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Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also called tap water.
The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, age, health-related issues, and environmental conditions.[1][2] For those who work in a hot climate, up to 16 litres (4.2 US gal) a day may be required.[1]
About 1 to 2 billion people lack safe drinking water.[3] Water can carry vectors of disease. More people die from unsafe water than from war, then-U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said in 2010.[4] Developing countries are most affected by unsafe drinking water.
- ^ a b Ann C. Grandjean (August 2004). "3" (PDF). Water Requirements, Impinging Factors, & Recommended Intakes. World Health Organization. pp. 25–34. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 February 2016. This 2004 article focuses on the USA context and uses data collected from the US military.
- ^ Exposure Factors Handbook: 2011 Edition (PDF). National Center for Environmental Assessment. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ^ "Drinking-water". World Health Organization. March 2018. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ^ "Unsafe water kills more people than war, Ban says on World Day". UN News. 22 March 2010. Archived from the original on 11 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.