Abstract:
Water pollution has been one of the most pressing issues in the world since the Industrial Revolution. This pollution contaminates many places such as rivers and seas that contain vital natural resources and food sources. It can also cause harmful algal blooms that are detrimental to wildlife, and can contribute to a range of water-borne human diseases. Therefore, our nonprofit organization, the Clean Water Access Alliance, aims to raise public awareness of water pollution. To show how this is a worldwide issue, our team members examined various rivers in Seoul, Tokyo, and New York City. In Seoul, we found a high level of phosphate in three different rivers. High phosphate levels can have dangerous effects on the environment and harm the health of water bodies, for example, through eutrophication. The results from two rivers in Tokyo were better, with much lower levels of phosphate that can probably be considered safe. However, we also measured nitrates and found high concentrations in both rivers, which might pose a health hazard to humans. These levels are not immediately harmful to fish but risk causing eutrophication, and could therefore have negative impacts on the environment. Finally, in two locations in New York City, we found lower nitrate levels that are within the safe limits for humans, but may still be too high from an environmental point of view. Even though governments have worked on this water pollution issue to solve it, we should be aware of its seriousness and strive to solve it together.​​
Research Report - The Harmful Effects of Water Pollution in Urban Settings:
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Water Mission reported that “2.2 billion people around the world lack access to safe water” (1). Water pollution is among one of the most pressing issues the world currently faces. In fact, water pollution has been known to be a significant problem since the mid-19th century. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, water pollution intensified as factories began to discharge pollutants directly into rivers and streams. For instance, “in 1969, chemical waste released into Ohio’s Cuyahoga River caused it to burst into flames and the waterway became a symbol of how industrial pollution was destroying America’s natural resources” (Para.1 and 10). Nowadays, there are many places that contaminate the natural resources in the world. By destroying natural resources like rivers and the sea, water pollution harms significant food sources by causing harsh substances to affect the food that fish eat. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are harmful to fish, since toxins can accumulate within fish as they feed on the algae. When a predator consumes that fish, it too is consuming higher toxin levels.
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Water pollution jeopardizes not only food sources but also humans directly. The National Library of Medicine stated that “Human exposures to aerosolized or water-borne toxins, and dermatological contact with HABs can also have negative impacts. Other effects include mortalities of fish and wildlife, ecosystem disruption, hypoxia and anoxia from high biomass blooms, and noxious impacts associated with the accumulation and decay of massive micro- and macroalgal blooms” (Para. 2). Also, “Not only does this spell disaster for aquatic ecosystems, the pollutants also seep through and reach the groundwater, which might end up in our households as contaminated water we use in our daily activities, including drinking” (Water Mission). This is recognized by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The World Health Organization (WHO) identified that water pollution causes terrible diseases such as Itai-Itai, cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, polio, and Minamata disease" (Drinking-water Para. 6). Therefore, our nonprofit organization aims to bring awareness of water pollution to the public. In order to show how water pollution has become worldwide, our members of the Clean Water Access Alliance examined various rivers from Seoul to Tokyo to New York City.
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First of all, our team examined three rivers. These included the Han River, Seongbukcheon Stream, and Jeongneungcheon Stream in Seoul. We used the LaMotte Urban Water Test Kit to conduct the water testing. This is a colorimetric assay (meaning that the level of phosphate is shown by the color of the test solution). We collected water samples from these three rivers, poured the samples into separate test tubes, incubated the test tubes at room temperature for 48 hours, and finally measured them by comparing the appearance of the tubes to the tap water color charts from the test kit.
