Water quality and your health

Water quality
and your health

You drink it, you cook with it, and you shower with it, but do you know what’s in your water?Contents

Water Quality and your health

You drink it, you cook with it, and you shower with it, but do you know what’s in your water?

Water is essential for the body. It plays a key role in your overall health by hydrating the body, aiding digestion, and regulating temperature. Besides drinking it, you use water for everything from cooking and cleaning, to bathing, flushing, and swimming. 

However, the quality of the water you drink and use every day can have an impact on your health. Poor water quality can harbour harmful contaminants like heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, pathogens, pharmaceuticals, and microplastics, which pose serious health risks. With the added pressures of aging infrastructure, pollution, and climate change, it’s more important than ever to take water safety seriously.

Did you know?

Water contamination causes over 3.5 million deaths each year.

How to know if your water is unsafe

Sometimes, the signs of unsafe water are visible or noticeable to the senses. Put your eyes, nose, and mouth to the test. Evaluate the look, smell, and taste of your water.

Unusual taste: Bitter or metallic flavour
Strange smell: Chlorine, rotten eggs, or musty odours
Cloudy or discoloured water: Can signal sediment, rust, or bacteria

Your drinking water should be clear, colourless, and have a normal smell. However, many dangerous contaminants are invisible and tasteless. For that reason, it's important to go beyond just the appearance of your water and regularly test it, and even more so if you rely on a private well or live in an older home with aging pipes.

Interesting fact

10 per cent of tap water samples exceed health safety limits for contaminants such as lead, nitrates, and bacteria, even in developed countries.

Hidden contaminants in your water

Even if your water looks clear and tastes fine, it may contain pollutants that could harm your health over time. Even low levels of toxins may cause harm with long-term use.

Common contaminants in water include:

Heavy metals – Lead, arsenic, and mercury can enter water through aging pipes or natural deposits. These toxins can damage the nervous system and are linked to neurological issues, kidney damage, and developmental problems in children.
Chlorine & fluoride – Used to disinfect public water, these chemicals can irritate the eyes, skin, and respiratory system. Chlorine by-products have also been associated with an increased risk of certain cancers.
Nitrates and pesticides – Often found in rural or agricultural areas.
PFAS ("Forever Chemicals") – Found in non-stick cookware, packaging, and industrial waste, these chemicals have been linked to hormone disruption, immune system issues, and other issues. PFAS are known as forever chemicals because they don’t break down naturally. That means that they can accumulate for years in soil, water, and even in your body. 
Bacteria & parasites – Poorly treated water or private wells may contain harmful bacteria like E. coli or norovirus, which can cause diarrhoea, nausea, and fever.

Did you know?

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an estimated 829,000 people die each year from diarrhoea as a result of unsafe drinking water. 

How water quality affects your health

While most tap water is treated to meet safety standards, contaminants can still be present, affecting everything from your digestion to skin health. Germs and chemicals in drinking water can cause a variety of health issues from mild to serious. Most commonly, contaminated water can cause rashes, earaches, eye infections, stomach pain, and diarrhoea.

When your water is contaminated, it can affect your digestion, your energy levels, and your immune system, according to World Health. Even if your water isn’t dangerously contaminated, poor hydration due to bad taste or odour can lead to headaches, fatigue, and kidney strain. Hard water, which contains high levels of calcium and magnesium, can lead to dry skin, hair damage, and kidney stones in some people.

Long-term exposure to unsafe water may increase the risk of diseases like cancer, heart problems, and kidney damage. Heavy metals like lead, arsenic, or mercury in drinking water may contribute to cognitive decline, neurological disorders, hormone imbalances, and increased cancer risks, due to chemicals from industrial and agricultural activities seeping into water sources.

A build-up of microorganisms is a leading cause of many waterborne diseases and illnesses, such as cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, Typhoid, Polio, and parasitic illnesses like schistosomiasis.

