Thursday, October 3, 2019

BLOG: Groundwater and Your Body

Groundwater is literally part of you.

It's the water many of us drink, and when it's in our bodies, it helps support processes that keep us healthy and thriving.

Our brains and hearts are 73% water. Lungs? About 83% water. Other major parts of our bodies are mostly water, including our skin (64%), muscles (79%), and kidneys (79%).

We all need to drink water every single day to survive. Adults need somewhere around 2-3 liters of water each day (some of this comes from food). Why? Because it does a number of amazing things in our bodies.

Source: USGS

  • It forms saliva and aids in digestion
  • It keeps all mucosal membranes moist and healthy
  • It's an essential piece of every single cell in our bodies
  • It helps flush waste from our bodies
  • It keeps our joints moving comfortably
  • It keeps our body temperature regulated by making us sweat
  • It's a shock absorber for our brains and spinal cords
  • It's used by our brains to make hormones and signals to keep our systems operating
  • It helps deliver oxygen throughout our bodies

Water is "sticky," which comes from its surface tension, and this plays a part in our bodies being able to move materials from our toes to our head and everywhere in between.

This is just one more way groundwater is magical - it helps keep us healthy and thriving! How will you help protect this amazing resource?

Adapted from "The Water in You" at https://water.usgs.gov/edu/propertyyou.html

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