Drinking Water: Physics, Chemistry and Biology : Springer : 9783319043333 : 3319043331 : 29 Jul 2014 : This book takes a broad and eclectic view of the water that all humanity depends upon, probing its role in human life and in the history of our planet, as well as surveying the latest scientific understanding of purification techniques and standards for the protection of water quality. The volume opens with a chapter on the role of drinking water in human life, which discusses the planet's water resources, the quality of drinking water, water and health, the advent of water quality standards, ?Green? chemistry and more. The chapter concludes by discussing the relationship of the biosphere and human civilization. Chapter Two explores the unique properties of water, the role of water in the scenario of development on Earth. Also covered is the current understanding of the importance of the isotopic composition of water, in particular the ratio of protium to deuterium, which is fundamen