Chemistry

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Recommended: Water pollution affects human health essay

Despite making up a third of the world, water- the universal solvent- is a rare source and needs to be processed to be made available for human consumption. Water is molecularly structured to be able to dissolve a variety of different substances, therefore being considered as a good solvent. It is a bent molecule as it has a polar arrangement of oxygen (negative charge) and hydrogen atoms (positive charge). Water is easily attracted to other molecules, sometimes to the point of disrupting attractive forces and dissolving it (Perlman, 2014).
Water quality is based on both chemical and aesthetic factors. To determine water quality, temperature, pH, TDS- Total Dissolved Solids, dissolved oxygen and turbidity of water will be tested. Temperature affects chemical elements, mainly dissolved oxygen levels of surface water and biological properties such as photosynthesis of aquatic plants, and more. Warm water is less capable of containing dissolved oxygen and solubility of oxygen decreases. As temperature rises an exothermic reaction occurs resulting in heat being released in the form of gas molecules. The kinetic energy increases motion in the gas molecules, breaking intermolecular bonds, and separates from water molecules. As a result the solute amount available to be dissolved in the water is less. Thermal pollution is another major issue caused when water sources (like streams) are warmer than the body of water it is joining. This can be from urban runoff like water heated on roads, industrial discharge- hot water used to cool equipment, and removal of canopy which reduces shade, increases erosion and results in a higher sediment quantity in the water (Unknown, n.d.). This may lead to an increase of TDS in water. TDS measures the co...

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... S. D. W., n.d. TDS and pH. [Online]
Available at: www.safewater.org/PDFS/resourcesknowthefacts/TDS_AND%20_pH.pdf
[Accessed 11 May 2104].
Frey, R. C. a. R., 1998. Water Hardness- Inorganic Reactions Experiment. [Online]
Available at: www.chemistry.wustl.edu/-edudev/LabTutorials/WaterFreshWater/hardness.html
[Accessed 05 May 2014].
Johnson, R., Holman, S. & Holmquist, D., 1999. Water Quality Test Summary. [Online]
Available at: www.sasta.asn.au/v2/adc/datalogging/DataSinglePagePDFs/ADCBookDatalog13-23.pdf
[Accessed 15 May 2014].
Perlman, H., 2014. The USGS Water Science School. [Online]
Available at: http://water.usgs.gov/edu/qa-solvent.html
[Accessed 05 May 2014].
Unknown, n.d. RAMP, Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program. [Online]
Available at: www.ramp-alberta.org/river/water+sediment+quality/chemical/temperature+nd+dissolved+oxygen.aspx
[Accessed 10 May 2014].

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