World Water Day
by Danielle Francis

Image courtesy of Csmonitor.com

It’s simple. One little oxygen atom bonds to two hydrogen atoms and there you have it ― crisp, clean water. One of the most used and taken for granted resources out there, water has its very own day of observance. The international honoring of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.

Here’s a scary fact: The UN says that dirty drinking water kills more people than violence. Nearly 20% of the world’s population does not have appropriate access to adequate drinking water. As the population increases, so will the number of people without attainable water sources.

This year, World Water Day fell on March 22. It was a day of accordance and action to draw attention to the issue of the lack of access to safe drinking water. We are reminded of how the availability of clean water and safe sanitation shapes human lives in so many ways. It impacts human health and the survival of young children. It influences school enrollment and learning. It affects the burden of securing water for daily living, and it changes the health of ecosystems that sustain life. Access to safe water and sanitation is a key driver of human development. It’s 90% of what we are all made of, yet almost all dirty water is washed into oceans and rivers before being decontaminated.

So what can we do about it? First off, the UN is urging everyone to make sure that leaky pipes and fixtures are taken care of. We don’t want any excess being wasted. The World Water Day meeting even called for water recycling systems and multi-million dollar investments in sewage treatment works.

On a more individual level, and I know we’ve all heard it before, stop with the plastic bottles already! Even though the FDA has approved all plastics currently, they might not all be safe. An estrogen-like compound in plastic could be posing risks to the brain development of infants and children, and may even lead to breast cancer in the long run.

Personally, I recommend avoiding plastic food containers as much as possible. Never put hot food in plastic or use plastic dishes in the microwave, as heat increases the leaching of BPA and other toxins. As of right now the best alternatives are glass and non-plastic titanium bottles. More and more companies are coming out with cute styles and patterns to keep eco-friendly.

World Water Day was created to raise awareness about sustaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by addressing the increasing challenges in water management. By encouraging governments, organizations, communities, and individuals around the world to engage in proactively addressing water quality issues and then ultimately restorative projects for more than just one day, maybe every nation will finally have the bare necessities.

BPA, Danielle Francis, fda, United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, water, World Water Day