Question

Untreated human excreta is a health hazard. Explain.

Answer 1

Human excreta (human waste) is the waste product of the human digestive system after metabolism, namely faeces and urine.

Complete Answer:
- Bacterial biomass is the major organic constituent (25–54% of dry solids) of the faeces. Fiber, protein, undigested carbohydrate, and fat are included in the remainder. Their amounts depend on the diets and the prevalence of diarrhea in the population.
- Urine contains the largest fractions of potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen, which are released from the body. Normally human faeces are semi-solid, and are coated with mucus.
- In medical terminology, the term "stool" is more commonly used rather than the term "faeces".
- Untreated human excreta is a health hazard because it consists of several disease-causing microorganisms and pollutants that contaminate the soil and water resources, because people use such water for drinking and domestic purposes. When people use water contaminated with human excreta, they get infected with diseases like - Dysentery, Typhoid , Cholera, and Hepatitis.
- Human excreta pollutes the soil and water, including underground water. When this contaminated water is used for drinking; it contains disease-causing bacteria which can spread epidemics like cholera, meningitis. which may even prove to be fatal.

Note: The following methods can be adopted to control hazard caused due to human excreta,
- Building a clean and well sanitized bathroom in public areas.
- Hotels, restaurants, and public places should be opened at a distance from potential areas
- Awareness should be created about the hazards of untreated human excreta.