Data is taken from the research produced by the conservation group WWF, the commission report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and from the study conducted by the Cornish Plastic Pollution Coalition (CPPC).
Facts about water pollution.
1. 40% of rivers are polluted with raw sewage at thousands of sites across England and Wales.
2. More than 50% of the 18,000 sewage overflow sites spill sewage into rivers at least once a month, and 14% once a week.
3. Only 14% of rivers in England have “good” ecological status in 2017, compared with 27% in 2010.
4. Thames Water has 72% of its rivers affected by sewage pollution, followed by Southern and Anglian Water.
5. Sewage pollution of water is a serious threat to human health, as bacteria can cause gastroenteritis, septicaemia and hepatitis A.
6. Pollution kills fish and leads to algae blooms which deplete water of oxigen.
7. Sewage plants also often spill millions of tiny plastic beads into the seas around the UK, which are used in wastewater treatment by water companies. These tiny beads are then eaten by fish and marine animals, which is very harmful, as it can lead to digestive blockages and can be fatal because of the high concentration of pollutants, such as DDT and PCB, which adhere to the bids in seawater.
8. Microplastic beads are now found in 30% of UK-caught fish, including cod, haddock, mackerel and shellfish.
9. Water pollution is the second biggest killer in the world, linked to 1.8 million deaths a year from gastrointestinal diseases and parasitic infections.
10. Low income countries are worst affected, suffering 92% of pollution related deaths.
11. The UK, Japan and Germany are in top 10 with regards to the workplace-pollution related deaths.
