Drinking Water Quality: How Your Everyday Glass of Water May Be Endangering Your Liver, A Doctor Explains Unknown Dangers
Drinking Water Quality: Most people believe that drinking water is the simplest way to stay healthy, but very few realize that drinking a glass of water every day might be secretly damaging to their liver. Maintaining liver health greatly depends on the quality of the water you consume. Unsafe water may enter the body and gradually accumulate toxins, heavy metals, and germs that may not even be apparent to the unaided eye. This can strain the liver’s detoxifying mechanism. In India, where waterborne illnesses are frequent, bad drinking habits and inappropriate water storage increase the hazards to one’s health, according to specialists and physicians.
Although staying hydrated improves digestion, increases metabolism, and gets rid of pollutants, experts now warn that drinking contaminated or chemically treated water may have the opposite effect. Hepatitis A and E are two of the most deadly illnesses linked to contaminated water. These viruses cause the liver to enlarge after invading it. People often experience fatigue, dark urine, yellowing of the eyes, and sometimes abdominal enlargement due to fluid buildup. The liver recovers because it can regenerate itself, and the body heals in most cases. But in some people, the infection is so severe that it kills large liver cells. If this happens, it may result in abrupt liver failure, which might be fatal. Dr. Sanjeev Rohatgi, Consultant in Surgical Gastroenterology HPB & Liver Transplant Surgery at Manipal Hospital in Whitefield, Bangalore, discusses how water pollution exacerbates liver disease in an interview with.
Additional Waterborne Hazards
In addition to viral infections, waterborne illnesses such as amoebiasis may cause abscesses in the liver. “Bacterial infections like E. coli, Salmonella, and typhoid are also prevalent in dirty water,” says Dr. Sanjeev Rohatgi. They may not always result in total liver failure, but they nonetheless put the liver under stress and increase its burden.
The Unspoken Risk of Heavy Metals
Heavy metal pollution is another danger that is all too frequent but is by no means trivial. Factory waste often leaks into waterways, contaminating them with lead, arsenic, and mercury. “The liver can be gradually harmed by consuming these metals through the water,” explains Dr. Sanjeev Rohatgi. A small number of exposed patients have developed chronic liver damage or even liver failure.
Safe Water for Health Protection
Although the liver is quite resilient, it cannot withstand continuous damage. It may be irreparably damaged by infection, chemicals, and persistent inflammation. The consequences of a liver collapse are catastrophic and sometimes permanent.
The message is clear: protecting water quality (drinking water quality) means protecting human health. Drinking water that is safe and clean must be considered an absolute need. It keeps infections at bay, protects the liver, and preserves life. Since every drink of safe water is an investment in long-term health, all communities and families must demand clean water.