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].