Water in human life

Water - at first glance, the simplest chemical compound of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom - is, without any exaggeration, the basis of life on Earth. It is no coincidence that scientists are looking for life forms on other planets. solar system so much effort goes into detecting traces of water.

In our daily life, we encounter water constantly. At the same time, paraphrasing a song from an old movie, we can say that we “drink water” and “pour water”. We will talk about these two aspects of human use of water.

Water "food"

Household water

Water "food"

Water itself has no nutritional value, but it is essential integral part all living things. Plants contain up to 90% water, while the body of an adult consists of about 60 - 65% of it. Looking into the details, it can be noted that the bones contain 22% water, the brain 75%, while the blood consists of as much as 92%.

The primary role of water in the life of all living beings, including humans, is due to the fact that it is a universal solvent for a huge number of chemicals. Those. in fact, it is the environment in which all life processes take place.

Here is just a small and far from complete list of the "duties" of water in our body.

Regulates body temperature.

Humidifies the air.

Provides delivery of nutrients and oxygen to all cells of the body.

Protects and buffers vital organs.

Helps convert food into energy.

Helps nutrients to be absorbed by the organs.

Removes toxins and waste products of life processes.

A certain and constant water content is a necessary condition for the existence of a living organism. When the amount of water consumed and its salt composition change, the processes of digestion and assimilation of food, hematopoiesis, etc. are disrupted. Without water, it is impossible to regulate the body's heat exchange with the environment and maintain body temperature.

A person is extremely acutely aware of the change in the water content in his body and can live without it for only a few days. With a loss of water in an amount of less than 2% of body weight (1-1.5l), a feeling of thirst appears, with a loss of 6-8%, a fainting state occurs, with 10% - hallucinations, swallowing disorders. Loss of 10-20% of water is life threatening. Animals die when they lose 20-25% of water.

Excessive water consumption leads to an overload of the cardiovascular system, causes debilitating sweating, accompanied by a loss of salts, and weakens the body.

Depending on the intensity of work, external conditions(including climate), cultural traditions, a person in total (together with food) consumes from 2 to 4 liters of water per day and the same amount of water is excreted from the body (for more details, see "Drinking regime and balance of water in the body" and the article " To drink or not to drink - that is the question" from the magazine "Health" in our "Digest"). The average daily consumption is about 2-2.5 liters. It is from these figures that the World Health Organization (WHO) proceeds when developing recommendations for water quality (See "Water Quality Parameters").

The mineral composition of the water is of no small importance. For constant drinking and cooking, fresh water with a total mineralization of up to 0.5 - 1 g / l is suitable. Although, of course, in limited quantities it is possible (and sometimes even useful, for example, for medicinal purposes) to use mineral water with a high salt content (for information on which water is “suitable” for which diseases, see the article “Each disease has its own water” in our Digest "). The human body quickly adapts to changes in salt composition. drinking water. However, the process of getting used to takes some time. Therefore, with a sharp (and even more frequent) change in the characteristics of water, disturbances in the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, popularly known as "travelers' disease", are possible.

In general, the question of what useful substances and in what quantities should be contained in water in products mass media given a lot of attention. This problem is really very important, but, unfortunately, there is too much speculation and profanity around it.

Even very reputable publications allow themselves to somewhat irresponsibly publish information such as: “a person receives up to 25% of useful minerals from water” and other, to put it mildly, information that does not quite correspond to reality. A classic of the genre “I heard a ringing, but I don’t know where it is” - the article “Capital Water ...” by Mrs. Ekaterina Bychkova in AiF-Moscow No. 37 "99.

From our point of view this issue can be found in the section "Water and useful minerals".

We also recommend a series of articles from the magazine "Health": "To drink or not to drink - that is the question", "Each disease has its own water", "Five facts about water that you did not know", as well as materials "Both heals and cripples ” and “Stone Waterfall”, also presented in our Digest.

Household water

It is well known that the use of water for household purposes in Russia is far from rational (we tactfully keep silent about industry for lack of reliable data). There are two main reasons:

Abundance of water resources.

Their cheapness.

