Microbes in our glass and toxic substances in our tap water are detected by analyses. The water we consume and drink is shown to be unsuitable according to numerous studies. Another such useful study is reproduced below from the newspaper 'To Vima'.
REPORTAGE MAHITRACHA PANAGIOTABITSIKA
We drink and water with dirty water. A cocktail of toxic substances and pathogenic microorganisms poison our glass. Hexasthenes chromium, lead, zinc, arsenic, cadmium and other toxic substances, nitrates and various residues of nitrogenous fertilisers, as well as and bacteria, are detected in very high numbers high concentrations in the water we drink and with which we water. Contaminated sources and networks carry dangerous germs and toxic substances into homes and crops. Here and for years experts have been warning on the risks posed by the long-term consumption of inappropriate but the central administration turns a deaf ear.
Water-poison water and with the... bull of university researchers have been drinking for years in areas of Attica and Boeotia, where the Asopos river has been turned into a sewage pipeline. Serious problems have been identified in other parts of the country from time to time. Measurements in Axios have shown high concentrations of lead, zinc, cadmium and arsenic, in Aliakmonas of chromium, nickel and barium, in Loudias and Pinios of copper and cobalt. In Evros, the Thessalian plain, the Argolic field and the Thessaloniki plain, scientists recorded elevated levels of nitrates in irrigation water. In the drinking water of Epirus, the research team of the University of Ioannina isolated strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. At the same time, the government is devaluing the most competent institution, the Institute of Geological and Mineral Research (IGME), which for half a century has been involved in the research, exploitation and protection of water resources, resulting in a complete disorganization of water management. It is the first time in its history that, despite the significant problems in the quality and quantity of available water resources which are constantly in the news, the IGME is conspicuously absent.
Hundreds of thousands of residents and workers in the areas around Asopos, Schimatari, Dilesi, Oropos and Oinofita have for years been drinking "dirty water" that endangers their health because of toxic substances. The authorities were aware of this, but until recently, when the story was uncovered, no one took responsibility for coordinating the situation for the benefit of the local community, leaving the industries to run wild with their waste water. The drama is that even areas where the authorities assure us that there is no health risk are faced with water that 'smells' but does not 'kill'. It is typical that in Karditsa, a city of 80 000 inhabitants, there is a disturbance caused by the stench of the water supply water. The water level in the reservoir - almost all of Karditsa is supplied by Lake Plastira - has fallen dramatically due to the drought. In combination with climatic conditions, quantities of microalgae have decomposed, resulting in a stench in the water and a 'mud' taste. The municipality is implementing a water purification program using ozonation and activated carbon.
At the beginning of the year, measurements by the Environmental Pollution Control Laboratory of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in the drinking water of eight settlements of the Municipality of Polykastro in Kilkis showed that it contains high concentrations of hazardous substances such as arsenic, nitrates, cadmium, antimony and nickel. In fact, the residents of the villages of Aspros, Αξιοchori and Neos Syrrakos were informed in early March by the current mayor of Polykastro, Mr. D.Smidakis and the professor of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Mr. Mr. Fytiano, who carried out the measurements, that for years they have been consuming dangerous water, which they should not even use for cooking. Although new boreholes were drilled in the villages of Aspros, where the problem was most acute, and Αξιοchori, from which the settlement of Neos Syrrakos was also supplied with water, the problem remains in the other communities of the Municipality of Polycastro. "The state has broken its promises which the government had emphasised during the pre-election period. The residents in the communities of Kilkis who still have a problem are in despair. They are forced to drink bottled water or go miles away to find drinking water. water" says Mr. Fytianos to Vima.
No action on the germs in our glass from the decision makers according to the report.
Despite continuous complaints from universities and local authorities, the Greek government has never implemented a comprehensive plan to tackle heavy metals and other toxic elements in drinking water. It is indicative that arsenic pollution - implicated in cancer and other serious diseases - has been detected in many areas of the country. Reports of municipalities with water supply problems have occasionally reached Brussels for referral to the European Court of Justice. Since 1999, analyses by the Ministry of Health have shown that the drinking water in 15 small municipalities in Central Macedonia, as well as in Corinth and Evia, contained high concentrations of arsenic, nitrates, manganese and other toxic substances. Today the quality of drinking water in several areas still does not meet Community requirements.
Particularly high concentrations of heavy metals were detected three years ago in five rivers of Northern Greece by the research team of the Unit of Microbiology and Food Hygiene of the Medical School of the University of Ioannina in collaboration with the Department of Nuclear Physics of the same university.
The highest concentrations of arsenic were detected in Loudias, Axios and Pinios, copper and cobalt in Loudias, chromium and nickel in Aliakmonas, manganese and strontium in Mavroneri, barium in Aliakmonas and Axios, where levels of lead, zinc and cadmium are very high, especially in the summer season. In addition to heavy metals, the University of Ioannina's research also found high levels of microbial pollution. The long-standing - largely uncontrolled - use of nitrogen fertilisers in agriculture is the number one factor in nitrate pollution of ground and surface waters. The monitoring of groundwater by IGME scientists, based on an ongoing programme, has revealed nitrate pollution in Evros, the Struma basin and Lake Kerkini, in areas of the Larissa prefecture, the Argolic field and even in Attica. In many cases the maximum permissible limits for water supply are exceeded - in some areas even ten times!
The Step: It's not only in Attica that germs are in our glass
In the prefecture of Thessaloniki, and in particular in the basins of the rivers Axios, Gallikos and Loudias, as well as in the lakes Lagada and Volvi, high concentrations of nitrogen compounds are found. The same is true in areas of intensive farming in the Larissa region, while elevated concentrations of nitrates are found in the underground aquifers of the Sporchio river. In the Peloponnese, the problem of pollution of the water table in the Argolian field (mainly around Argos and Nafplio) has persisted for years.