When is water safe to drink? - Mia Nacamulli

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Water is refreshing, hydrating, and invaluable to your survival. But clean water remains a precious and often scarce commodity – there are nearly 800 million people who still don’t have regular access to it. Why is that? And how can you tell whether the water you have access to — whether from a tap or otherwise — is drinkable? Mia Nacamulli examines water contamination and treatment.


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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Mia Nacamulli
  • Director Sarah Sun, Angela Wong
  • Animator Rasita Kaye, Jorge Mejia, Hugo Setyadji
  • Storyboard Artist Rebecca Ko, Nadine Promes
  • Composer Stephen LaRosa
  • Associate Producer Jessica Ruby
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
Additional Resources for you to Explore
How does water typically get cleaned? Click here to find out. Clean water for everyone is a major global issue. Visit the United Nations site on water. Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals is to ensure access to water and sanitation for all. Visit this link to find out more.

A chemical cocktail in our water? How is that possible? Watch: How Drugs Pollute Our Drinking Water and What's REALLY in Our Drinking Water?

Wondering about exactly what problem water contaminated with sewage could cause? Watch this TED Ed lesson: The Story of Cholera.

Flint, Michigan and lead poisoning became a major news topic in 2014-2015. How did it happen? Watch this.

The CDC has some information on chlorine and drinking water. How much chlorine is too much? Click here to find out about disinfection with chlorine.

What can you do to help keep worldwide water clean? Need inspiration? These two captivating TED Talks about ensuring clean water for all people are a great place to start. Deepika Kurup: A young scientist's quest for clean water and How to make filthy water drinkable: Michael Pritchard.

Customize this lesson

Create and share a new lesson based on this one.

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Mia Nacamulli
  • Director Sarah Sun, Angela Wong
  • Animator Rasita Kaye, Jorge Mejia, Hugo Setyadji
  • Storyboard Artist Rebecca Ko, Nadine Promes
  • Composer Stephen LaRosa
  • Associate Producer Jessica Ruby
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

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