In its issue of August 31, 1999, devoted to the problems of water, the magazine "Itogi" provided visual data characterizing these two parameters and their relationship.

It can be seen that the cheaper water is in a particular country, the more generously it is poured. It is also not surprising that in Russia, where before recent years there was no practice of installing water metering devices for each apartment, and there is no reliable statistics on water consumption in everyday life.

Therefore, we will use published English data from the mid-80s. Of course, in the UK, the daily water consumption per capita was already at that time 140 l / day, and in our country it is still around 400 l / day, but the data collected by the meticulous British is so interesting that we should study it and take note . In any case, the market economy dictates its own laws, it is likely that soon water will rise in price and the thriftiness of the aforementioned Englishmen will no longer seem unreasonable to us.

So. According to English data /15/:

The main article of water consumption in everyday life is the toilet. The "gentle contralto of the water-tank instrument" is responsible for 35% of water consumption per capita per day (50 liters). Next comes personal hygiene (bathing and showering, washing, etc.) - 32% of consumption (45 l), laundry - 12% (17 l), washing dishes - 10% (14 l), drinking and cooking - 3% (4 l), other expenses (pets, watering flowers, etc.) - 8% (11 l).

It is clear that these figures are averaged and reduced to one day (for example, a person takes a bath and does not wash every day). However, they also provide food for thought and comparisons with our reality.

It is unlikely that we eat much more than the same British and, accordingly, we spend on cooking also somewhere between 4 - 4.5 liters per capita per day. Forgive us for such a conclusion, but it directly follows from the previous one that we should not use the toilet more often (or are there other opinions?). Considering that we have a single European standard for drain tanks, this gives the same 50 liters.

By the way, the meticulous British calculated that a family of two adults and three children on average uses the toilet 25-40 times a day. If there is a habit of flushing leftover food and other waste down the toilet, then the number of “descents” even in a family of 4 people can reach 60. Here, by the way, one should look for the origins of the now fashionable in Europe (especially in Scandinavia) ecological initiative “Give a brick in the toilet bowl!”. In addition to jokes, they put a brick in the tank, thus reducing the volume of water in it by almost 2 liters. Multiply by the number of flushes per day and get a "net" savings. And if we are talking about such interesting area of human life, like a toilet bowl, then the future in general belongs to vacuum units (similar to those installed in airplanes), which consume only 1 (one) liter of water per session.

But back to our sheep. We also venture to suggest that in terms of the level of automation of washing, we still reached the level of England 15 years ago, and for this purpose the average per capita consumption is 17 liters.

Where, then, as our first president used to say, "the dog rummaged"? Why do we use twice as much water?

To do this, let's see what is left of the water consumption items: personal hygiene, washing dishes, and so on. Here, perhaps, lies the solution. It's not that we bathed more and washed the dishes more thoroughly. The difference is rather that we do not have the habit of turning off the faucet when, for example, we brush our teeth, and we also wash dishes in running water. It would seem - a trifle, but keep in mind that 10-15 liters of water flow out through an open tap per minute. And the second powerful "reserve" is the position "Other". The fact is that “they” in this section practically do not have such an article as leaks. It's just that life makes them quickly repair the current plumbing - not only water flows, money flows. We can with with good reason argue that in our conditions the lion's share of leaks occurs precisely in homes, so to speak, already "after the meter". And that's why.

The British pay great attention to leaks, but for the reasons stated, their main leaks occur in the municipal water supply network. In Moscow, according to experts, 15-16% of water is also lost between the water intake station and the apartment (see the article “Moscow Water Drinkers”, magazine “Itogi”, 08/31/99). And now, attention, the most important thing. It's not that bad, but just a great result! In England, losses average 25%, and their experts, recognizing the inevitability of leaks, believe that a realistically achievable result to which one should strive for leaks is 15%. Which, as they say, was required to be proved. Honor and praise to Mosvodokanal. We suspect, however, that the average situation in the country is rather closer to the English one. However, even if this is true, it still once again shows where we are losing. We, unfortunately, are used to blaming everything on the water supply, but it turns out that "there is nothing to blame on the mirror ...". It's time to understand that after the pipes have entered the building (be it a residential building, an office center or an industrial facility), the responsibility already lies with the owners and users.

