For animals, flora and, of course, the importance of water for humans huge.

Water is indeed the source of life on earth - not a single cell of a living organism can exist without it. And consequently, the organism itself cannot exist without water. After all, the organisms of living beings are nothing but a combination of many water systems - suspensions, colloids, aqueous solutions.

Water is involved in the process of respiration, since a person can breathe dry air for a relatively short time. During sweating, it participates in the process of thermoregulation. Also, water removes toxins from the human body and delivers nutrients (mineral salts, vitamins) to the cells. The value of water for a person is so great that for normal life he needs to drink more than 1.5 liters per day.

The amount of water released by life processes must be replenished. Consequently, one of the most important issues of human nutrition is the problem of constant replacement of water in the body. It can be compensated both as an integral part of food, and in free form. It is known that pure water does not exist in nature. It was found that in natural waters there are more than 80 chemical elements. Thanks to the experiments that revealed this, water is considered as a very complex system containing chemical components, biologically living objects and their metabolic products. In addition to the source of life, water in nature is also the universal solvent. It constantly contains a huge amount of ions of other substances.

Natural waters are divided into the following groups:

natural waters

Atmospheric waters

• rain

surface water

• fresh water
• river waters

ground water

• keys
• wells
• wells

sea ​​waters

Mineral water

We can consider the features of each of the groups.

atmospheric water. This group continuously evaporates for years from the surfaces of rivers, lakes, seas, as well as from the surface of the soil, etc. This water returns to the earth again under conditions known to everyone since school in the form of precipitation: snow, hail, rain, etc. More than half of this water is released back into the atmosphere through evaporation. The other half of the precipitation either seeps into the soil, forming groundwater, or flows into water bodies along the surface of the same soil.

surface water. Part of the precipitation that has fallen on the soil from the atmosphere flows over its surface until it reaches water basins - seas, lakes, oceans. On the way to these water basins, the surface years are enriched various substances depending on soil types and any other conditions.

It should also be said that river water is not only enriched with dissolved substances, but can also lose them. For example, some of the carbon dioxide escapes from it. As a result of this process, magnesium, iron and calcium precipitate, which were previously contained in the water in the form of salts. Often people can observe the effect of the so-called self-purification of rivers. During this process, under the influence of sunlight and oxygen contained in the air, microorganisms die and decompose. organic matter contained in water.

The value of river water in human life for the most part energy - hydroelectric power stations are being built on the rivers.

Due to the large evaporation surface, lake water contains a greater amount of dissolved substances than river water. The lakes located in the mountains have the cleanest water.

ground water. Groundwater begins with atmospheric water, some of which seeps into the soil. For humans, the value of this water is the most important. It appears on the surface of the earth in the form of springs and springs, and can also be mined by a person using wells or wells. Ground waters are even more diverse in composition than river waters, and this diversity varies over a wide range.

Groundwater is most often rich in minerals and contains a small amount of organic matter. However, the composition of waters in approximately one place and at the same depth does not always coincide.

natural waters. They depend on the season and the climate in general. Their composition is mainly affected only by man-made factors. Industrial waste years, runoff from agricultural fields - all this has a detrimental effect on natural waters.

Water hygiene

The reserves of water on Earth are enormous. The source of all the water resources of the Earth is its hydrosphere, which combines all the free waters of the planets into one whole, i.e. water not associated chemically or physically with the minerals of the earth's crust and capable of moving under the influence of gravity or under the influence of heat. The main part of the hydrosphere is the World Ocean, which occupies almost ¾ of the planet's surface.

According to the latest data, the total water reserves on Earth is about 1.5 billion cubic meters. km. However, only 2.5% of the total water supply can be used for human needs. Fresh water reserves are 35 million cubic meters. km. Of this, almost 69% is in ice sheets and more than 39% in aquifers deep underground. The share of fresh water contained in the riverbeds accounts for only 0.006% of the total reserves fresh water on the ground.

In terms of total fresh water reserves, our country belongs to the highly prosperous countries. Its water potential is 30 thousand cubic meters. m/year per person. Only Canada and Brazil are ahead in terms of fresh water reserves. However, the country's water resources are unevenly distributed. The European part of the country, where more than 60% of the population lives and about 80% of the industrial potential is located, accounts for only 30% of the river flow, and here the specific water content per person is only 3 thousand cubic meters. m/year. According to the definition of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, a country in which water resources per person are less than 1.7 thousand cubic meters. m / year, is considered low-income.

It should also be noted that there is a large seasonal variability of river flow in most of the rivers of Russia. 70 - 80% of the river runoff falls on the spring-summer period, and only 4 - 10% - in the winter months.

The largest consumers of water are industry and agriculture - 90%. Approximately 5-6% of the total water consumption is spent on drinking water supply. In agriculture, 70% of water is used for irrigation. In industry, depending on the production technology, water is consumed: in the oil refining and chemical industries - 95% for the needs of equipment cooling, in the pulp and paper industry - 75% for the needs of washing and extraction, in the coal industry - 90% for transportation of coal and rocks.

3.4.1. The value of water for humans

Water is one of the objects environment It is essential for human, plant and animal life. A person can live without food for more than a month, but without water - only a few days.

Physiological significance of water. Water is part of all biological tissues of the human body. Water makes up approximately 60-70% of body weight. The amount of water in various tissues and organs: bones - 22%, adipose tissue - 30%, liver - 70%, heart muscle - 79%, kidneys - 83%, vitreous body - 99%. Water is a universal solvent. Water is the basis of acid-base balance, participates in all chemical reactions in the body, it forms the basis of blood, secrets and excretions of the body. An important function of water is the transport of many macro- and microelements and other nutrients into the body. At the same time, water is involved in the removal of toxins and toxic substances with sweat, saliva, urine and feces. The role of water in the thermoregulation of the body is also great. When sweat evaporates, a person loses about 30% of thermal energy.

Water is of paramount hygienic importance and is regarded as the leading indicator of sanitary well-being of the population. High-quality water is necessary for maintaining cleanliness of the body and hardening, cleaning the home, cooking and washing dishes, washing clothes, watering the streets and green spaces. According to the State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation, at the beginning of the 21st century, 1,078 cities (99% of the total number of Russian cities) and 1,686 urban-type settlements (83%) have centralized water supply systems. Out of 145,000 rural settlements with a population of 37.1 million people, only 68,000 settlements with a population of 25.4 million people have a centralized water supply system.