Interesting fact

The World Health Organisation reports that unsafe drinking water contributes to nearly 80 per cent of diseases worldwide

Who is at risk?

People who are more likely to get sick from contaminated water include those:

50 years or older
6 months or younger
With a chronic lung disease, such as emphysema
With a weakened immune system, for example from cancer, an organ transplant, or HIV
With an illness such as diabetes, kidney failure, or liver failure
Who smoke or used to smoke
Who wear contact lenses

Children and seniors are especially at risk of getting sick from contaminated water due to their weaker immune systems.

Did you know?

Dirty water is the number one killer of children under the age of 5, according to a report by UNICEF.

Healthy water contains:

Calcium & magnesium – for good bone development
Chlorine – for your digestive system
Copper – improves the function of enzymes in blood and muscles
Iron – supports blood and muscle tissues
Potassium – aids water retention
Sodium – a key component of blood plasma and essential for energy

Interesting fact

485,000 deaths occur each year due to unsafe drinking water and waterborne diseases like cholera and dysentery.

Ten steps you can take to ensure your water is safe

Test your water regularly: Testing your water quality is the first step to knowing what you’re dealing with. You can buy a water test kit online or from a home store, or send a sample to a certified lab to check for contaminants. Home testing kits can detect bacteria, chemicals, and heavy metals. If you're renting, request your landlord share recent testing results. If using well water, test it at least once a year. Some areas offer free testing through local health departments. If your test shows problems, you can take steps to treat your water. 

Install a water filtration system: There are many ways to clean your water at home. Depending on the impurities found, you can install a simple carbon filter on your tap that will remove chlorine and bad smells, or a reverse osmosis system under your sink that catches even smaller particles, or a water softener which can improve your water quality by removing harmful contaminants. Look for filters certified to remove lead, bacteria, and other pollutants. Pitcher filters are easy and cheap, but they may not remove all contaminants.

Use a shower filter: A shower filter can reduce chlorine exposure, benefiting your skin, and hair health. Clean your filters as directed by the manufacturer, and replace them when needed.

Boil water when needed: If your local water supplier issues a boil water notice, follow it immediately. Boiling water for at least one minute kills harmful bacteria and parasites, making it safe for consumption. Boil water notices or advisories are issued when there’s a risk that the water may be contaminated, such as after a natural disaster or water main break. Always follow the advisory and continue boiling the water until notified that the water is safe to drink.

Properly maintain your plumbing systems: Regularly check and maintain your plumbing system to avoid leaks or build-up. Replace old lead pipes, fix leaks, and clean water storage tanks to reduce contamination risks. You should always flush you taps after long periods of non-use.

Dispose of household chemicals properly: Many household products contain harmful chemicals that can contaminate drinking water. These include pesticides, cleaning agents, and motor oil.  Never pour grease, paint, or chemicals down your sink, toilet, or drains because they may end up in the water supply. Dispose of any hazardous products by taking them to designated disposal sites.

Make your own environmentally-friendly cleaning products: Mix vinegar, baking soda, and a few drops of essential oils together. This natural cleaning mixture can be used for a variety of cleaning tasks, including disinfecting surfaces, removing stains, and deodorising your home.

Descale your kettle: Regularly descale your kettle with a stainless steel descaler. Rinse your kettle regularly, particularly if limescale is floating on the top. And never leave leftover boiled water sitting in your kettle.

If you’re living or travelling to high-risk areas, take precautions to protect yourself: Drink only filtered, bottled, or boiled water, maintain good hygiene, avoid ice cubes, and raw food.

Stay informed: Pay attention to local water quality reports and alerts from health authorities in your region.

It is the responsibility of water utilities to monitor water quality and meet safe drinking water standards. Always contact your water utility or health authority if you are concerned about the quality of your tap water.

At Allianz, our mission is to keep you well — wherever life takes you. Learn more about our International Health Insurance plans  and how we can support your health and wellbeing every step of the way.