Water Trivia Facts

Water is one of the most important compounds in human life. Here are some interesting facts about water that might surprise you!

• The total amount of water on Earth has remained unchanged for millions of years. The only thing that changes is its state of matter. This means that the water we drink today is the same water dinosaurs once drank.
• Where did water come from? Most probably from space. Water arrived with asteroids about 4.1 billion years ago during the bombardment caused by changes in the orbits of the planets in the Solar System. Oceans therefore have an extraterrestrial origin.
• The human body needs to replenish water every day. The biggest water loss is by the excretory system – about 1 quart per day; about 0.5 quart of water is lost in the exhaled air and through perspiration. In order to properly function, the human body needs a daily minimum intake of about 1.5 quarts of water.
• On average, total body water is exchanged every 1.5 months.
• You feel thirsty when you lose at least 1% of your water supply.
• 10% dehydration is dangerous to health, whereas 20% dehydration causes death.
• The deepest known point on Earth is the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. It was discovered in 1875 by the British HMS Challenger survey ship. The latest data indicate a depth of 35.814 ft. Initial measurements indicated a depth of more than 5 miles.
• Special types of bacteria, that feed on hydrocarbons derived from petroleum, are used to combat the effects of ecological disasters caused by spills from drilling platforms or oil tankers. Once the stains are removed, the bacteria die.
• 1 quart of used engine oil poured into a river or sewer can contaminate 1 million quarts of water.
• According to the World Health Organization, 30.000 people, mostly children, die every week due to the consumption of contaminated water.
• Every year, 2.000 – 4.000 barrels of water is wasted in big cities. This would be enough to supply 10-20 million people for a year.
• 70% of daily water use is water used for flushing toilets and washing.
• Every day, almost 1.5 billion people have difficulty accessing water, whereas 200 million people suffer from thirst.
• According to the WHO, about 6.000 children die from water-related diseases each day. This means that every 15 seconds one child dies mainly because of parasitic diseases.
• In many African countries, women and children carry 5 gallons of water for about 4 miles every day.
• Out of the 1.5 billion people who have difficulty accessing water, 63% live in Asia, 28% in Africa, 7% in South America and 2% in Europe. Nobody in North America and Australia  has limited access to water.
• It is estimated that by 2025 approximately one third of humankind will not have sufficient access to drinking water.