Water Contamination Footprints

Most of us know what a carbon footprint is. Now, according to Chetan Pandit, Central Water Commission, Government of India, we should also be aware of our water contamination footprint. A water contamination footprint should be distinguished from a water footprint in that the first measures the amount of endocrine disruption caused by chemicals, whereas the latter is simply the amount of water that a person uses in their lifetime. (http://www.indiawaterportal.org/articles/water-contamination-footprint-paper-chetan-pandit)

Undergraduate students at Penn State, under Heather Gall, assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering, developed an Excel formula sheet that calculates contamination levels from medications and personal care products. The goal of the project is to help people become aware of and reduce their impact on the environment, and maybe start using more plant-based products. (http://news.psu.edu/story/440170/2016/12/01/new-tool-helps-consumers-measure-their-emerging-contaminant-footprint)

According to the Penn State Extension Water Quality Website, many of the chemicals found in household products are endocrine disruptors, which damage aquatic life at trace levels. (http://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/drinking-water/water-testing/pollutants/endocrine-disrupting-compounds-calculator/view)

The calculator can be downloaded at http://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/drinking-water/water-testing/pollutants/endocrine-disrupting-compounds-calculator/view.

Chetan Pandit states in his article (cited in first paragraph) that most water campaigns are aimed at reducing the amount of water used. He believes that we must now become aware that the quality of water is just as important.

http://vetmed.illinois.edu/envirovet/2006/programdeveloped.html