Wastewater and wasted water are not the same things. We are not talking about water conservation and sustainability here, but we’re talking about something just as important; sewage that might cause severe health complications if not treated and disposed of properly.
There is no difference between wastewater and sewage. Wastewater is the sugar-coated term for sewage. When one hears sewage, they would automatically assume a toilet flushing or a polluted river. Well, that’s some of them, but there are three types of wastewater, and each type is the byproduct of different processes [1].
Domestic or Sanitary:
Domestic or sanitary sewage is the used water carried away from residential places like houses and apartments, mainly from the kitchen, washing machine, and toilet. The explanation clearly suggests what this type of water consists of; human excretions, hair, soap, detergents, organic matter, and basically anything else that goes down the drain.
Industrial Sewage:
Manufacturing plants and industries, including pharmaceutical companies, use water in diverse chemical or biological processes to produce materials, whether organic or inorganic. Industrial wastewater would contain the byproducts generated during these operations and carried away from the factories after treatment. The wastewater could contain anything between heavy metal, dangerous chemicals, and organic compounds from animals or plants, depending on what the factory manufactures.
Storm Sewage:
After a full day of rain, the runoff is directed to open channels and pipes under a city. Floods are usually an indication of either a clogged storm sewage system or a very bad city infrastructure. The rainwater running down your street is basically composed of whatever it finds on its way; dirt, solids, organic materials, cigarette butts, and whatever trash you decide to throw on the road, instead of a trash can.
The most widely used method to dispose of wastewater in cities is directing and dumping the sewage into a body of surface water. Considering all the ingredients that make up sewage, wastewater treatment before disposal is of utmost importance [2,3].
Effects of Wastewater Exposure
Untreated or unpurified wastewater exposure can cause detrimental effects on both the environment and health. Industrial sewage usually contains harmful chemicals and compounds that can wreak polluted havoc within an ecosystem and the food chain up to humans. Domestic sewage can be dangerous, too, since it contains different kinds of harmful microorganisms like bacteria, parasites, and funguses that can cause infections and illnesses on your skin, eye, lungs, stomach, and intestines [4].
So, keep this in mind the next time you flush that toilet.
References
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Naidoo, S., & Olaniran, A. O. (2013). Treated wastewater effluent as a source of microbial pollution of surface water resources. International journal of environmental research and public health, 11(1), 249–270. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph110100249
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Nassiri Koopaei, N., & Abdollahi, M. (2017). Health risks associated with the pharmaceuticals in wastewater. Daru : Journal of Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 25(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40199-017-0176-y
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Crockett C. S. (2007). The role of wastewater treatment in protecting water supplies against emerging pathogens. Water environment research: a research publication of the Water Environment Federation, 79(3), 221–232. https://doi.org/10.2175/106143006×111952
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Khalid, S., Shahid, M., Natasha, Bibi, I., Sarwar, T., Shah, A. H., & Niazi, N. K. (2018). A Review of Environmental Contamination and Health Risk Assessment of Wastewater Use for Crop Irrigation with a Focus on Low and High-Income Countries. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(5), 895. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15050895