So, you see, in the near future we will also need a brick in the toilet bowl and other “bourgeois” tricks. As the same British say: "Warned out is already armed."

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Everything interesting about water

Added: 2012-12-11

Everything interesting about water

Water is the simplest and most common substance on the planet. But at the same time, water is fraught with many mysteries.

The human need for water is second only to oxygen. We need water to live! As you know, a person can live up to 6 weeks without food, but only one week without water.

The chemical compound H2O does not exist in its pure form in nature. Water is a universal solvent, it dissolves in itself everything that it meets on the way. For example, enjoying the taste of well water, we pour into ourselves a “compote”, the composition of which, perhaps, no one could reproduce.

The most expensive water in the world is sold in Los Angeles (USA). Its price is $ 90 per liter. According to sellers, the water has an ideal pH balance for humans and an exquisite taste. The liquid is sold in special bottles decorated with Swarovski crystals. Water has gained great popularity among wealthy youth, who line up for it in the most expensive nightclubs in California. Among those wishing to purchase exclusive bottles, Hollywood stars were also noticed.

A person drinks an average of 35 tons of water in his life.

Water can reduce the risk of a heart attack if a person drinks more than five glasses of water a day. However, only pure drinking water has such properties.

Water should be drunk more if you are lovers of alcoholic beverages, as well as tea or coffee. Since when they are consumed, the kidneys work at full capacity, creating a risk of dehydration.

In Yugoslavia there is a lake Tsirknitskoe. In it, the water disappears in summer and winter, and in spring and autumn it returns with the fish.

Water is the only substance that occurs in nature in three forms: solid (ice), liquid and gas. By the way, only 3% of the water on earth is fresh, but most of it fresh water Frozen in glaciers.

The writer Griboyedov in one of his works said: "It is difficult to forget the taste of the melt water of high-mountain streams." It is believed that it is thanks to the melt water that the highlanders live so long.

Some carbonated drinks contain harmful chemicals that cause dehydration rather than quench your thirst.

One of the most watery foods is watermelon. Watermelon is 93% water.

Approximately 70 percent of the Earth is covered with water. But only 1 percent of this water is drinkable!

In nature, there are about 1330 types of water. They differ in origin (for example: rain, soil, from fresh snow, etc.), they also differ in the amount of substances dissolved in it.

American nutritionists recommend getting rid of excess weight with the help of a “water” diet, which is becoming increasingly popular in the West. It was found that with a lack of fluid, the body begins to send signals to the brain similar to those of hunger. As a result, people start eating when they should be drinking! By drinking 2-2.5 liters of water every day, a person can suppress hunger and reduce the amount of food consumed. But it is water that you need to drink, since even tea or coffee contains active substances harmful to the diet.

There is a lake of ink in Algiers. You can write on paper with the water of this lake and the ink never runs out.

There is a lake in Antarctica, the water in which is 11 times saltier than sea water and can only freeze at t -50 degrees C

A 2% reduction in body water levels can result in a 20% decrease in mental and physical performance.

In total, there are about three million cubic kilometers of fresh water on Earth. Every day, 1 trillion tons of water evaporate from the earth's surface.

If all the water in the world contained in various tanks is poured into open ocean, then its level will rise by 3 cm. By the way, in the last 100 years, the ocean level around the world has been rising by more than a millimeter per year.

According to doctors, water helps to increase blood pressure. And also, as it turned out, The best way get rid of edema - drink plenty of water.

The human body is 60-70% water, and a child's body is 80%. A five-month-old embryo consists of 94% water.

According to experts, it is enough to drink two glasses of clean water to overcome depression and fatigue.

Water delivers nutrients (vitamins, mineral salts) to the cells of the body and carries away waste products. In addition, water is involved in the process of thermoregulation and respiration.

According to UNESCO, the most pure water in the world - in Finland. The study, conducted in 122 countries around the world, took into account the quality and quantity of fresh water.

Worldwide, 1 billion 100 million people do not have access to water. So we are lucky people!

