Human Health
When most people think of a body of water, they think of a river or lake, but people are bodies of water, too! Your body is approximately 70 percent water, so you need to be drinking plenty of fresh, clean water every day in order to maintain a healthy body and brain.
You Dump It, You Drink It
The United States has some of the cleanest drinking water in the world. Because of state-of-the-art filtration systems, people can generally trust that what comes out of the tap is totally safe to drink. Still, more and more pollutants are finding their way into the natural water sources, and treatment facilities are beginning to have a hard time keeping up. So many of the products people use every day can end up polluting the water, and pollution doesn't just disappear.
People pollute water at home by using pesticides on their lawns and dumping used oil into storm drains. There are also a variety of products that people use without knowing they can end up in the drinking water. What are some products that you use that end up going down the drain? Think of doing dishes, washing clothes, or shampooing your hair. What's in these products?
Bring some common products into your classroom to investigate the ingredients that may cause water pollution. You can bring in laundry detergent, shampoo, bubble bath, dishwashing liquid, and anything else that may get washed down the drain. Have students try to read the ingredients from the label. Does anyone recognize what any of those ingredients are?
Most adults are stunned by the potential health risks of many of the ingredients in everyday products. It can be very scary. It's very important to teach children to read labels, but it's equally important to make sure they feel like there's something they can do and that the world's not a poisonous mess. Be careful to control the information you're teaching.
Use the National Institutes of Health's Household Products Database at http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry ToxFAQs website at www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html to look up the different ingredients. For many types of products, manufacturers are allowed to sell a product before it's been fully tested for safety. It's up to consumers to research which ones they feel comfortable using. What do you think about what these government sites say about the safety of these chemicals? Does it sound as if you should use them? Does it seem okay for the environment?
The second part of this project is to find safer alternatives to the products that seem to have scary ingredients. Do some research beforehand to find alternatives. For personal-care products, you can find safer alternatives at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com. You can easily find products to safely clean your home or school. Carefully read the labels, but don't count on the word natural. Natural does not necessarily mean it is safe or healthy. Also, for most cleaners, you can find make-it-yourself recipes online. If you can find someone to donate carefully cleaned spray bottles, it's great to mix up your own safe-for-the-Earth (and human health) all-purpose cleaner for the children to take home.
Water is vital to good health. Plain water is much healthier than soda and juice. When you're going different places at school, make time for your students to take a drink at the water fountain. Encourage everyone to have one. By the time your brain actually registers thirst, your body is already dehydrated.
You can find recipes for environmentally friendly all-purpose cleaners online. They work on sinks, tubs, tiles, floors, countertops, and more. Cleaners that include vinegar and borax are effective at killing germs and bacteria. Best of all, they're safe for the environment and human health — and they're cheap! Have the students design their own eco-friendly labels with the recipe so parents can mix it again in the future.
Beach Safety Bonanza
Beaches are a favorite destination of children and adults alike. Unfortunately, with increasing water pollution, people need to be aware if the water is safe to swim in. You can go to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Beach Advisory site at http://oaspub.epa.gov/beacon/beacon_national_page.main to learn about closings and advisories, but there are also some basic tips that everyone should know.
Don't swim after a storm. Heavy rains can stir up polluted sediment and storm drains can send new pollutants into the water.
If it's stinky or dirty, walk away.
Look for litter and dirty rainbow slicks (oil and gasoline).
Don't get it in your mouth.
Don't swim by a storm drain.
Can your class make up a poem to remember these rules? Discuss why each rule is important.