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Phosphate Level Results taken from Seoul Water Samples:
1. Jeongneungcheon Stream: 5 PPM (phosphate)
2. Seongbukcheon Stream: 4 PPM (phosphate)
3. Han River: 4 PPM (phosphate)
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The overall testing results in Seoul were very high in phosphate. James Kostoski claims that “Phosphate levels greater than 1.0 ppm may interfere with coagulation in water treatment plants. As a result, organic particles that harbor microorganisms may not be completely removed before distribution” (Kostoki 2). When water is high in phosphate, it may have dangerous effects on the surrounding ecosystem. Over time, it can harm the health of local water bodies such as the Han River. This process is officially called eutrophication. More specifically, according to new research, “eutrophication is a natural process that results from the accumulation of nutrients in lakes or other bodies of water” (Nutrients and Eutrophication | U.S. Geological Survey Para. 6). However, this is the safe limit for human consumption and it does not consider the impact on wildlife. According to StackPath, “Unpolluted waters naturally contain a total phosphorus concentration of around 0.02 ppm” (Para. 7). According to EnvirSci Inquiry Lehigh River Watershed Explorations, “a river with no more than 0.1 ppm is considered safe” (Para. 3). The levels we found in Seoul would be safe for humans, but too high for the environment, which could therefore cause eutrophication.
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Eutrophication can occur naturally or due to human activity, such as pollution in rivers contributing to an increase in the amount of nutrients. The three Seoul rivers we tested are vital to the city’s residents.
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Phosphate Level Results taken from Tokyo Water Samples:
1. Daikanyama River: 0.08 PPM (phosphate)
2. Narimasu River: 0.02 PPM (phosphate)
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The results from these two rivers in Tokyo are more promising than those in Seoul. The phosphate levels were much lower, and therefore more safe based on the above limits mentioned. Our team measured not only phosphate levels in Tokyo, but also nitrate levels.
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Nitrate Level Results taken from Tokyo Water Samples:
1. Daikanyama River: 12 PPM (nitrate)
2. Narimasu River: 15 PPM (nitrate)
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It was surprising to see that concentrations of both nitrates and phosphates have a substantial difference to one another. According to Daniels and Mesner, "Nitrate is a form of dissolved nitrogen that occurs naturally in soil and water. Most natural concentrations of nitrate are not of concern, but when excess nitrate gets into water, it can pose a health hazard to humans” (Page 1), and “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has set the primary drinking water standard (from public water supplies) for nitrate at 10 ppm. Higher nitrate levels may be harmful to people and animals when found in a drinking water supply” (Page 2). This was identified by Utah State University.
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As the chart shows, the two rivers from Tokyo hold an excess of 10 ppm of nitrates, as they have 12 ppm and 15 ppm. This, therefore, means that those rivers are not considered safe for humans. Usually, nitrates that are less than 1.0 ppm are considered safe in rivers. According to new research, “Nitrate levels from 0 – 40 ppm are generally safe for fish'' (Nitrate and Nitrite). The nitrate levels in our Tokyo sample are safe for fish species, but harmful to both humans and the environment, which risks causing eutrophication.
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Nitrate Level Results taken from New York City Water Samples:
1. Robert Moses Beach: 5 PPM (nitrate)
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Our team was able to gather data on nitrates within the New York metropolitan area. The New York City nitrate levels are lower and within the safe limits for humans, but they might still be too high for the environment and risk causing eutrophication.
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In South Korea, the government has started multiple programs to help clean local rivers. For example, Alexander Danilenko and Aroha Bahuguna reported that “With international support including that from the World Bank, Korea galvanized its water sector by investing in water and wastewater infrastructure” (Par 2). For example, according to Alexander Danilenko and Aroha Bahuguna, "South Korea started to work with OECD to reduce water pollution. South Korea also established municipal water and sewage companies with skilled engineers and experts to keep this significant sector running” (Para. 2). As a result, according to relevant statistics gleaned from the Korean Ministry of Environment, “the BOD trend has decreased from 1.4 mg/L to 1.1mg/L today” (Ministry of Environment, page 7), meaning that if BOD is lower in water, the water quality is better.
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The Han River provides drinking water to many Koreans. Therefore, it's very important to keep the river clean and safe. Japan has a particular policy in place to reduce water pollution. Japan has “the Water Pollution Prevention Act (WPPA), which sets standards for the discharge of certain water contamination from specific business facilities that discharge wastewater into public water sources” (OnePass | Thomson Reuters). Also, Japan for Sustainability (JFS) claimed that “Japan uses water-saving technologies such as membrane technology” (Para. 4) to keep the water clean, which makes Japan able to have the reputation of being one of the cleanest countries for water resources. New York City's rivers have become more clean over the past few years. There is still, always, more work to be done in order to drive forward a sustainable future in urban areas.