There is combustible water in Azerbaijan! From the match, the water lights up with a blue flame due to methane.

The most dangerous water in the world is located in Sicily in one of the lakes. From the bottom of the lake 2 springs beat concentrated acid that poisons the water.

in cubic centimeter sea ​​water contains 1.5 grams of protein and many other nutrients. Scientists have calculated that the Atlantic Ocean "in terms of nutrition" is estimated at 20,000 crops harvested per year on all land.

Recent experiments have shown that water energizes food, after which food particles transfer this energy to the body during digestion. It turns out that food without water has absolutely no energy value for the body.

About 840 liters of water per day flow out of your needle-wide faucet.

Cheers!

Water is the basis of life on earth.

Water plays a huge role in nature. Indeed, it was the sea that turned out to be the first arena of life on earth. Learning the sciences, we hear: "Ash-two-o" - the scientific name of water.

On the coat of arms of the water kingdom, you can write the motto "I will not yield to anyone." Its meaning is great role water in the life of the earth. No other planet has as much water as Earth.

Water is everywhere. It is also around us: in the oceans and seas, rivers and lakes, in rain and snow, in ice floes and water pipes, in drink and food. It is also in us: we are two-thirds “made” of water.

Water has sculpted the face of our planet. All earthly life is born of water and cannot exist without it. We are children of water. No wonder in fairy tales "living water" resurrects even the dead.

What is water?

Silent sister of the strongest explosive - detonating gas. Both explosive gas-destroyer, and life-creating water consist of both hydrogen and oxygen. But gas is only simple mixture these substances, and in water, hydrogen and oxygen are combined into molecules. Water is a mineral, the most authentic and amazing. Water is a werewolf, one in three persons. Either she, alive, flows in rivers and oceans, then the ferry tends to the clouds, then it freezes with ice into a cold. Water is an amazing liquid: it has anomalies. For water, as if the laws were not written! But thanks to her whims, life could develop and exist in her.

Water makes two cycles in nature:

A large circle - from the oceans, seas, rivers and reservoirs, water evaporates into the atmosphere, condenses into clouds and rains on the ground and with rivers - again into the ocean.

This is how the cycle works:

The sun warms the water - tries,

The water from this evaporates

The ferry rises to the sky

There in the clouds is going

They move with the wind

And the water rains again

It descends to earth.

In soup, in tea, in every drop,

In a ringing piece of ice, and in a tear,

And in the rain, and in the dew

We will always respond

Ocean water!

And a small circle - plants absorb water from the earth, with greenery and fruits, water enters the body of humans and animals, from there they return again with secretions and breathing into the air and into the ground. Thanks to this cycle, animals, plants and humans can live on land and still remain aquatic creatures, since water is the main medium of every living organism.

H2O is one of the most common and most important compounds on Earth. Almost three quarters of the earth is covered with water. In nature, ice water covers the ridges and peaks of mountains, forms the Arctic and Antarctic caps of the planet. The continents are indented by a dense network of rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs and ponds. Most of the water is concentrated in the seas and oceans, the second place in terms of volume of water masses is occupied by groundwater, the third is ice and snow.

Surface waters of land, atmospheric and biologically bound waters make up fractions of a percent of the total volume of water in the hydrosphere. (table)

The figure shows a simplified model of a water molecule, consisting of an oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms. The distance between atoms is approximately one ten-millionth of a millimeter. In water, all molecules are connected to each other. If these bonds are taken into account, then the model of the water molecule can be represented as triangular pyramid. With two vertices free from hydrogen atoms, the molecule is connected to other molecules. Water has the simplest molecular structure in solid state(it's ice). They form an openwork volumetric lattice. (Slide 17)

Aggregate states of water: solid, liquid and gaseous. These states differ from each other not by molecules, but by how these molecules are located and how they move. Let's repeat the transition of matter from state to state. (Slide 19)

Examples (slide 20, 21, 22)

There is not a single food product that does not contain water. (slide 23)