With an average water consumption for drinking and domestic needs, excluding industrial consumption, equal to 272 liters per 1 inhabitant of Russia per day, in Moscow this figure is 539 l / day, in the Chelyabinsk region - 369 l / day, Saratov - 367, Novosibirsk - 364, Magadan - 359, Kamchatka region - 353 l / day. At the same time, the population of a number of cities and districts of Kalmykia, Mordovia, Mari El, Orenburg, Astrakhan, Yaroslavl, Volgograd, Kurgan, Kemerovo regions is experiencing a constant shortage of drinking water.

National economic value of water. Water is a valuable technological raw material. 1500 m 3 of water is required to produce 1 ton of rubber or aluminum. When smelting 1 ton of steel, about 150 m 3 of water is consumed. 1500 m 3 is required to grow 1 ton of wheat, 4000 m 3 is required to grow 1 ton of rice. Water consumption for the production of 1 ton of meat is 20,000 m 3 of water.

Psychohygienic and health value water is to use it for bathing, hardening, sports. A good effect is given by physiotherapeutic water procedures and drinking mineral waters. The aesthetic value of water and its role in influencing the emotional state of a person are also great.

The epidemiological significance of water. Water-borne diseases are very numerous. The water route of transmission is characteristic of many infectious diseases: cholera, typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, amoebic and bacterial dysentery, amoebiasis, enterovirus diseases, infectious hepatitis A and E, leptospirosis, tularemia, giardiasis, balantidiasis, helminthiases, some entero-, rota- and adenovirus infections. diseases, etc. In recent years, the number of infectious diseases associated with exposure to contaminated water has decreased, however, in regions where microbial contamination of surface water sources is especially high, the incidence of dysentery and acute intestinal infections is much higher than the national average.

Although the role of water in the spread of infectious diseases has long been known, the first reliable description of a waterborne epidemic was made during the cholera epidemic in London in 1854. Cholera is one of the most dangerous infections, it is an intestinal disease of the water way of infection transmission. For 2 centuries, 6 pandemics of classical cholera have been recorded. The last pandemic (1902-1926) took over Asia, Africa and Europe. More than 10 million people have died. During each of the 6 pandemics, cholera also spread to the territory of Russia. Large outbreaks of cholera were registered in St. Petersburg in 1908-09 and in 1918.

In Russia, a clear system for registering all cases of cholera has been established. Over the past 20 years, there have been two outbreaks of cholera associated with water, with the number of victims from 8 to 30 people in the Stavropol Territory and in the Republic of Dagestan. The unfavorable state of cholera in a number of countries around the world constantly creates a threat of importation of this infection into the Russian Federation.

High morbidity and mortality are also characteristic of typhoid and paratyphoid A and B. The largest epidemic of typhoid fever was in Barcelona in 1914, when 18,500 people fell ill at the same time, 1,847 of them died. In recent years, 320-330 people fall ill with typhoid fever in our country every year, and a fairly stable frequency of this infection is observed. So, in 1996, the incidence of typhoid fever was associated with about two hundred people in Dagestan.

The aquatic route of transmission for dysentery is of some importance, although it is less important than food or contact-household. Dysentery is an acute infectious disease, manifested by damage to the colon and general intoxication of the body. The incidence of bacillary dysentery of water origin in the Russian Federation in the 90s decreased by almost 2 times. The highest incidence is noted in the northern regions, Udmurtia, North Ossetia.

The waterway is important in the transmission of anthropozoonotic diseases such as leptospirosis, which are often found near stagnant or slow-flowing water bodies. The carriers are rodents, cattle and pigs. The water factor is also of certain importance in the spread of tularemia, anthrax, brucellosis and other anthropozoonotic diseases of a bacterial nature.

Not only bacterial infections, but also viral diseases (infectious hepatitis A, poliomyelitis, adenovirus infections, enterovirus diseases) can be transmitted by water. The largest epidemic of infectious hepatitis was registered in Delhi (India) in 1955-1956, about 29,000 people were ill. The epidemic was caused by contamination of tap water with sewage containing hepatitis A viruses. From 50,000 to 180,000 new cases of this disease are registered in our country every year. The maximum number of water outbreaks of hepatitis A is recorded in settlements with non-centralized water supply systems, when water is not treated and disinfected.

The value of the mineral composition of water. The mineral composition of natural waters can contribute to the development of non-communicable diseases. The use of water with inappropriate salt composition may be the cause of the development of fluorosis, nitrate methemoglobinemia, disorders of water-salt metabolism, dyspeptic disorders, etc.

The indirect influence of the composition and properties of natural waters is manifested in the restriction of the use of water with unfavorable organoleptic properties (smell, taste, color, turbidity). The organoleptic properties of water are of great hygienic importance, since they affect the sanitary conditions of life and the health of the population. Good quality water is odorless. Smells can be natural (earthy, marshy, fishy, ​​floral, etc.) and artificial (smells associated with pollution of a reservoir with sewage, water chlorination, etc.). Some odors are determined by organic pollution of water and give reason to consider it suspicious from an epidemiological point of view.

Drinking water has a pleasant refreshing taste, without foreign aftertastes. There are four basic tastes - sweet, sour, bitter, salty. The taste of water depends on the increased concentrations of mineral salts. Iron salts give the water an inky taste, salts of heavy metals - an astringent taste, chlorides - salty, sulfates and phosphates - a bitter aftertaste. A quantitative assessment of taste and smell is carried out on a scale (Table 3.9).

