This document discusses the global issues associated with lack of access to safe drinking water. Key points include: - Over 2 million people, mostly children, die every year from water-borne diseases. Half of hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from such illnesses. - 80% of diseases in developing nations are caused by contaminated water. Six thousand children die daily from lack of access to safe drinking water. - The document then provides some basic information about water treatment in the US and Mexico to purify drinking water and make it safer. It concludes with boiling being an effective method for water purification.