Water is used to dissolve nutrients and transport them throughout the body with the blood, and is also used to regulate body temperature. Water makes up to 80% of the mass of cells and performs extremely important functions in it: it determines the volume and elasticity of cells, transports dissolved substances into and out of the cell, and protects the cell from sudden temperature fluctuations. High content water in the cell is the most necessary condition for its vital activity and depends on the intensity of metabolic processes. So, fast-growing cells of human and animal embryos contain about 95% water, in the cells of a young organism 70-80%, it decreases significantly with old age (in very old people - about 60%, death is lower). With the loss of 10 - 12% of moisture, a person is threatened with death. The desiccated human mummy weighs only

8 kg. A person excretes 3 liters of water per day. The same amount of it needs to be introduced into the body. This amount also includes water absorbed by a person with food. A great need for water is not only for humans, but for all living organisms. So, a sunflower the height of a person needs 1 liter of water per day, a thirty-year-old birch - 60 liters.

Water is an odorless, tasteless and colorless liquid. Water is essential for the body because:

It generates electrical and magnetic energy within every cell of the body;

It is the main solvent of all types of food, vitamins and minerals. It decomposes food into small particles, supports the processes of metabolism and assimilation;

The water penetrating into the cell supplies it with oxygen and carries away the exhaust gases to the lungs to remove them from the body;

Removes toxic waste from various parts of the body;

Essential for the efficient production of all neurotransliters, including serotonin.

Dehydration is the cause of toxic deposits in the body. Water cleans these deposits.

Some of the ion pumps generate electrical voltage. Therefore, the efficiency of neurotransmission systems depends on the presence of free, unbound water in nerve tissues. Water, which during the osmotic process seeks to enter the cell, produces energy by forcing ion pumps to work, pushing sodium into the cell and pushing potassium out of it.

Water is needed by all sectors of the national economy. Agriculture consumes most of it, industry and energy are in second place, and utilities are in third. The annual consumption of water per inhabitant of the Earth is 7-8 tons. Without water, it is impossible to imagine the life of a person who consumes it for a variety of household needs, a person uses 300 liters per day. Just to brush your teeth and wash your face every day spends 10 liters of water.

It has been calculated that if a city consumes 600,000 m3 of water per day, it produces 500,000 m3 Wastewater. Worldwide, 5,500 km3 of clean water is spent annually on wastewater disinfection - three times more than for all other needs of mankind.

The industry of our country every second consumes as much water as the Volga carries it. To obtain 1 ton of steel, 150 tons of water are spent, paper 250 tons, synthetic fibers 4000 tons, to grow 1 ton of wheat more than 1000 m3, 1 ton of rice - 4000 m3.

Strange as it may sound, water also plays a certain role in art: cascades of ponds and fountains adorn gardens and parks. In many countries, there is a tradition to build ice sculptures of heroes of fairy tales and legends in winter. (slide 26, 27)

Water must be protected, and although our country is rich in fresh water like no other (Lake Baikal alone contains 20% of the world's fresh water reserves), Russia, like no other country in the world, carelessly and soullessly treats the protection of fresh water.

With a huge amount of fresh water in the world, there is a great lack of it. The main reason for the shortage of fresh water is its pollution, the most dangerous pollutants of fresh water sources are factories that emit environment various harmful substances; mineral fertilizers and pesticides used in agriculture and falling into reservoirs with rain or melt water; domestic sewage, etc. a lot of water is lost due to uneconomical use: we spend a lot of fresh water thoughtlessly and in vain. What is worth, for example, constantly flowing barrels in the toilets, an open water tap that we forgot, etc.

Therefore, in conclusion, we speak in the words of V. V. Mayakovsky:

Hey citizens.

Save water.

Be careful

to our plumbing.

Water is the source of life on Earth, a great natural value that covers 71% of the surface of our planet, the most common chemical compound and the necessary basis for the existence of all life on the planet. The high content in plants (up to 90%) and in the human body (about 70%) only confirms the importance of this component, which has no taste, smell or color.

Water is life!

The role of water in human life is invaluable: it is used for drinking, food, washing, various household and industrial needs. Water is life!

The role of water in human life can be determined by its share in the body and organs, each cell of which is rich in an aqueous solution of essential nutrients. Water is one of effective means physical education, widely used for personal hygiene, recreational physical education, hardening, water sports.

