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Water Pollution and Chemical Contamination in Drinking Water

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Principles and Practice of Environmental Medicine

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Abstract

An ample supply of clean fresh water is essential for the well-being of all organisms. The quality of drinking water, often taken for granted in industrialized nations, is increasingly becoming a matter of concern. The original focus of most water quality improvement programs was on such conventional pollutants as dissolved oxygen, fecal coliform bacteria, suspended sediment, dissolved solids, and phosphorus. Although pathogens in inadequately treated drinking water are still the greatest public health concern related to drinking water, increased industrialization, the widespread use of chemicals in industry and agriculture, and the disposal of large volumes of industrial wastes have drawn attention to the importance of protecting drinking water from contamination with chemical agents. Over 60,000 chemicals are now being used by industry and agriculture. Accordingly, such substances as synthetic organic chemicals, solvents, pesticides, metals, cleaning preparations, and septic tank de-greasers can pollute both surface and ground waters that are sources of drinking water.

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Authors
  1. William A. Coniglio
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  2. Paul S. Berger
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  3. Joseph A. Cotruvo
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA

    Alyce Bezman Tarcher M.D.

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© 1992 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Coniglio, W.A., Berger, P.S., Cotruvo, J.A. (1992). Water Pollution and Chemical Contamination in Drinking Water. In: Tarcher, A.B. (eds) Principles and Practice of Environmental Medicine. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2447-6_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2447-6_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-2449-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-2447-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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