Potable water is water that can be drunk without risk to health.
Potable is an adjective whose etymological origin is found in the Latin potabilis . The term refers to that which can be drunk without causing harmful consequences to health .
In general, we speak of drinking water to name water that is susceptible to consumption by humans . This means that this type of water can be drunk without the action representing a risk to the subject's healthy condition.
The properties that drinking water must have are determined by the authorities. What is done is to establish certain minimum and maximum quantities of minerals, pH, pathogens, etc., that the water must exhibit to be classified as potable.
The importance of drinking water
Water is no longer drinkable when it contains undissolved particles, toxic elements, viruses or bacteria . In these cases, the consumption of water is prohibited since these components can cause illnesses to those who drink it.
The lack of drinking water is one of the most serious health problems today. People who are forced to drink unpurified water can suffer diarrhea-type illnesses that, in some cases, cause death .
It is important, therefore, to invest in stations to make water drinkable in those regions most in need. These facilities can use various technologies, pursuing the same goal: making the water suitable for human consumption.
In a broad sense, it can be said that drinking water is that which has no taste , color or smell . In any case, the drinking status of water should not be left to human senses, but rather has to be certified scientifically.
The lack of drinking water is a health problem.
Homemade purification methods
In many parts of the world, tap water does not meet the necessary conditions to be drinkable, or its consumption without a prior process is discouraged; This can occur for several reasons, such as the sanitation network not being optimal or the water not being chlorinated adequately. For this reason, when traveling abroad it is very important to find out about the quality of tap water to decide whether to drink it or not.
Luckily for those people who do not want to buy bottled water (the most advisable thing to avoid any risk of infection) there are two very simple home methods to obtain drinking water, which are set out below:
- Boiling : this is the most effective method. Boiling water ensures the elimination of all microorganisms associated with diseases, although it is advisable to keep it at 100°C for no less than a minute and then let it cool to room temperature. Some people recommend adding a pinch of salt per liter of water to improve its flavor. It is very important to protect boiled water from contact with air as much as possible, and to do this it should be stored in a closed container as soon as it cools.
- Chemical disinfection : if we do not have the means to boil water, we can always resort to disinfection with chemicals called halogens , more precisely with chlorine and iodine (the latter is more effective). It is worth mentioning that certain microorganisms can resist this method, which occurs, for example, with Toxoplasma , Cyclospora and Cryptosporidium . Before proceeding to disinfect the water, it is important that it is not cloudy; If necessary, it can be filtered with a cloth to remove any traces of floating matter .
The drinkable as the tolerable
At a colloquial level, on the other hand, drinkable is something that can be accepted or tolerated .
For example: "It's not a great movie, but it's drinkable: you'll find it entertaining," "This idea is drinkable, let's give it a chance."