by April Muir

June 2, 2015

You may be serving up polluted water from your tap caused by industrial pollutants. Nearby factories and chemical plants may leak industrial pollutants like asbestos into your drinking water. Industrial water pollution can include the following chemicals which pose potential health effects with excessive or long-term exposure. These types of pollutants can have devastating effects on you and your family. Long-term exposure to excessive amounts of these chemicals can cause anemia, decrease in blood platelets, cause liver problems and increased risk of cancer.

Asbestos:

A naturally occurring fibrous mineral. Drinking water containing excessive levels of asbestos may increase risk for benign intestinal polyps.
Carbon Tetrachloride: A chemical discharged from chemical plants and other industrial activities. Ingesting water with excessive levels of carbon tetrachloride can cause liver problems.

Ethylbenzene:

A chemical discharged from petroleum plants. Excessive exposure to ethyl benzene can cause liver or kidney problems.

o-Dichlorobenzene:

A chemical discharged from chemical factories. Exposure to excessive levels of this chemical in drinking water can cause liver, kidney or circulatory system problems.

Toluene:

A chemical discharged from petroleum factories. Exposure to excessive levels of this chemical in drinking water can cause liver, kidney or nervous system problems.
VOCs: VOCs, or Volatile Organic Chemicals, are a group of chemicals used as solvents in many industrial and household products. VOCs can enter the groundwater when they are improperly discarded. The health effects of drinking water containing excess VOC levels vary from headache, nausea and dizziness to liver damage and memory impairment.

Benzene:

A chemical which leaches into the water supply from factory runoff, gas storage tanks and landfills. It’s been linked to anemia, decrease in blood platelets and an increased risk of cancer.

Chlorobenzene:

A chemical found in dyestuffs and insecticides. It’s also used as a solvent. Drinking water contaminated with high levels of this chemical can cause liver, kidney and central nervous system damage.

MTBE:

A chemical used to increase the oxygen content of fuel. MTBE can contaminate water supplies by storage tank leaks, pipelines, spills, marine engine emissions and to some extent from deposition.

Tetrachloroethylene:

A chemical primarily used in dry cleaning. It gets into water supplies through emissions. Drinking water contaminated with high levels of this chemical can cause liver, kidney and central nervous system damage.

Trichloroethylene:

A chemical used mainly as a solvent to remove grease from machine parts. Exposure to excessive levels of this chemical in drinking water can cause liver problems and increase the risk of cancer.

Hydrocarbons:

In emergencies flood waters contain oil from roads and underground tanks. Sagan Life® filters remove these hydrocarbons – other filters do not!

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