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Environmental Science. Nano Dec 2023The continuous monitoring of remote drinking water purification systems is a global challenge with direct consequences for human and environmental health. Here, we...
The continuous monitoring of remote drinking water purification systems is a global challenge with direct consequences for human and environmental health. Here, we utilise a "nano-tastebud" sensor comprised of eight chemically-tailored plasmonic metasurfaces, for testing the composition of drinking water. Through undertaking a full chemometric analysis of the water samples and likely contaminants we were able to optimise the sensor specification to create an array of suitable tastebuds. By generating a unique set of optical responses for each water sample, we show that the array-based sensor can differentiate between untreated influent and treated effluent water with over 95% accuracy in flow and can detect compositional changes in distributed modified tap water. Once fully developed, this system could be integrated into water treatment facilities and distribution systems to monitor for changes in water composition.
PubMed: 38073859
DOI: 10.1039/d3en00565h -
Health Science Reports Nov 2023Access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene is a fundamental human right and essential to control infectious diseases. However, many countries, including...
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene is a fundamental human right and essential to control infectious diseases. However, many countries, including Ethiopia, do not have adequate data to report on basic water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. Although contaminated drinking water spreads diseases like cholera, diarrhea, typhoid, and dysentery, studies on drinking water contamination risk levels in households are limited in Ethiopia. Therefore, closing this gap needs investigation.
METHODS
A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 5350 households were included. A systematic, simple random sampling technique was used to select the participants. The information was gathered through in-person interviews using a standardized questionnaire. Furthermore, 1070 drinking water samples were collected from household water storage.
RESULTS
This investigation revealed that 9.8%, 83.9%, and 4.9% of households used limited, basic, and safely managed drinking water services, respectively. Besides, 10.2%, 15.7% and 59.3% of households used safely managed, basic and limited sanitation services, respectively. Yet, 10.6% and 4.2% of households used unimproved sanitation facilities and open defecation practices. Also, 40.5% and 19.4% of households used limited and basic hygiene services. On the other hand, 40.1% of households lacked functional handwashing facilities. In this study, 12.1%, 26.3%, and 42% of households' drinking water samples were positive for , fecal coliforms, and total coliforms, respectively. Also, 5.1% and 4.5% of households' drinking water samples had very high and high contamination risk levels for , respectively. We found that 2.5% and 11.5% of households and water distributors had unacceptable fluoride concentrations, respectively.
CONCLUSION
The majority of households in Bishoftu town lack access to safely managed sanitation, drinking water, and basic hygiene services. Many households' water samples had very high and high health risk levels. Hence, the government and partner organizations should implement water and sanitation safety plans.
PubMed: 37920657
DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.1662 -
Journal of Exposure Science &... Jan 2024While the Safe Drinking Water Act allows states and localities to adopt stronger protections for drinking water, state and local requirements concerning private drinking... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
While the Safe Drinking Water Act allows states and localities to adopt stronger protections for drinking water, state and local requirements concerning private drinking water wells vary dramatically and often do not provide necessary protections for residents who rely on well water.
OBJECTIVE
This paper inventories ten types of policies including laws, regulations, programs, and activities that states have adopted or partaken in to encourage safe drinking water for residential well owners.
METHODS
To identify categories of private well protections, we conducted a preliminary internet search with key search terms to create an initial list of 10 categories of laws, regulations, programs, and activities (collectively referred to as "policies") that states have taken to protect residential well water quality. To have a private well safety category present, the law, regulation, program, or activity must fit within the scope of the ten classifications. To limit the breadth of our search, we excluded local and county protections, as well as activities by non-governmental organizations. We also excluded basic construction standards for new wells and licensing standards for well drillers, both of which are covered under a previous study. We conducted an additional internet search to complete a comprehensive review of each state and category and to validate our previous findings. In addition to this internet search, we completed phone and email outreach to the state agencies implementing the well safety categories identified in our internet search to confirm our results.
RESULTS
The results indicate a wide range of state-based well water protections. The number of residential well water protections present in each state ranged from 8 policies in Iowa, Kentucky, and Maine to 1 policy in Oklahoma, with a median of 5 policies across the 50 states.
IMPACT
This paper examines protections that states have implemented to safeguard residential well water quality and to protect the health of people who rely on well water. This research reviews state-level regulations, laws, and programs, as opposed to local, municipal, county-level, or quasi-governmental protections for residential well owners. Residential well policies were examined across ten categories. Without any protections at the federal level, this research reveals gaps in state regulation and demonstrates the need for broader adoption of comprehensive state-level policies to better protect residential well owners from drinking water contaminants and their associated public health impacts.
Topics: Humans; Drinking Water; Internet; Policy; Public Health; Water Quality
PubMed: 38374422
DOI: 10.1038/s41370-024-00645-2 -
SAGE Open Medicine 2023This study aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality of water sources in Ishaka division, Bushenyi district.
OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality of water sources in Ishaka division, Bushenyi district.
