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There are many pollutants which make water unsafe for human or aquatic life...like,
1. Suspended solids from sediments of construction site, industry which produce suspendable solids,etc These will affect aquatic life. Also, chemicals in these suspended solids in air can result in acid rain and also can get into water.
2. Nitrogen: They can form nitrates and nitrites which are hazardous.
3. Toxic chemicals: Hazardous
4. Heavy metals like Lead, Hexachrome, Cadmium, Mercury, Nickel, Tin - Hazardous
5. Bacteria, Virus, etc which comes from sewage water, etc - Can lead to water born deceases
6. Asbeston, Arsenic, Barium, Silver etc which are priority pollutants - Hazardous
7. Benzene, pesticides, etc - Hazardous
8. Dissolved inroganic compounds - Hazardous
There are many more we can list out, for preventing and minimizing this, we have lot of standards in the industry.
Diseases caused such as the infamous Minimata disease which took place at the southwestern side of Tokyo bay (in Minimata). This disease made cats, fish and humans suffer. This has occurred due to dumping mercury in the bay which contaminated the under-water living organisms.