U.S. Water News Online
WASHINGTON -- The National Academy of Engineering recently released its list of the 20 greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century. Advances in water supply and treatment ranked number four on the list -- ahead of computers, telephones, and nuclear technology.
The Academy credited advances in managing water treatment, supply, and distribution systems as having "changed life profoundly in the 20th century, virtually eliminating waterborne diseases in developed nations, and providing clean and abundant water for communities, farms, and industries."
According to C.T. "Kip" Howlett, Jr., executive director of the Chlorine Chemistry Council®, the recognition of the importance of a safe water supply should not be surprising. "Since it was first used on a large scale to disinfect water in the United States in 1908, chlorine has helped combat some of the deadliest diseases of the past 100 years," he said. "Cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, and other waterborne diseases were serious health issues at the start of the 20th century, but the chlorination of water has virtually eliminated these threats and helped increase life expectancy in the United States by more than 50 percent."
Although in the United States clean water is available to almost everybody simply by turning on the tap, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 20 percent of the worldÕs population -- more than one billion people -- do not have access to safe drinking water. Worldwide, dirty water is estimated to affect the health of about 1.2 billion people and contribute to the death of 15 million children under five every year.
As we enter the 21st century, the availability of a safe water supply remains an issue of vital importance, and chlorination continues to offer one of the most effective and affordable option for providing safe drinking water for the worldÕs population.
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