Biochemical properties of water

Maintaining the elasticity and volume of a living cell would be impossible without water, as well as a significant part of chemical reactions organisms that take place in aqueous solutions. Such a valuable liquid is indispensable for its thermal conductivity and heat capacity, which provides thermoregulation and protects against temperature extremes.

Water in human life is able to dissolve some acids, bases and salts, which are ionic compounds and some polar non-ionic formations (simple alcohols, amino acids, sugars), called hydrophilic (from Greek literally - a tendency to moisture). Nucleic acids, fats, proteins and some polysaccharides are hydrophobic substances (from Greek - fear of moisture) beyond the power of liquid.

biological significance water is quite large, since this priceless liquid is the main medium for internal processes occurring in the body. In percentage terms, the presence of water in the body is as follows:

Body systems
Adipose tissue

The statement of the science fiction writer V. Savchenko, who revealed the meaning of water in one phrase, is interesting on this occasion: a person has much more motives to consider himself a liquid, in contrast, for example, to a 40% sodium solution. And among biologists, a joke is popular that water “invented” a person as a means of its own transportation, the main component of whose body it is. 2/3 of her total contained inside the cells and is called "intracellular", or "structured" fluid, which is able to provide the body's resistance to the influence of negative environmental factors. The third part of the water is outside the cells, and 20% of this amount is the intercellular fluid itself, 2% and 8% - respectively, the water of the lymph and blood plasma.

Importance of water in human life

Meaning natural component in life and everyday life is simply invaluable, since without it existence is impossible in principle.

Water is essential for life because:

• humidifies the inhaled oxygen;
• helps the body in the qualitative assimilation of nutrients;
• contributes to the conversion of food into energy and normal digestion;
• participates in passing metabolism and chemical reactions;
• removes excess salts, toxins and toxins;
• regulates body temperature;
• provides skin elasticity;
• regulates blood pressure;
• prevents the formation of kidney stones;
• is a kind of "lubricant" for the joints and a shock absorber for the spinal cord;
• protects vital organs.

The water cycle in the body

One of the conditions for the existence of all living things is the constant content of water, the amount of which enters the body depends on the lifestyle of a person, his age, physical health, and environmental factors. During the day, up to 6% of the water available in the body is exchanged; half of its total amount is updated within 10 days. So, per day the body loses about 150 ml of water with feces, about 500 ml with exhaled air and the same amount with sweat and 1.5 liters is excreted in the urine. Approximately the same amount of water (about 3 liters per day) a person receives back. Of these, a third of a liter is formed in the body itself during biochemical processes, and about 2 liters are consumed with food and drinks, and the daily requirement for exclusively drinking water is about 1.5 liters.

AT recent times experts have calculated that a person should still drink about 2 liters of pure water per day in order to prevent even the slightest dehydration of the body. The same amount is recommended to be consumed by yogis who know the true meaning of air and water. An absolutely healthy human body should ideally have a state of water balance, otherwise called water balance.

By the way, after a series of experiments conducted on students, German scientists found out that those who drink water and drinks more than others show greater restraint and a penchant for creativity. Water in human life plays an incentive role, filling with energy and vitality.

According to some estimates, for 60 years of life a person on average drinks about 50 tons of water, which is commensurate with almost a whole tank. It is interesting to know that ordinary food is half water: in its meat - up to 67%, in cereals - 80%, vegetables and fruits contain up to 90%, bread - about 50%.

High Water Consumption Situations

Usually a person receives about 2-3 liters of water per day, but there are situations in which the need for it increases. It:

• Increased body temperature (more than 37 ° C). With each increasing degree of water, 10% more of the total is required. .
• Heavy physical work in the fresh air, in which you need to drink 5-6 liters of liquid.
• Work in hot shops - up to 15 liters.

Deficiency of valuable fluid is the cause of many diseases: allergies, asthma, overweight, high blood pressure, emotional problems (including depression), and its absence leads to disruption of all body functions, undermining health and making vulnerable to disease.

