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A-Z Index of Water-related Topics

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With its many uses for drinking, recreation, sanitation, hygiene, and industry, water is our most precious global resource. Clean and safe drinking water is critical to sustain human life and without it waterborne illness can be a serious problem. Water, which is necessary for recreational water activities like swimming, also helps promote healthy living. Often, water’s vital role is most apparent during an emergency or disaster. Answers to your water-related questions can be found within our healthy water pages, below.

Healthy Water Topics

Drinking Water

woman drinking water

Public Water Systems, Private Water Systems, Water Fluoridation, Camping, Hiking, Travel…

Global Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene (WASH)
woman collecting water

Community Systems, Household Treatment & Storage, Sanitation and Hygiene, Travelers’ Health…

Water-related Emergencies & Outbreaks
satellite image of a hurricane

Safe Water, Wastewater, Hygiene, Public Health Toolkits…

Healthy Swimming / Recreational Water
image of a woman swimming laps in a pool

Pools and Spas, Oceans/Lakes/Rivers, Injury and Skin Cancer, Recreational Water Illnesses…

Other Uses of Water

image of an irrigation system

Agricultural, Industrial, Medical…

Water-related Hygiene

image of a person washing hands with soap

Handwashing, Body Washing, Facial Cleanliness, Hygiene Etiquette…

* Based on tracking of waterborne outbreaks from 1971-2006. Outbreak reporting is dependent on detection, investigation, and reporting of the outbreak. This requires health effects to be measured and these health effects to be linked to water exposure. However, many contaminants (i.e., many chemicals) in drinking water may not cause easily recognizable outbreaks because they require a long chronic exposure period. As a result, they would not be part of waterborne disease outbreak reporting or part of these Top 5 lists.

 
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