Table 3.9

A six-point scale for the intensity of the smell and taste of drinking water

(according to S.N. Cherkinsky)

	Intensity	Intensity characteristic
		No smell or taste
	Very weak	Smell or taste not perceptible, but detectable in the laboratory by an experienced analyst
		A smell or taste is noticed by a person, if you pay attention to it.
	Perceptible	Smell or taste easily detectable and giving rise to disapproval of water
	Distinct	The smell or taste attracts attention and makes you refuse to drink water.
	Very strong	The smell or taste is so strong that it makes the water unfit for drinking

Depending on the mineral composition, water can acquire a certain color. Swamp waters have a yellowish tint due to the presence of humic substances. The admixture of clay gives the water a milky hue, the admixture of iron salts - greenish. The transparency of water depends on the presence of mechanical suspended solids and chemical compounds that precipitate in the water in the form of flakes. Turbid water is outwardly unpleasant and suspicious in epidemiological terms.

Natural waters are divided into fresh (mineralization does not exceed 1 g/l), mineralized (from 1 to 50 g/l) and brines (more than 50 g/l). Water with a high salt content has an unpleasant taste. Therefore, their content in drinking water is limited by the limit of taste. Water with increased mineralization adversely affects the secretion of the stomach, causes edema, disrupts water-salt metabolism, and quenches thirst worse. The high content of chlorides in water leads to diseases of the digestive system, a decrease in diuresis, and an increase in blood pressure. A high content of sulfates in water leads to dyspeptic symptoms, suppression of gastric secretion, impaired absorption from the intestine, and diarrhea.

The total content of bicarbonates, sulfates and chlorides of calcium and magnesium determines the amount of water hardness. Water with a total hardness of more than 7 mg/l has unfavorable hygienic properties. Hard water is of little use for washing and washing; a large consumption of soap is required. Meat, vegetables and legumes do not boil well in hard water. The use of hard water leads to a violation of the water-salt balance, the development of urolithiasis - the deposition of stones in the kidneys and bladder. Highly mineralized water with a high level of hardness is received by the population of the Rostov and Tyumen regions, the Republic of Tatarstan, etc.

Nitrates and nitrites are often found in the water of non-centralized water supply sources. Excessive amounts of nitrates in drinking water cause water-nitrate methemoglobinemia in infants who are bottle-fed. The clinical symptoms of methemoglobinemia are due to oxygen starvation due to the addition of nitrites to hemoglobin and the formation of methemoglobin. The disease develops at nitrate concentrations above 45 mg/l. Normal concentrations of nitrates and nitrites do not pose a health risk to adults and older children. In young children (3-6 months), the enzyme system has not yet fully formed, and the microorganisms present in the gastrointestinal tract of infants contribute to the transition of nitrates to nitrites, which leads to the development of nitrate methemoglobinemia.

In addition, nitrates also have mutagenic and embryotoxic effects, and can be converted into carcinogenic compounds - nitrosamines - directly in the human body. Nitrosamines have both polytropic and pronounced organotropic effects, but most of them have hepatotoxicity and hepatocarcinogenicity, some also have mutagenic properties. Nitrates also cause a decrease in the body's resistance to the action of other carcinogenic and mutagenic factors.

Elevated concentrations of metals may be found in water. Water with a high iron content has an unpleasant "ferrous" taste and smell, yellowish color. It is not suitable for washing, as yellow stains remain on the laundry. The presence of iron of natural origin in drinking water (often together with manganese) is most typical for groundwater, which is widely used in the southern and central parts of Russia, as well as in the Siberian region. In addition, elevated concentrations of iron occur when using steel and cast iron water pipes as a result of their corrosion. In particular, the population of St. Petersburg suffers from this.

In natural waters, in addition to macroelements, there are also microelements: fluorine, iodine, molybdenum, beryllium, selenium, strontium, etc. Excessive or insufficient intake of microelements in the human body causes physiological changes or pathological changes, biogeochemical endemic diseases develop. In Russia, more than 90% of the population does not receive the required amount of fluoride, which is a factor in the increased incidence of dental caries in the population. With an excess of fluorine in underground drinking water, another disease manifests itself - fluorosis.

Due to the growth of anthropogenic pollution, the water quality of most water bodies does not meet regulatory requirements. Many years of industrial activity has damaged such a great river in Russia as the Volga. In 1990, the waters of the river (7710 m 3 /s) carried 50.8 thousand tons of sulfates, 118.3 thousand tons of phenols, 302 thousand tons of organic compounds, 1.8 thousand tons of chromium, lead, zinc and copper ions. A high level of pollution is observed in almost all tributaries of the Volga, primarily in the Oka and Kama. At present, in the Volga basin, the anthropogenic pressure on water resources is 8 times higher than the load on the country as a whole.

The most common pollutants of surface waters in Russia are oil products, phenols, easily oxidized organic substances, metal compounds, ammonium and nitrite nitrogen, as well as specific pollutants - lignin, xanthates, formaldehyde and others, the main source of which is wastewater from various types of industries, enterprises agriculture and communal services, surface runoff. As a result of the intensive use of pesticides, elevated levels of pesticides are recorded in the water of some Russian rivers. Pesticides are also a major hazard to groundwater.

The most familiar and most incredible substance on Earth is water. The importance of water cannot be overestimated in the life of all life on the planet, it is present in every moment of our existence. Being the predominant element in the composition of any organism, water also controls its vital activity.

Water in nature

Mankind has been trying to unravel the mystery of this amazing and contradictory element throughout its existence. How did it originate, how did it get to our planet? Probably, no one will be able to answer this question, but everyone knows that the importance of water in nature and human life is unimaginably great. One thing is absolutely true - today there are as many water reserves on Earth as there were at the birth of the universe.

The unique properties of water to shrink when heated and expand when frozen is another reason to be surprised. No other substance has similar properties. And its ability to move from one state to another, so familiar and at the same time amazing, playing an exceptional role, makes it possible for all living organisms to exist on Earth. The Higher Mind assigns the main party to water in maintaining life and participating in constantly occurring natural processes.

The water cycle

This process is called the hydrological cycle, which is a continuous circulation of water from the hydrosphere and the earth's surface to the atmosphere, and then back. There are four processes involved in the cycle:

• evaporation;
• condensation;
• precipitation;
• water runoff.

Once on the ground, part of the precipitation, evaporating, condenses, another part fills reservoirs due to runoff, the third turns into groundwater, going underground. So, constantly moving, nourishing water arteries, plants and animals and preserving its own reserves, water roams, protecting the Earth. The importance of water is obvious and indisputable.