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Works Cited:
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1. A Href=/Team/Alexander-Danilenko Hreflang=En>Alexander DanilenkoAroha BahugunaWorld Bank Blogs, 26 Oct. 2016, blogs.worldbank.org/water/korea-model-development-water-and-sanitation-sector.
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2. Anderson, Donald M., Elizabeth Fensin, Christopher J. Gobler, Alicia E. Hoeglund, Katherine A. Hubbard, David M. Kulis, Jan H. Landsberg. Kathi A. Lefebvre, Pieter Provoost. Mindy L. Richlen, Juliette L. Smith, Andrew R. Solow and Vera L.Trainer. 2021 . Marine harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the United States: History, current status and future trends. Harmful Algae 102, 101975. coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/report-on-u-s-marine-habs-history-current-status-and-future-trends.
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www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water.
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5. “Japan’s Leading Water Treatment Technology and Its Potential｜.” JFS Japan for Sustainability, www.japanfs.org/en/news/archives/news_id030099.html.
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6. Kostoski, James. Phosphorus Minifact & Analysis Sheet. Spring Harbor Environmental Magnet Middle School, 1997. https://osse.ssec.wisc.edu/curriculum/earth/Minifact2_Phosphorus.pdf.
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7. Nitrate and Nitrite. www.lenntech.com/hazardous-substances/nitrate-and-nitrite.htm.
Nutrients and Eutrophication | U.S. Geological Survey. 2 Mar. 2019, www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/nutrients-and-eutrophication.
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8. Mesner, Nancy and Daniels, Barbara. "Drinking Water Fact Sheet: Nitrate." Utah State University Digital Commons, 1 Dec. 2010. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/extension_curall/510/.
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9. Ministry of Environment. Environmental Conditions and Environmental Quality Trends in Korea. Republic of Korea, 2015. http://eng.me.go.kr/eng/file/readDownloadFile.do?fileId=115224&fileSeq=1&openYn=Y
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10. OnePass | Thomson Reuters. signon.thomsonreuters.com/6-502-8920?productid=PLCUK&viewproductid=UKPL&lr=0&culture=en-US&returnto=https%3a%2f%2fuk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com%2fCosi%2fSignOn%3fredirectTo%3d%252f6-502-8920%253ftransitionType%253dDefault%2526firstPage%253dtrue&tracetoken=1122221340370EWCHQm6FUX3zwaUH56lQm3kvqnlrmMKHEL_ghkDh2FtmY5t9y9i2Jb2JaCau4y_7PLKb6r7te6Inbn6YH7ChBMZ5T74EnSpGnoyR0Bp_8kfmI8YvGakurQNJjuOJrBEmoPwh9yL6Th1mSKhq-MfbXPMzycz1oyoJM9Rk7lh39nsxoWUqd51knKeaxmBiBOqpM6EC-w7Udt6TyYSH9fRArfCOsvDk9daS7SxWub-8cVV4JfyiVs6d_HwU7MG43_sicaaQ7MfOQ_SeQ5-8DHIId5ZESEuQcYaXq5rJtfg1Zs-TzTgkuhTozA87aIROyzkLPBsJbBXSEV24VzEoXfLX_DJQgSx7Pm_IruJvdVtAreF7eTO_JAbbSUEdAdZGg6gU.
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11. StackPath. www.watertechonline.com/home/article/15540707/phosphates.
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12. Water Mission. “Global Water Crisis.” Water Mission, 1 Nov. 2022, watermission.org/global-water-crisis.
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13. “Water Pollution.” WWF, wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/teacher_resources/webfieldtrips/water_pollution.
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14. [EnvirSci Inquiry] Lehigh River Watershed Explorations. ei.lehigh.edu/envirosci/watershed/wq/wqbackground/phosphatesbg.html.