• Question: What exactly in the water can give us allergies?

    Asked by to Heather on 23 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Heather Price

      Heather Price answered on 23 Jun 2014:

      Hi andreea9 and denisa9,

      In the UK we are very lucky that we have piped water that comes straight to our kitchens and bathrooms and provides us with clean water as soon as we turn the tap. In some countries, like Kenya in Africa, not everyone has water being piped straight into their houses.

      Some people get their water from wells dug into the ground. (Have a look at one of these wells here: ). If you get your water from these types of sources your water can have a lot of bacteria in it. Bacteria are germs that are too small to see with your eyes.

      Some bacteria are good (like the ones that live in your gut), but these bacteria that get into the water aren’t very nice. They come from poo and can get into the water because the well is often located really close to the toilet.

      If you drink water with a lot of bacteria in it you can get diarrhoea and other health problems. Because kids aren’t as good at fighting illnesses as adults, drinking dirty water can make kids especially very sick. As I say, we’re very lucky in the UK that generally we don’t have any problems from this, but in other places it makes life difficult every day.

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