The mechanism of circulation and its types

In nature, there is a large cycle (the so-called world), as well as two small ones - continental and oceanic. The precipitation that collects over the oceans is carried by the winds and falls on the continents, and then returns to the ocean again with runoff. The process when ocean water continuously evaporates, condenses and again falls into the ocean as precipitation, is called the small oceanic cycle. And all similar processes occurring over land are combined into a small continental circulation, mainly actor in which is water. Its importance in the natural processes of continuous circulation, which maintains the water balance of the Earth and ensures the existence of living organisms, is undeniable.

water and man

Having no nutritional value in the usual sense, water is the main component of any living organism, including humans. Nobody can exist without water. Two-thirds of any organism is water. The value of water is extremely important for the proper functioning of all systems and organs.

Throughout life, a person daily comes into contact with water, using it for drinking and food, hygiene procedures, relaxation and heating. Not found on earth
more valuable natural material, as vital and indispensable as water. Going without food for sufficiently long periods of time, a person will not live without water for even 8 days, since when the body is dehydrated within 8% of body weight, a person begins to faint, 10% cause hallucinations, and 20% inevitably cause death.

Why is water so important to humans? It turns out that water regulates all the basic life processes:

• normalizes the humidity of oxygen, increasing its absorption;
• carries out thermoregulation of the body;
• dissolves nutrients, helping the body to absorb them;
• moisturizes and creates protection for vital organs;
• forms a protective lubricant for the joints;
• improves metabolic processes in the activity of body systems;
• promotes the evacuation of waste from the body.

How to maintain water balance

On average, a person loses 2-3 liters of water per day. In more extreme conditions such as heat, high humidity and physical activity water losses are increasing. In order to maintain the normal physiological water balance of the body, it is necessary to balance the intake of water with its excretion through a competent drinking regimen.

Let's do some calculations. Given that the daily human need for water is 30-40 grams per 1 kg of body weight and about 40% of the total need comes from food, the rest should be taken in the form of drinks. In summer, daily water consumption corresponds to 2-2.5 liters. The hot regions of the planet dictate their requirements - 3.5-5.0 liters, and in extremely hot conditions up to 6.0-6.5 liters of water. Do not allow dehydration of the body. Alarming symptoms of this trouble are dry skin, accompanied by itching, fatigue, a sharp decrease in concentration, blood pressure, headaches and general malaise.

Useful effect

It is interesting that, taking a direct part in metabolic processes, water contributes to weight loss. The common misconception that people who want to lose weight need to drink less water, as the body retains water, causes significant harm. You can not drive your own body into even more stress, knocking it out of the usual water exchange. In addition, moisture, being a natural diuretic, tones up the kidneys, provoking weight loss.

Getting the optimal amount of water, a person adds strength, energy and endurance. It is easier for him to control weight, since even the psychological inconvenience from forced changes with a decrease in the usual diet is easier to bear. Scientific research It has been proven that daily consumption of a sufficient amount of pure water helps to fight serious illnesses - it helps to ease back pain, migraine manifestations, lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels and blood pressure. In addition, by toning the work of the kidneys, water inhibits the formation of stones. It has been proven that creative people tend to drink a lot, and great artists were inspired to create masterpieces by sea water. The value of water, it turns out, is also important in art.

Water exchange of plants

Just like humans, every plant needs water. In different plants, it ranges from 70 to 95% of the mass, controlling all ongoing processes. Metabolism in a plant is possible only with a large amount of moisture, so the importance of water for plants is undeniably great. Dissolving minerals in the soil, water delivers them to the plant, ensuring their continuous flow. Without water, seeds will not germinate, and the process of photosynthesis will not occur in green leaves. The water that fills the cells of the plant ensures its viability and the preservation of a certain shape.

The most important condition for the life support of a plant organism is the ability to absorb water from outside. The plant, receiving water, mainly from the soil with the help of roots, supplies it to the ground parts of the plant, where the leaves evaporate it. Such water exchange exists in every organic system - water, getting into it, gives off nutrients, evaporates or is released, and then again, enriched with useful substances, enters the body.

Another amazing way of water penetration into living cells is its osmotic absorption, i.e., the ability of water to accumulate from outside into cell solutions, increasing the volume of fluid in the cell.

The Art of Drinking Water

Consistent drinking of clean water improves mental activity brain and coordination of movement, and consequently, the importance of water for the vital activity of brain cells is especially valuable. Therefore, a healthy person should not limit himself to drinking, but some rules should be observed:

• drink little but often;
• you should not drink a lot of water at once, as an excess of fluid in the blood will put an unnecessary burden on the heart and kidneys.

So, the importance of water for living organisms is enormous. Therefore, the creation of conditions for maintaining their own water balance is necessary for each person.

Water in human life. Biological and ecological significance of water

Water is the source of life on Earth, a great natural value that covers 71% of the surface of our planet, the most common chemical compound and the necessary basis for the existence of all life on the planet. The high content in plants (up to 90%) and in the human body (about 70%) only confirms the importance of this component, which has no taste, smell or color.

Water is life!

The role of water in human life is invaluable: it is used for drinking, food, washing, various household and industrial needs. Water is life!
The role of water in human life can be determined by its share in the body and organs, each cell of which is rich in an aqueous solution of essential nutrients. Water is one of the effective means of physical education, widely used for personal hygiene, recreational physical education, hardening, and water sports.

Biochemical properties of water

Maintaining the elasticity and volume of a living cell would be impossible without water, as well as a significant part of chemical reactions organisms that take place in aqueous solutions. Such a valuable liquid is indispensable for its thermal conductivity and heat capacity, which provides thermoregulation and protects against temperature extremes.
Water in human life is able to dissolve some acids, bases and salts, representing ionic compounds and some polar non-ionic formations (simple alcohols, amino acids, sugars), called hydrophilic (from Greek literally - a tendency to moisture). Nucleic acids, fats, proteins and some polysaccharides are hydrophobic substances (from Greek - fear of moisture) beyond the power of liquid.

