66% Water
Water as a Substance:
- Water is the most common substance found on earth.
- Water is the only substance found on earth naturally in three forms: solid, liquid, and gas.
- Water freezes at 32 degrees F, 0 degrees C.
- Water expands by 9% when it freezes. Frozen water (ice) is lighter than water, which is why ice floats in water.
- Water vaporizes at 212 degrees F, 100 degrees C.
Water on Earth:
- 80% of the earth’s surface is water.
- 97% of the earth’s water is oceans or seas.
- 2% of the earth’s water is frozen and therefore unusable.
- 1% of the earth’s water is suitable for drinking water.
- In a 100-year period, a water molecule spends 98 years in the ocean, 20 months as ice, about 2 weeks in lakes and rivers, and less than a week in the atmosphere.
Water in the Body:
- Every living thing requires water.
- The human body is 66% water.
- A baby’s body is 80% water.
- The human brain is 75% water and a living tree is 75% water.
- A jellyfish and a cucumber are each 95% water.
Water Recommendations:
- Health authorities commonly recommend drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day, which equals 2 quarts (64 ounces) or about 2 liters.
- We lose over 2 quarts (64 ounces) or about 2 liters of water every day through the normal vapor exchange of our skin, otherwise known as perspiration.
Water Usage at Home:
- Each American uses an average of 82 gallons (310 liters) of water a day at home (USGS, Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2015).
- Each European uses an average of 38 gallons (144 liters) of water a day at home.
- The average African family uses about 5 gallons (19 liters) of water a day.
- According to the EPA, a full bathtub requires about 70 gallons (264 liters) of water, while taking a five-minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons (38 to 95 liters).
Water Usage in Production:
- A dairy cow must consume 4 gallons (15 liters) of water to produce 1 gallon (3.8 liters) of milk.
- It takes 2.6 gallons (9.8 liters) of water to make a sheet of paper.
- It takes 6.3 gallons (23.9 liters) of water to make 17 ounces (0.48 kilograms) of plastic.
- It takes 924 gallons (3,497.7 liters) of water to produce 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) of rice.
- It takes 3,962 gallons (14, 997.8 liters) of water to produce 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) of beef.
Water Availability:
- 90% of all Americans receive their drinking water from a public water supply. 10% are on private wells.
- 26% of the world’s population does not have access to clean drinking water, and 46% lack access to basic sanitation (U.N. World Water Development Report 2023).
- Collectively, South African women and children walk a daily distance to fetch water that is equivalent to 16 trips to the moon and back.
- Two-thirds of the world’s population is projected to face water scarcity by 2025, according to the United Nations.
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