Did You Know?

• The human body is between 65% and 90% water depending on body size.



• A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen.



• Almost two billion people were affected by natural disasters in the last decade of the 20th century, 86% of them by floods and droughts.



• Health problems related to water pollution in general are estimated to cost Canadians $300 million per year.

WATER AND YOUR HEALTH

Your Body
Water is essential to all known forms of life.

In humans, water delivers oxygen and nutrients to different parts of the body, and removes toxins and waste from the body. Water also regulates body temperature through perspiration and reduces friction between joints to facilitate movement.

We can survive without food for about 30 to 40 days, but we can only survive a few days without water!

Experts disagree about the exact recommended intake of water, but most put it at about 2-2.5 liters a day. It takes an average of eight to ten cups to replenish the water our bodies lose each day. In addition to drinking glasses of water, you also ingest a certain amount through foods that contain water.

Your Community
Most of the world’s cities live near and depend on rivers, lakes and other bodies of water.

They are critical sources of drinking water, and play essential roles in industry, including power generation, food processing, and agriculture.

In Canada and parts of the United States, spending time on or near water is a cherished way of life, a part of our identity for generations. Swimming, boating, fishing and relaxing at the cottage – these are just some of the activities we enjoy on our lakes and rivers.

Your Environment
Balanced, healthy ecosystems, including freshwater rivers and lakes, perform many amazing services that cannot be replicated – and that we depend on for survival.

• moderate weather extremes and their impacts
• disperse seeds
• mitigate drought and floods
• protect people from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays
• protect stream and river channels and coastal shores from erosion
• control agricultural pests
• maintain biodiversity
• preserve soils and renew their fertility
• purify the air and water
• regulate disease carrying organisms
• pollinate crops and natural vegetation

The way we treat our water resources can have an effect on healthy ecosystems:

• runoff of pesticides, fertilizers, and animal wastes
• pollution of land, water, and air resources
• introduction of non-native species
• overharvesting of fisheries
• destruction of wetlands

These services are so fundamental to life that they are easy to take for granted, but remember, they are far beyond the ability of human technology to replicate.

We depend on healthy water resources!