The biological significance of water is quite large, since this priceless liquid is the main medium for internal processes occurring in the body. In percentage terms, the presence of water in the body is as follows:

Body systems
Adipose tissue

The statement of the science fiction writer V. Savchenko, who revealed the meaning of water in one phrase, is interesting on this occasion: a person has much more motives to consider himself a liquid, in contrast, for example, to a 40% sodium solution. And among biologists, a joke is popular that water “invented” a person as a means of its own transportation, the main component of whose body it is. 2/3 of its total amount is contained inside the cells and is called "intracellular" or "structured" fluid, which is capable of providing the body's resistance to the influence of negative environmental factors. The third part of the water is outside the cells, and 20% of this amount is the intercellular fluid itself, 2% and 8% - respectively, the water of the lymph and blood plasma.

Importance of water in human life

The value of the natural component in life and everyday life is simply invaluable, since without it existence is impossible in principle.

Water is essential for life because:

• humidifies the inhaled oxygen;
• helps the body in the qualitative assimilation of nutrients;
• contributes to the conversion of food into energy and normal digestion;
• participates in passing metabolism and chemical reactions;
• removes excess salts, toxins and toxins;
• regulates body temperature;
• provides skin elasticity;
• regulates blood pressure;
• prevents the formation of kidney stones;
• is a kind of "lubricant" for the joints and a shock absorber for the spinal cord;
• protects vital organs.

The water cycle in the body

One of the conditions for the existence of all living things is the constant content of water, the amount of which enters the body depends on the lifestyle of a person, his age, physical health, and environmental factors. During the day, up to 6% of the water available in the body is exchanged; half of its total amount is updated within 10 days. So, per day the body loses about 150 ml of water with feces, about 500 ml with exhaled air and the same amount with sweat and 1.5 liters is excreted in the urine. Approximately the same amount of water (about 3 liters per day) a person receives back. Of these, a third of a liter is formed in the body itself during biochemical processes, and about 2 liters are consumed with food and drinks, and the daily requirement for exclusively drinking water is about 1.5 liters.

Recently, experts have calculated that a person should still drink about 2 liters of pure water per day in order to prevent even the slightest dehydration of the body. The same amount is recommended to be consumed by yogis who know the true meaning of air and water. Absolutely healthy human body ideally should have a state of water balance, otherwise called water balance.

By the way, after a series of experiments conducted on students, German scientists found out that those who drink water and drinks more than others show greater restraint and a penchant for creativity. Water in human life plays an incentive role, filling with energy and vitality.

According to some estimates, for 60 years of life a person on average drinks about 50 tons of water, which is commensurate with almost a whole tank. It is interesting to know that ordinary food is half water: in its meat - up to 67%, in cereals - 80%, vegetables and fruits contain up to 90%, bread - about 50%.

High Water Consumption Situations

Usually a person receives about 2-3 liters of water per day, but there are situations in which the need for it increases. This:

• Increased body temperature (more than 37 ° C). With each increasing degree of water, 10% more of the total is required. .
• Heavy physical work in the fresh air, in which you need to drink 5-6 liters of liquid.
• Work in hot shops - up to 15 liters.

Deficiency of valuable fluid is the cause of many diseases: allergies, asthma, overweight, high blood pressure, emotional problems(including depression), and its absence leads to a violation of the performance of all body functions, undermining health and making vulnerable to disease.

Loss of water up to 2% of the total body weight (1 - 1.5 liters) will cause a person to feel thirsty; loss of 6 - 8% will lead to a semi-conscious state; 10% will cause the appearance of hallucinations and impaired swallowing function. Deprivation of 12% of water from the total body weight will lead to death. If without food a person is able to survive for about 50 days, subject to the consumption of drinking water, then without it - a maximum of 5 days.

In fact, most people drink less than the recommended amount of water: only a third, and the ailments that appear are not at all associated with a lack of fluid.

Signs of lack of water in the body

The first signs of dehydration:

A stable supply of water to the body in the required amount helps to ensure vitality, get rid of ailments and many serious diseases, improve thinking and coordination of the brain. Therefore, the emerging thirst should always be tried to quench. It is better to drink little and often at the same time, since a large amount of liquid for the purpose of a one-time replenishment of the daily norm will be completely absorbed into the blood, which will give a noticeable load on the heart until the water is removed from the body by the kidneys.

Water balance of the body - a direct path to health

In other words, water in human life, with a properly organized drinking regime, can create acceptable conditions for maintaining the necessary water balance. It is important that the liquid is High Quality with essential minerals. The situation of the modern world is paradoxical: water, the source of life on Earth, can be dangerous for life itself, carrying various infections with almost every drop. That is, only pure water can be useful for the body, the quality problem of which is modern world very relevant.

Water scarcity is a scary future for the planet

Rather, the very problem of the availability of drinking water becomes vitally important, every day turning into an increasingly scarce product. Moreover, the importance of water on Earth and its lack in international relations are discussed at the highest level and often in a conflicting way.
Now more than 40 countries are experiencing water shortages due to the aridity of many regions. In 15 - 20 years, even according to the most optimistic forecasts, every person will understand the importance of water on Earth, since the problem of its shortage will affect 60 - 70% of the planet's population. In developing countries, water deficit will increase by 50%, in developed countries - by 18%. As a result, international tension around the topic of water scarcity will increase.

Polluted water as a result of human activity

This is due to geophysical conditions, human economic activity, often ill-conceived and irresponsible, which significantly increases the burden on water resources and leads to their pollution. A huge amount of water goes to the needs of cities and industry, which not only consume, but also pollute water, dumping about 2 million tons of waste into water bodies every day. The same goes for agriculture, where millions of tons of waste products and fertilizers flow into waterways from farms and fields. In Europe, out of 55 rivers, only 5 are considered clean, while in Asia, all rivers are extremely littered with agricultural waste and metals. In China, 550 out of 600 cities are experiencing water shortages; due to severe pollution, fish do not survive in water bodies, and some rivers that flow into the ocean simply do not reach it.

What flows from the taps

And why go far if the quality of water, which leaves much to be desired, concerns almost every person. The importance of water in human life is great, this is especially true when it is consumed, when sanitary standards go against the quality of the consumed liquid, which contains pesticides, nitrites, oil products, heavy metal salts that are harmful to health. Half of the population receives hazardous water, which causes about 80% of all known diseases.

