Dirty Water 5th Biggest Killer of Women, More Deadly For Women Than HIV and Breast Cancer

Diseases that are spread through poor sanitation and dirty water are the fifth largest killer of women around the world, causing more women to die than diabetes, breast cancer or AIDS, say researchers.

The development organization Water Aid Nearly 800,000 said that more women die every year due to lack of access to safe toilets and clean potable water, said, which analyzed data from the Seattle-based Institute of Health Metrics research center.

Diseases linked to the lack of clean water and toilets kill nearly 800,000 women worldwide every year, making them the fifth leading cause of death for women, according to WaterAid, an international non-governmental organization.

"This completely unacceptable situation affects women and girls' education, their health, their dignity and ultimately, in too many cases, results in an early and needless death," WaterAid CEO Barbara Frost said in a statement.

More than 1 billion women, or one in three women around the world, do not have access to a safe, private toilet, while 370 million - one in 10 - do not have access to clean water, according to WaterAid. More than 2 billion people gained access to clean water between 1990 and 2012, but nearly 750 million remain still lack what the United Nations recognises as a human right.

Without toilets that are safe, women and girls must go outdoors and relieve themselves, often after dark, putting them at higher risk of assault and sexual harassment.

In addition, in a number of poorer countries fetching water is done by girls and women, who spend many hours every days trekking to and from the natural springs or wells, keeping them from going to school and care for their own families, while also putting them in harm's way.