Loss of water up to 2% of the total body weight (1 - 1.5 liters) will cause a person to feel thirsty; loss of 6 - 8% will lead to a semi-conscious state; 10% will cause the appearance of hallucinations and impaired swallowing function. Deprivation of 12% of water from the total body weight will lead to death. If without food a person is able to survive for about 50 days, subject to the consumption of drinking water, then without it - a maximum of 5 days.

In fact, most people drink less than the recommended amount of water: only a third, and the ailments that appear are not at all associated with a lack of fluid.

Signs of lack of water in the body

The first signs of dehydration:

A stable supply of water to the body required quantity helps to ensure vitality, get rid of ailments and many serious diseases, improve thinking and coordination of the brain. Therefore, the emerging thirst should always be tried to quench. It is better to drink little and often at the same time, since a large amount of liquid for the purpose of a one-time replenishment of the daily norm will be completely absorbed into the blood, which will give a noticeable load on the heart until the water is removed from the body by the kidneys.

Water balance of the body - a direct path to health

In other words, water in human life, with a properly organized drinking regime, can create acceptable conditions for maintaining the necessary water balance. It is important that the liquid is High Quality with essential minerals. The situation of the modern world is paradoxical: water, the source of life on Earth, can be dangerous for life itself, carrying various infections with almost every drop. That is, only pure water can be useful for the body, the quality problem of which is modern world very relevant.

Water scarcity is a scary future for the planet

Rather, the very problem of the availability of drinking water becomes vitally important, every day turning into an increasingly scarce product. Moreover, the importance of water on Earth and its lack in international relations are discussed at highest level and often in a conflicting way.

Now more than 40 countries are experiencing water shortages due to the aridity of many regions. In 15 - 20 years, even according to the most optimistic forecasts, every person will understand the importance of water on Earth, since the problem of its shortage will affect 60 - 70% of the planet's population. AT developing countries water deficit will increase by 50%, in developed countries - by 18%. As a result, international tension around the topic of water scarcity will increase.

Polluted water as a result of human activity

This is due to geophysical conditions, human economic activity, often ill-conceived and irresponsible, which significantly increases the burden on water resources and lead to contamination. A huge amount of water goes to the needs of cities and industry, which not only consume, but also pollute water, dumping about 2 million tons of waste into water bodies every day. The same goes for agriculture, where millions of tons of waste products and fertilizers flow into waterways from farms and fields. In Europe, out of 55 rivers, only 5 are considered clean, while in Asia, all rivers are extremely littered with agricultural waste and metals. In China, 550 out of 600 cities are experiencing water shortages; due to severe pollution, fish do not survive in water bodies, and some rivers that flow into the ocean simply do not reach it.

What flows from the taps

And why go far if the quality of water, which leaves much to be desired, concerns almost every person. The importance of water in human life is great, this is especially true when it is consumed, when sanitary standards go against the quality of the consumed liquid, which contains pesticides, nitrites, oil products, heavy metal salts that are harmful to health. Half of the population receives hazardous water, which causes about 80% of all known diseases.

Chlorine is dangerous!

To avoid possible infection with any infection, the water is chlorinated, which in no way diminishes the danger. On the contrary, chlorine, which destroys many dangerous microbes, forms unhealthy chemical compounds and provokes diseases such as gastritis, pneumonia, oncology. When boiled, it does not have time to dissolve completely and combines with the always present in water. organic matter. In this case, dioxins are formed - very dangerous poisons, surpassing even potassium cyanide in their strength.

Water poisoning is much worse than food poisoning, because water in human life, unlike food, takes part in all biochemical processes organism. Dioxins accumulated in the body decompose very slowly, almost tens of years. Causing disorders of the endocrine system, reproductive functions, they destroy the immune system, cause cancer and genetic abnormalities. Chlorine is the most dangerous killer of our time: killing one disease, it gives rise to another, even worse. After global water chlorination began in 1944, epidemics of heart disease, dementia and cancer began to appear massively. The risk of cancer is 93% greater than that of those who drink non-chlorinated water. There is only one conclusion: tap water should never be drunk. Ecological significance water is the number 1 problem in the world, since if there is no water, there will be no life on Earth. Therefore, an indispensable condition for maintaining health is its cleaning and compliance with sanitary and epidemiological standards.

