So many of us around the world don’t put much thought into our plumbing systems, and we perhaps even take them for granted. We use our bathrooms, flush the toilet, wash our hands, and go about our days, without putting a second thought into everything that plumbing systems and plumbers have created to make us healthier as a species. Not only is the simple act of “doing our business” that much more convenient, but also a host of diseases have been virtually eliminated with modern plumbing systems.
Avoiding Water Contamination and Preventable Diseases
At its core, plumbing is a system of safe delivery of water. Plumbing also helps us to properly dispose of waste and avoid water-borne diseases such as typhoid fever, cholera, and dysentery. These illnesses are virtually unheard of in the United States, Europe, and other developed nations. Folks residing in developing countries, however, still deal with these and other diseases, and lack of access to plumbing systems is a large contributing factor to this.
Public health has been positively impacted by plumbers and plumbing systems. Properly built sewage systems prevent a lot of the problems and potential diseases that can be a result of open sewage systems as well as impure water systems, which can be the first step towards infectious diseases. These poorly made systems can literally become breeding grounds for insects, rodents, and various other disease carrying animals and germs.
Water contamination is a huge problem in many places, and has affected millions of people around the globe.
For example, poor plumbing systems were discovered to be the main cause behind the massive outbreak of the SARS outbreak in Asia, causing deaths all across the continent. In third world countries, water contamination is still a leading cause of death; deaths that could have easily been prevented, if only the citizens had access to modern plumbing systems.
Plumbers: The Unsung Heroes
When we think of a plumber as a hero, some of our first thoughts may go to Mario of Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. fame, but some of the real heroes in our world are plumbers, such as those at Absolute Draining and Plumbing who make sure, day in and day out, that we have access to sanitary plumbing systems. Plumbers adhere to strict codes that ensure modern plumbing systems are safe, clean, and healthy for everyone.
We all take things like toilets, sinks, showers and bathtubs for granted. They’re a necessity, right? Who wouldn’t have them?
In truth, all of these things are amenities that folks didn’t have not too long ago. Being able to use a toilet ensures that human waste is going to a destination where it is not going to impact fresh water or food sources, and a sink allows us to wash our hands immediately afterwards, helping keep us more hygienic, and not spread germs on our hands by coming into contact with other people, food, or liquids.
Many of us don’t take the time to appreciate those in the plumbing industry who are out there every single day building systems that help keep us safe, sanitary, and healthy. In our developed nations, we have the convenience of being able to use our bathrooms and wash our hands without having to think too much about the systems that take care of the waste in the background, ensuring it goes to a safe place and doesn’t spread germs and disease.
Unfortunately, in many third world countries, there are people who still don’t have access to such plumbing systems, and urinating and defecating in the middle of fields (or even in the streets) is quite common. This can correlate with food-borne and water-borne diseases, as someone may defecate in a field near crops, or urinate in a water source that someone else may come along and drink from.
Don’t Take Plumbers For Granted!
Next time you see a plumber, or need a plumber to make a service call out to your house for any reason, be sure to thank him for all he does! Plumbers don’t get nearly the recognition they deserve for the great services they provide.
If someone was asked what the biggest advancement in recent history in terms of health was, it’s safe to say they might say something along the lines of vaccines or maybe antibiotics, but the simple fact is, the best answer to that question is probably sanitary plumbing systems! It’s extremely important to remember that one of the biggest developments was sanitary water systems and sewage disposal is probably the biggest modern contributor to keeping good health.