Chlorine is dangerous!

To avoid possible infection with any infection, the water is chlorinated, which in no way diminishes the danger. On the contrary, chlorine, which destroys many dangerous microbes, forms chemical compounds that are harmful to health and provokes diseases such as gastritis, pneumonia, and oncology. When boiling, it does not have time to dissolve completely and combines with organic substances always present in water. In this case, dioxins are formed - very dangerous poisons, surpassing even potassium cyanide in strength. Water poisoning is much worse than food poisoning, because water in human life, unlike food, takes part in all biochemical processes of the body. Dioxins accumulated in the body decompose very slowly, almost tens of years. Causing disorders of the endocrine system, reproductive functions, they destroy the immune system, cause cancer and genetic abnormalities. Chlorine is the most dangerous killer of our time: killing one disease, it gives rise to another, even worse. After global water chlorination began in 1944, epidemics of heart disease, dementia, and cancer began to appear massively. The risk of cancer is 93% greater than that of those who drink non-chlorinated water. There is only one conclusion: tap water should never be drunk. The ecological significance of water is the No. 1 problem in the world, since if there is no water, there will be no life on Earth. Therefore, an indispensable condition for maintaining health is its cleaning and compliance with sanitary and epidemiological standards.

The importance of water in nature and in human life

dewdrop morning

Svetlana shumilina

The importance of water in human life and in nature is very great. because we need water the most. Without food, a person can live for several days, but without water, only 3 days or more. Plants dry out without water. animals can also die of thirst. Therefore, water is the most necessary thing in human life.

Mix_ boomeraxe

Water is the main factor determining the climate on the Earth's surface.

Alexander borodach

Water is the source of life on the planet
WATER - a colorless, odorless, tasteless liquid with zero calorie content - is absolutely necessary for all kinds of life on Earth. Without water, neither people, nor animals, nor plants can live. Neither an elephant nor a microbe can do without it, and there is nothing to replace water with. To maintain health, each of the more than five billion people on Earth needs to consume - along with various drinks and food - about two and a half liters of water per day. If there is no water, there will be no life.
Without water, neither crops nor livestock can be grown. If there is no food, there will be no life.
But, fortunately, water on Earth is available in abundance. Judging by the photographs taken from space, our beautiful blue planet should not be called Earth, but Water. If all the water is evenly distributed over the surface of the Earth, then the world ocean will be 2.5 kilometers deep. And on the square Pacific Ocean all the land of our planet will fit perfectly, and there will still be room.
Of course, most of the water on Earth is contained in the seas and oceans, and sea water is salty. If you drink only sea water, you will soon die of thirst and dehydration - the body will not cope with excess salt. It is impossible to use sea water both in agriculture and in industry: almost the entire crop will die from it and any mechanism will quickly rust. Therefore, in general, sea water is good only if it is desalinated, and this is very expensive.
Fresh water makes up only 3 percent of the world's water supply. Almost all of it - 99 percent - is enclosed in ice, on mountain tops, or is located deep underground. Only 1 percent of fresh water is directly available.
It seems that one percent is very little, a drop. Will it happen that we will be left without fresh water? Unlikely. One magazine says: “This, if evenly distributed, would be twice or three times more than enough for today's population of the Earth” (“People & the Planet”).
Basically, the total amount of water on Earth does not decrease or increase. One scientific journal states: “The water we use today may have once quenched the thirst of a dinosaur. The fact is that all the water that is on Earth today has existed on the planet - and will exist - forever” (“Science World”).
After all, water circulates endlessly: from the oceans it enters the atmosphere, from there to the earth, then to the rivers, and then returns to the oceans. A very long time ago, a wise man wrote: “All rivers flow into the sea, but the sea does not overflow; to the place where the rivers flow, they return to flow again” (Ecclesiastes 1:7).
Water is the main factor determining the climate on the Earth's surface.
The main role of water is that it is a medium and a source of hydrogen for life processes. Almost all organic matter in the biosphere is a product of photosynthesis, in which plants use light energy to combine carbon dioxide with water. Without water, as you know, photosynthesis cannot occur. The process to which the whole life of our planet owes. Water is the only source of oxygen released into the atmosphere during photosynthesis. Water is essential for the biochemical and biophysical processes that make life possible on Earth. Figuratively speaking, life is contained in a drop of water.
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The importance of water in human life and in nature is very great. because we need water the most. Without food, a person can live for several days, but without water, only 3 days or more. Plants dry out without water. animals can also die of thirst. Therefore, water is the most necessary thing in human life.

invaluable the importance of water in human life. Without water there is no life, dehydration is death, water is life. modern science it has been established that life originated in the hydrosphere, and although later many plants and animals left their foremother - the ocean and settled on land, they still depend on water, because they carry water in their juices, in their blood.

Academician V. I. Vernadsky wrote:

Water stands apart in the history of our planet. There is no natural body that could compare with it in terms of its influence on the course of the main, most grandiose geological processes. Not only the earth's surface, but also deep - on the scale of the biosphere - parts of the planet are determined, in their most significant manifestations, by its existence and properties.

So the Rules define:

• place and timing of fishing,
• species that can be caught
• fishing gear that is allowed to catch, etc.

The Rules clearly indicate the inadmissibility of overfishing, predatory poaching, they oblige to contribute to the preservation and increase of fish resources.

Water itself has no nutritional value, but it is an indispensable component of all living things. None of the living organisms on our planet can exist without water.

All living plant and animal beings are composed of water:
fish - by 75%; jellyfish - by 99%; potatoes - by 76%; apples - by 85%; tomatoes - by 90%; cucumbers - by 95%; watermelons - by 96%.

In general, the human body consists of 50-86% by weight of water (86% in a newborn and up to 50% in the elderly). The water content in various parts of the body is:
bones - 20-30%; liver - up to 69%; muscles - up to 70%; brain - up to 75%; kidneys - up to 82%; blood - up to 85%.

This circumstance allowed the science fiction writer V. Savchenko to declare that a person “has much more reason to consider himself a liquid than, say, a forty percent solution of caustic sodium.”

