Introduction
Chemical pollutants in water include manufactured industrial products, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, and agrochemicals [1]. The overall benefits to societies of polluting chemicals are generally considered greater than any environmental harm they may cause. Moreover, by not having to take financial responsibility for environmental damage, profits by manufacturers can be generated at lower direct costs to consumers. The situation is not unrestrained with certain environmental protections being established by Governmental authorities in developed countries, such as the EPA (Environmental Protection Authority) in the US.
Yet, fifty-one percent of the inland lakes and rivers in the United States are now too polluted to safely swim or fish [2]. Toxic chemicals are present throughout much of the remaining waterways. Huge levels of toxic chemicals occur especially in the vicinity of mining and fracking operations [3-4].
Pollution extends into the groundwater in land areas used to cultivate food and other crops and for the grazing of animals, including wildlife [5]. Foods can be additionally polluted with synthetic chemicals that are included during the cultivation of the crops or added during the processing of the foods [6].
Many chronic illnesses are attributed to the toxicity of chemical pollutants [7]. Particularly noteworthy are infectious diseases that may occur due to overall lowered immunity and the selective growth of pathogenic microorganisms in polluted water. Especially with gastrointestinal infections, pathogenic microbes can reenter the Nation’s water as untreated sewage [8].