INFLUENCE OF THE LEVEL OF MINERALIZATION OF DRINKING WATER ON THE CONTENT OF HEAVY METALS IN IT

Abstract

It has been studied that water is an invaluable resource without which the existence of all living things on the planet is impossible. And providing the population with high-quality drinking water is the basis for solving the main problem of environmental security, which concerns the hydrosphere of the planet. WHO experts have established that the cause of 80% of all diseases in the world is a violation of sanitary, hygienic and ecological norms for providing the population with drinking water and its unsatisfactory quality. This problem is also relevant for our country. Drinking water supply in Ukraine is characterized by the fact that more than 70% of all drinking water consumed by society is produced from surface sources and therefore depends on the level of ecological load on them. The water of rivers and other sources of water supply can be contaminated with substances that have entered it with industrial, household, and agricultural discharges. Insufficiently purified and disinfected water can transmit various infectious diseases (viral hepatitis A, mouthvirus infection, typhoid, paratyphoid, dysentery and other intestinal infections), as well as helminth eggs, pathogens of protozoan diseases. Pathogenic agents can get into water with various impurities and waste, so water safety in terms of epidemics is one of the main requirements today. The influence of the level of mineralization of drinking water on the concentration of heavy metals in it was studied. The state of drinking water supply in Ukraine is analyzed, the pollution of natural waters and measures to improve the quality of drinking water are characterized. The research of tap water, well water, and water from wells was conducted within the city of Busk, Zolochiv district, Lviv region. It was established that with an increase in the level of mineral content in drinking water, an increase in the concentration of heavy metals – Pb, Cd, Zn and Cu – was observed. Household additional purification of drinking water (well, water from a well, and tap water) contributed to the reduction of its mineral content, which was positively reflected in the reduction of heavy metals in it, in particular, Pb by 1.5 – 2.5 times, Cd by 1.6 – 2, 0 times, Zn by 1.6 – 2.7 times and Cu by 1.9 – 3.0 times. The issues of labor protection and population protection are analyzed.