Throughout his life, a person daily deals with water. He uses it for drinking and food, for washing, in summer for rest, in winter for heating.
For a person, water is a more valuable natural resource than coal, oil, gas, iron, because it is irreplaceable.

A person can live without food for about 50 days, if during a hunger strike he drinks fresh water, he will not live without water for a week - death will occur in 5 days. According to medical experiments, with a loss of moisture in the amount of 6-8% of body weight, a person falls into a semi-conscious state, with a loss of 10%, hallucinations begin, with 12%, a person cannot recover without special medical care, and with a loss of 20%, inevitable death occurs. .

In the human body, water:

humidifies oxygen for breathing;

regulates body temperature;

helps the body absorb nutrients;

protects vital organs;

lubricates the joints;

helps convert food into energy;

participates in metabolism;

removes various waste products from the body.

A person begins to feel thirsty when the amount of water in his body decreases by 1-2%.
(0.5-1.0l). Loss of 10% of moisture from body weight can lead to irreversible changes in the body, and the loss of 20% (7 - 8l) is already fatal.

The average person loses 2-3 liters of water per day. In hot weather, with high humidity, during sports, water consumption increases. Even through breathing, a person loses almost half a liter of water daily.

The correct drinking regime implies the preservation of the physiological water balance - this is a balancing of the inflow and formation of water with its release.

The daily requirement of an adult in water is 30-40 grams per 1 kg of body weight. Approximately 40% of the body's daily water requirement is met with food, the rest we must take in the form of various drinks. In summer, you need to drink 2 - 2.5 liters of water daily. In hot regions of the planet - 3.5 - 5.0 liters per day, and at an air temperature of 38-40C and low humidity, outdoor workers will need 6.0 - 6.5 liters of water per day. At the same time, you can’t focus on whether you are thirsty or not, since this reflex occurs already late and is not an adequate indicator of how much water your body needs.
It is interesting to know that cereals contain up to 80% water, bread - about 50%, meat - 58-67%, vegetables and fruits - up to 90% water, i.e. “Dry” food consists of 50-60% water.

And about 3% (0.3 l) of water is formed as a result of biochemical processes in the body itself.
According to some estimates, for 60 years of life a person drinks about 50 tons of water - a whole tank!
By participating in the metabolism, water can reduce fat accumulation and reduce weight. Many of those who want to lose weight believe that their body retains water and try to drink less of it. However, water is a natural diuretic and if you drink it, you will lose weight.

If the body receives enough water, then the person becomes more energetic and hardy. It is easier for him to control his weight, as digestion improves, and when you are drawn to a snack, it is often enough just to drink water to reduce your appetite. Symptoms of dehydration are dry skin (may be itchy), fatigue, poor concentration, headaches, high blood pressure, poor kidney function, dry cough, back and joint pain.

Research scientists have already proven that drinking enough water can minimize back pain, migraines, rheumatic pains, as well as lowering blood cholesterol and blood pressure, thereby reducing the likelihood of a heart attack. Drinking enough water is one of the best ways to prevent kidney stones. Since water does not contain salts, fat, cholesterol and caffeine, then, accordingly, it is excreted from the body in a different way.

German scientists, after conducting tests on student volunteers, came to the conclusion that those who drink more water and drinks show more endurance and creativity than those who drink less.

Regular water intake improves thinking and brain coordination. The brain and the whole body will be sufficiently charged with the necessary substances if the water we drink is of high quality, that is, rich in minerals. A healthy person should not limit himself to drinking, but it is much more beneficial to drink little and often. It is harmful to drink a lot of liquid at once, since all the liquid is absorbed into the blood, and until its excess is excreted from the body by the kidneys, the heart receives an excessive load.

Thus, we can conclude that the role of water for humans is enormous. Today, each person can create for himself the conditions for maintaining an invaluable water balance through the proper organization of the drinking regime.

Water has a huge impact on human health. In order to feel good, a person should use only clean, high-quality drinking water. Even in ancient times, people were able to distinguish between "living" water - suitable for drinking and "dead" - unsuitable for consumption. Scientists have long established a direct relationship between the quality of drinking water and life expectancy. This is not surprising, given that, according to the World Health Organization, about 90% of human diseases are caused by the use of poor-quality water for drinking purposes, as well as the use of untreated water for domestic purposes (shower, bath, pool, washing dishes, washing clothes, etc.) . At present, the issues of drinking water quality have not lost their relevance.

High-quality drinking water is water that does not contain impurities that are harmful to human health. It should be odorless and colorless and safe for long-term use.

The rapid growth of the world's population, combined with increasing water consumption for domestic and industrial needs and intensive agriculture, leads to a global water crisis, which manifests itself in the lack of fresh water and its increasing pollution.

According to a recent study, freshwater systems around the world are now degrading so badly, losing the ability to supply people, animals and plants, that if this trend continues, it could lead to a sharp decline in the world's population and the extinction of a large number of animal species. The situation is threatening, as humanity consumes more fresh water than the Earth can provide. The growth rate of fresh water consumption is more than 2 times higher than the growth of the world's population.

While many regions are well supplied with drinking water, every four out of 10 people live in river basins with a shortage of drinking water. By 2025, at least 3.5 billion people - about half of the world's population - are expected to lack drinking water. People now use 54% of the available fresh water, with two-thirds going to agriculture. According to experts, by 2025 water consumption will increase to 75% of the current level only due to an increase in the population. Already, more than a billion people on earth do not have access to clean water. Another problem is that in developing countries, 95% of sewage and 70% of industrial waste are discharged into water bodies without treatment.

In many countries, the issue of providing the population with good quality drinking water is very acute; it has long been a subject of trade.

In Europe, such developed countries as Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, agree on the supply of clean drinking water from Sweden, and Hong Kong, for example, receives water through a pipeline from China.
Recently, we have increasingly begun to think about what kind of water we drink? From a tap or bottled, or from numerous springs located on the territory of the region.
Despite the fact that tap water complies with accepted sanitary standards, it remains far from clean. Not everyone, you see, will voluntarily risk taking a sip right from the tap, even cold water. In the water bodies surrounding the city, where the water supply comes from, an average of 2000 pathogenic substances and microorganisms are found. Some of them (very small) are disinfected at treatment plants by chlorination. Chlorine itself is an extremely dangerous and poisonous element!

