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Water Soluble Pollutants

Water-soluble pollutants are miscible, or dissolve, in water due to their chemical composition. Water, H20, is a polar molecule, meaning it carries a slight negative charge on the oxygen atom and a slight positive charge on the hydrogen atoms. Many water-soluble pollutants are polyatomic ions, which are charged particles consisting of many atoms, and can be lethal to plants and animals in high amounts. Due to their charged nature, they dissolve well in a polar solvent such as water.

  1. Human Activities

    • Many water-soluble pollutants are the consequence of anthropogenic, or man-made, activities. The ground absorbs overused pesticides and fertilizers, which eventually find their way into underground water that feeds into rivers, lakes and oceans. Additionally, flushing medications down the toilet can result in these chemicals affecting wildlife living in or near water sources and can interfere with plant and animal health and reproduction.

    Wastewater Treatment Facilities

    • Wastewater treatment facilities are intended to remove toxic compounds, such as ammonia, nitrate and phosphate, from human waste and agriculture and recycle water for human consumption. An article appearing in the February 2011 issue of "Science of the Total Environment" examined the effects on streams located near wastewater treatment facilities. The authors sampled water from two streams in Spain and found that levels of ammonia and nitrate collected in the streams was four to five times greater up to a kilometer away from such facilities as compared to undeveloped areas. In contrast, the authors found that the amounts of phosphate did not collect, but rather decreased the further away from development and farmlands.

    Metal Pollution

    • Transitional metals, such as zinc and copper, can vary in the strength of their charges. Zinc and copper are good examples of water soluble metal pollutants, which can cause organ failure, nerve damage and death. A study published in the March 2011 issue of "Aquatic Toxicology" investigated the effects of these metals on the feeding behavior of the common carp, a ubiquitous fish often used as an indicator of water quality. The researchers found that feeding behavior was significantly reduced within three hours after the fish were exposed to the metals. The study concluded that food uptake was a useful indicator for the effects of metal-induced toxicity in aquatic environments.

    Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds

    • The endocrine system controls the release of hormones, which are responsible for metabolism, growth, reproduction and other bodily functions. A study in the March 2010 issue of "Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry" evaluated the amounts of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), such as birth control pills and insecticides, being discharged from wastewater treatment facilities into two rivers in the Czech Republic. The researchers recorded the amounts of pharmaceuticals, pesticides and other polar molecules in water samples from the rivers and found that the wastewater treatment facility was the source of entry for the pollutants.

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