The four elements of nature, the four elements gave birth to life on Earth - this is fire, air, earth and water. Moreover, water appeared on our planet for several million years than the same soil or air.

It would seem that water has already been studied by man, but scientists are still finding the most amazing facts about this natural element.

Water stands apart in the history of our planet.
There is no natural body that could
compare with it in terms of its influence on the course of the main,
the most grandiose, geological processes.
IN AND. Vernadsky

Water is the most abundant inorganic compound on earth. And the first exceptional property of water is that it consists of compounds of hydrogen and oxygen atoms. It would seem that such a connection, according to chemical laws must be gaseous. And water is liquid!

For example, everyone knows that water exists in nature in three states: solid, liquid and vapor. But now more than 20 states of water are distinguished, of which only 14 are water in a frozen state.

Surprisingly, water is the only substance on Earth whose density in the solid state is less than in the liquid state. That is why ice does not sink, and reservoirs do not freeze to the very bottom. Except in extremely cold temperatures.

Another fact: water is a universal solvent. According to the quantity and quality of elements and minerals dissolved in water, scientists distinguish approximately 1330 types of water: mineral and melt, rain and dew, glacial and artesian ...

Water in nature

Water plays a vital role in nature. At the same time, it is involved in a variety of mechanisms and life cycles on earth. Here are just a few facts that clearly demonstrate its significance for our planet:

• The importance of the water cycle in nature is simply enormous. It is this process that allows animals and plants to receive moisture, which is so necessary for their life and existence.
• Seas and oceans, rivers and lakes - all bodies of water play a crucial role in creating the climate of a particular area. And the high heat capacity of water provides a comfortable temperature regime on our planet.
• Water plays one of the key roles in the process of photosynthesis. Without water, plants could not recycle carbon dioxide into oxygen, which means the air would be unbreathable.

Water in human life

The main consumer of water on Earth is a person. It is no coincidence that all world civilizations were formed and developed exclusively near water bodies. The importance of water in human life is simply enormous.

• The human body is also made up of water. In the body of a newborn - up to 75% of water, in the body of an elderly person - more than 50%. At the same time, it is known that a person cannot survive without water. So, when we lose at least 2% of the water from the body, excruciating thirst begins. If more than 12% of water is lost, a person will not recover without the help of doctors. And having lost 20% of the water from the body, a person dies.
• Water is an extremely important source of nutrition for humans. According to statistics, a person normally consumes 60 liters of water per month (2 liters per day).
• Water delivers oxygen and nutrients to every cell in our body.
• Due to the presence of water, our body can regulate body temperature.
• Water also allows you to process food into energy, helps cells absorb nutrients. Water also removes toxins and waste from our body.
• Man everywhere uses water for his needs: for food, in agriculture, for various production, for generating electricity. It is not surprising that the struggle for water resources is serious. Here are just a few facts:

More than 70% of our planet is covered with water. But at the same time, only 3% of all water can be attributed to drinking. And access to this resource becomes more and more difficult every year. Thus, according to RIA Novosti, over the past 50 years, more than 500 conflicts related to the struggle for water resources have occurred on our planet. Of these, more than 20 conflicts have escalated into armed clashes. This is just one of the numbers that clearly demonstrate how important the role of water in human life is.

Water pollution

Water pollution is the process of saturation of water bodies with harmful substances, industrial waste and household waste, as a result of which water loses most of its functions and becomes unsuitable for further consumption.

Main sources of pollution:

1. Oil refineries
2. Heavy metals
3. radioactive elements
4. Pesticide
5. Effluent from city sewers and livestock farms.

Scientists have long sounded the alarm that the world's oceans annually receive over 13 million tons of oil waste. Wherein Pacific Ocean receives up to 9 million tons, and the Atlantic - more than 30 million tons.

According to the World Health Organization, there are no sources left on our planet that contain pure natural water. There are only reservoirs polluted less than others. And this threatens the catastrophe of our civilization, because without water, humanity simply cannot survive. And there is nothing to replace it.