems such as ponds because high concentrations promote eutrophication.

6. Hardness:

Water hardness is caused only by calcium and magnesium salts. Temporary hardness is caused by calcium and magnesium carbonate and bicarbonate, whereas permanent hardness is caused by calcium and magnesium chloride and sulfate. Water is classed as 9on the basis of calcium carbonate content.

7. BOD (Biological oxygen demand):

Under aerobic conditions, biological oxygen demand represents the amount of oxygen required by living organisms (microorganisms) for the oxidation of biodegradable organic matter present in water.

BOD is a direct measurement of the quality of oxygen required for organic matter biodegradation and an indirect indicator of the quantity of biodegradable organic matter in water.

When water is infused with biodegradable organic materials. To oxidize organic materials, microorganisms use dissolved oxygen. If the rate of oxygen consumption during biodegradation exceeds the rate of solubilization of atmospheric oxygen into water, the level of dissolved oxygen gradually declines.

When the organic matter content is exceedingly high, there is a full loss of dissolved oxygen. This results in an anaerobic condition in the water. Aerobic aquatic organisms cannot thrive under this situation.

Furthermore, if dissolved oxygen is not present, organic matter begins to break down anaerobically, causing a taste and odor problem.

A high BOD score indicates water contamination.

What are the various forms of water quality testing?

There are a variety of water quality tests that water test labs do to assist assess how safe, or even drinkable, water is to be utilized in a residential environment or otherwise.

These several sorts of testing assist evaluate whether specific chemicals or contaminants have infected a body of water and how it should be treated further. Here are some examples of water testing methods.

Bacteria Examinations

Water can be contaminated by a variety of bacterial pollutants. One of the most common and sought-after bacteria is E. coli, which is caused by fecal matter exposure and can cause major health problems if swallowed. Bacteria testing is critical in establishing whether or not water is safe to drink or apply to your skin.

Mineral Examinations

Given how many mineral tests are available, the list may be a thesis paper. Mineral tests that are commonly used and crucial include chlorine and chloride, nitrate and nitrite, lead, copper, iron, zinc, potassium, and sodium.

This broad variety of mineral testing is important and useful in assessing water quality since certain regions or parts of terrain may have more of a buildup of particular sorts of minerals, which informs what kind of mineral treatments the water truly requires to be cleansed.

pH Evaluation

What exactly is pH? Here's a quick refresher on middle school science class if it feels like an age and a day ago. The concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution is measured by pH.

The higher the concentration of these hydrogen ions in a solution, the more acidic the water. Acidity has an impact on the flavor of water, but it can also have an impact on how healthy water is to ingest. Drinking water with acidity that is not balanced enough can make people sick!

Other Testing Methods

Conductivity, odor, sediment, and turbidity are some basic water tests that have nothing to do with chemical testing. These tests, which are not applicable in all cases, produce a measure of the more physical characteristics of a water sample.

Is it clean or hazy from sand and silt? Is it marshy or fresh-smelling? How well does it conduct electricity, and what does this tell us about the mineral content?

Our water testing services can assist a household, business, contractor, or research organization in understanding the water quality with which they are dealing. Get in touch with Sigma Labs today to get started!

Which of the following is the most critical water quality test?

The quality of drinking water reflects the suitability of the water for human use. Water quality is determined by the composition of the water, which is altered by natural processes and human activity.

Water quality is defined by water parameters (physical, chemical, and microbiological), and values that exceed permitted limits endanger human health [1–3]. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) establish exposure criteria or safe limits for chemical pollutants in drinking water.

A prevalent misconception about water is that clean water is of high quality, showing a knowledge gap regarding the existence of certain compounds in water. One of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to ensure the availability and sustainable management of good-quality water. This is a challenge for policymakers and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) practitioners, especially in light of changing climatic conditions, increasing populations, poverty, and the negative effects of human development.

Water quality examinations will reveal information regarding the waterway's condition. The variations in the quality of the water can be seen by testing it over time. Temperature, pH, turbidity, salinity, nitrates, and phosphates are some of the parameters that can be measured.

Even if the water is clear, it does not necessarily guarantee that it is safe to drink. It is critical that we assess the safety of water by considering the three features listed below (as well as diseases and contaminants):

· Bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and worms are examples of microbiological organisms.

· Minerals, metals, and chemicals are examples of chemicals.

· Temperature, color, odor, taste, and turbidity are examples of physical characteristics.

Water that is safe to drink should contain the following microbiological, chemical, and physical characteristics:

· pathogenic-free

· Toxic chemical concentrations are low.

· Clear

· Colorless and tasteless (for aesthetic purposes)

When it comes to drinking water quality, most people are concerned about microbiological contamination because it is responsible for the majority of illnesses and deaths caused by ingesting contaminated water.

For information on water testing, please get in touch with our fellow representatives at Sigma labs!

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