Chlorinated tap water is dangerous to health. Although chlorine destroys many dangerous microbes, it is one of the causes of atherosclerosis. Combining with organic substances present in the water, chlorine also forms carcinogens and no less - dioxin - a chemical warfare agent that American troops used in Vietnam in the 70s of the last century! Distilled and distilled water is also unhealthy. As a result of special cleaning methods, everything is removed from it - not only harmful bacteria, but also beneficial trace elements - and it becomes almost empty and useless. If you drink it for a long time, then there will be a sharp loss of mineral salts by the body, which will lead, for example, to malfunctions in the cardiovascular and skeletal systems, and will cause premature aging of the body.

The use of spring water is also not a panacea. Its quality is practically not subject to control and especially deteriorates during the spring period of snowmelt. In such water, pesticides, phosphates, and heavy metals are detected during laboratory analysis. The pollution with nitrates is very high, their concentration is on average 2-10 times higher than the amount allowed for drinking water.

According to the World Health Organization, the frequency of waterborne diseases is the highest. The impact of the water factor on the health of the population is constantly confirmed by more than a century of water supply practice.

Thus, drinking water should not only be clean at the bacteriological level and not have substances harmful to humans, but also contain useful minerals (they are better absorbed by the body from water than from food)

Why is chlorine dangerous in water?

Combined with chlorinated tap water from The most valuable natural phytochemicals with antibacterial and anticancer properties that we get from food turn into deadly poisons. These substances include soy, fruits, vegetables, tea, many health foods, and some medications.

In Japan, a joint study was conducted by the National Institutes of Health and Shizuoka Prefectural University. Scientists have found that naturally occurring organic compounds react with chlorinated tap water to form dangerous compounds that can cause cancer. Such compounds are called MX, that is, "Mutagen X" or "Unknown mutagen". They are similar to the already well known and easier to detect trihalomethane (THM).

An earlier study in Finland showed that MH is 170 times or more more dangerous than other known by-products of chlorination. It has also been laboratory confirmed that MX damages the thyroid gland and causes cancerous growths.

There is nothing dangerous in the organic compounds themselves. It is the chlorine that is responsible for turning them into deadly poisons of MX and THM. When the same compounds are combined with clean drinking water, they are quite beneficial to the body.

It has been found that fresh vegetables and fruits also react with chlorinated tap water with which we drink food, and in the same way form toxins. This means that fresh fruits and vegetables, green salad, green, black and herbal teas, soy products, vitamins and various health supplements, even some drugs can change their properties when combined with chlorinated water.

Dangerous carcinogens can be extremely toxic even in microscopic doses, so small that they are extremely difficult to determine. And in order for them to form, chlorine is also required quite a bit.

There is an assumption that chlorine depresses the immune and hormonal systems of the body by changing plant estrogens and phytochemicals that we get from food and which support the activity of these systems.

Although chlorination reduces the risk of diseases such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid fever, many pathogenic (disease-causing) factors are not eliminated in this way. In addition, chlorine is dangerous to the body both when ingested, and when it comes into contact with the skin and inhalation.

Is it possible to find a safer way to disinfect water? Can. There are other methods, for example, ozonation and ultraviolet irradiation. However, for various reasons (including high cost), they have not yet been put into effect. And it is simply impossible to refuse chlorination. When Peru stopped chlorinating its water in 1991 to reduce the number of cancers, a cholera epidemic broke out there.

What to do?

Avoid chlorine as much as possible: for example, don't drink chlorinated tap water. Try to get rid of chlorine: use bottled drinking water.

If possible, avoid swimming in chlorinated water. The chlorine in the water dries out the skin and causes itching. And when inhaled, vapors of chlorine compounds can accumulate in the lungs and cause bronchitis and asthma. There are special filters that are installed in the shower head.

Buy testers. After reading about the dangers of chlorine, you probably want to know how great the danger to which you are exposed. The tea served to you at the restaurant may have been made with chlorinated water; Lettuce leaves could have been washed in chlorinated water... You can find out the details with the help of testers. They are not yet available in every store, but they can be purchased if desired. To measure the level of chlorine in water, test strips are used (usually 25 pieces per package), as well as indicators in the form of tablets or drops. They will let you know if the "clean drinking water" you buy contains chlorine. Or the water is really clean and drinkable.

1. Boil water

Boiling water destroys bacteria, coagulates colloidal particles of dirt, softens water, evaporates volatile organic substances and part of free chlorine. But the concentration of salts, heavy metals, pesticides, organic substances increases. Chlorine, associated with organics, when heated, turns into a terrible poison - a powerful carcinogen-dioxin, belonging to the category of especially dangerous poisons. Dioxins are 68 thousand times more poisonous than potassium cyanide. We drink boiled water, and it slowly kills us.

2. Settling water

When water is settled for at least 3 hours, the concentration of free chlorine decreases, but iron ions, salts of heavy metals, carcinogenic organochlorine compounds, radionuclides, and part of non-volatile organic substances are practically not removed.

3. Water distillation

Distilled water is unsuitable for constant consumption, as it does not contain trace elements necessary for the body. Its constant use leads to disorders of the immune system, heart rate, digestion process, etc.

4. Water filtration

Choosing a home filter is a very difficult task. In order to figure out which filter to buy (and their mass: coal, membrane, bactericidal, complex, etc.), you first need to have information about the composition and characteristics of your water. Only then it is necessary to select a filter according to the given properties. This can only be done by a professional. A home filter is essentially a mini water treatment plant.

Domestic filters, as a rule, purify water only from mechanical impurities and excess chlorine. Imported installations are designed for post-treatment of a fundamentally different source water, which must comply with the WHO standard for 150 parameters. However, according to this assessment, our water only fits the category of “technical” and should not be subjected to post-treatment, but to primary treatment. Naturally, when treating such water, the filters quickly become clogged. The degree of purification decreases, and after a while the filter begins to give back to the water, the accumulated pollution and the microflora that has multiplied in them. It is very difficult to determine in time the moment when the reverse contamination of water begins, because. this process is unregulated. Therefore, for high-quality water purification, the filtration method at home will not become a panacea.

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