A new report by the World Bank is warning that the world faces an invisible crisis of water quality that is eliminating one-third of potential economic growth in heavily polluted areas and threatening human and environmental well-being.

Using new data and methods Quality Unknown: The Invisible Water Crisis shows how a combination of bacteria, sewage, chemicals, and plastics can suck oxygen from water supplies and transform water into poison for people and ecosystems.

Well-known pollutants such as fecal contaminants, as well as new pollutants, including nutrients, plastics, and pharmaceuticals, present significant challenges.

To shed light on the issue, the World Bank assembled the world’s largest database on water quality gathered from monitoring stations, remote sensing technology, and machine learning.

The report is calling for immediate global, national and local-level attention to these dangers which face both developed and developing countries.

Read more and download the report here.