The Environmental Protection Agency is the organization mandated to set standards for water quality reaching American homesteads. Thankfully these standards have allowed most American households access to clean running water.
While water processing plants are careful to follow the set standards, there is always a chance of unsafe drinking water reaching homesteads, resulting in a wide range of illnesses. These illnesses depend on the type of contaminant in the water, which can include germs or chemicals.
This post looks at common illnesses resulting from contaminated water.
Table of Contents
Diarrheal Diseases
Often, diarrheal diseases are bacterial. They usually occur when infected animals or people’s feces enter the water in holding ponds or tanks. Common diarrheal diseases include typhoid caused by Salmonella Typhi bacteria, chlorella caused by vibrio Bacteria, dysentery caused by Shigella, a bacteria, and E.Coli infection and salmonella infection.
While these diseases may not be prevalent in the United States, they occur from time to time, especially after a flood. When left untreated, some of these infections can cause death within a short time due to dehydration.
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is a viral infection and often affects the liver. Like bacterial infections, the Hepatitis A virus gets into the water when the feces of an infected person gets in the water supply or storage system.
You do not have to drink the water to get a hepatitis A infection. You could contract it by eating food washed with contaminated water or using utensils washed with the water. Common signs of hepatitis infection include fever, jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin), fatigue, and dark urine.
Heavy Metal Poisoning
Lead poisoning is the most common heavy metal contaminant in water. It occurs when discharge from lead-based chemicals gets into the water. After ingestion, lead can cause life-threatening illnesses, with kidneys and the brain suffering the most damage from lead contamination.
Also, children are more at risk of suffering severe complications from heavy metal exposure because their bodies aren’t as strong to manage the presence of heavy metals. Common symptoms of lead poisoning can include stomach cramps, constipation, trouble sleeping, low sex drive, and muscle and joint pains, among others.
If lead contamination is common around where you live, it is vital to take a lead contamination test if you exhibit the above mentioned symptoms.
Cancer, for example, in Camp Lejeune.
Cancers resulting from contaminated water are not common. However, there are situations where it could happen. Water-related cancers occur when carcinogenic chemical pollutants get into the water supply system.
An excellent example of water contamination that resulted in hundreds of people getting cancers is the Camp Lejeune water contamination problem. The primary contaminant in the water in Camp Lejeune was elevated levels of perchloroethylene (PCE), a known carcinogen. Most victims of this contamination were servicemen and their families, with many of the people that used the water being diagnosed with cancer.
If you lived at Camp Lejeune for more than a month, between 1953 to 1987, and have a cancer diagnosis, you may want to file a water contamination lawsuit with Dolman law to recover damages caused by the contamination.
Other Illnesses Linked to Camp Lejeune Water Contamination
Victims of Camp Lejeune water contamination suffer a wide range of cancers. The most common variations include prostate, bladder, cervical, esophageal, pancreatic, rectal, and kidney cancer.
While cancers are the most common illness resulting from the Camp Lejeune water contamination, they are not the only illness.
Other illnesses suffered by victims due to PCE exposure include Aplastic anemia, Dental issues, Birth defects, Crohn’s disease, Heart disease, Neurobehavioral effects, Myelodysplastic syndromes, and Parkinson’s disease. If you suffered any of these diseases from the contaminant exposure, you might be eligible for compensation too.