METHODS
Water from taps, wells and springs were sampled for the cross-sectional investigation. The enumeration and identification of microbes ( and total coliforms) in water samples were carried out using a variety of methods. was enumerated using the membrane filtration method; and using a two-step enrichment method; using the surface spread method and total coliforms using the most probable number technique. Mannitol salt agar was used for enumeration of and violet red bile agar was used for enumeration of total coliforms and ; xylose lysine deoxycholate agar was used for both spp. and spp. API-20E was used to phenotypically identify the Enterobacteriaceae contaminants in water. These included spp. and .
RESULTS
counts in the water from springs and wells ranged from 0 to 314 cfu/mL ( = 0.173) and 0 to 3 cfu/mL ( = 0.269), respectively, while tap water had no incidence of . Highest level of bacterial contamination in water sources, beyond acceptable WHO (0 cfu/100 mL) limits for drinking water, was reported: spp., 34 (54.8%), followed by total coliforms, 24 (38.7%), spp., 22 (35.5%) and least were spp. (8.1%) and spp. (8.1%).
CONCLUSION
It is therefore concluded that spring and well community water sources in Ishaka division, Uganda, are significantly contaminated with pathogenic bacteria and thus unsafe for drinking without adequate water treatment (disinfection and filtration).
PubMed: 38020800
DOI: 10.1177/20503121231194239 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Aug 2023(1) The occurrence and accumulation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the environment are recognized scientific concerns. Many of these compounds are...
(1) The occurrence and accumulation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the environment are recognized scientific concerns. Many of these compounds are disposed of in an unchanged or metabolized form through sewage systems and wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). WWTP processes do not completely eliminate all active substances or their metabolites. Therefore, they systematically leach into the water system and are increasingly contaminating ground, surface, and drinking water, representing a health risk largely ignored by legislative bodies. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, a significantly larger amount of medicines and protective products were consumed. It is therefore likely that contamination of water sources has increased, and in the case of groundwater with a delayed effect. As a result, it is necessary to develop an accurate, rapid, and easily available method applicable to routine screening analyses of potable water to monitor and estimate their potential health risk. (2) A multi-residue UHPLC-MS/MS analytical method designed for the identification of 52 pharmaceutical products was developed and used to monitor their presence in drinking water. (3) The optimized method achieved good validation parameters, with recovery of 70-120% of most analytes and repeatability achieving results within 20%. In real samples of drinking water, at least one analyte above the limit of determination was detected in each of the 15 tap water and groundwater samples analyzed. (4) These findings highlight the need for legislation to address pharmaceutical contamination in the environment.
Topics: Humans; Drinking Water; Chromatography, Liquid; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Pandemics; Environmental Monitoring; COVID-19; Cosmetics; Pharmaceutical Preparations
PubMed: 37570870
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28155899 -
Scientific Reports May 2024This investigation explored the presence of microplastics (MPs) and artificial cellulosic particles (ACPs) in commercial water marketed in single use 1.5 L...
This investigation explored the presence of microplastics (MPs) and artificial cellulosic particles (ACPs) in commercial water marketed in single use 1.5 L poly(ethylene terephthalate) bottles. In this work we determined a mass concentration of 1.61 (1.10-2.88) µg/L and 1.04 (0.43-1.82) µg/L for MPs and ACPs respectively in five top-selling brands from the Spanish bottled water market. Most MPs consisted of white and transparent polyester and polyethylene particles, while most ACPs were cellulosic fibers likely originating from textiles. The median size of MPs and ACPs was 93 µm (interquartile range 76-130 µm) and 77 µm (interquartile range 60-96 µm), respectively. Particle mass size distributions were fitted to a logistic function, enabling comparisons with other studies. The estimated daily intake of MPs due to the consumption of bottled water falls within the 4-18 ng kg day range, meaning that exposure to plastics through bottled water probably represents a negligible risk to human health. However, it's worth noting that the concentration of plastic found was much higher than that recorded for tap water, which supports the argument in favour of municipal drinking water.
Topics: Microplastics; Drinking Water; Spain; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Cellulose; Humans; Particle Size; Polyethylene Terephthalates
PubMed: 38750101
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-62075-2 -
International Journal of Molecular... Oct 2023The best form of prevention against human infection through bacteria, viruses, and other parasites is ozone disinfection of wastewater and drinking water as a highly... (Review)
Review
The best form of prevention against human infection through bacteria, viruses, and other parasites is ozone disinfection of wastewater and drinking water as a highly effective, well-known method. Various preclinical studies showed promising results, which are being revisited and reconsidered in times of pandemics and led to interesting results in recent clinical trials and reports, as presented by the example of protective measures against COVID-19 in particularly vulnerable clinical personnel. The application of ozone in the form of the low-dose concept induces its regulation by interference of ozone or its peroxides into the redox equilibrium of the biological system, which finally results in the restoration of the glutathione equilibrium. The antioxidant system is activated, the immune system is modulated, and thus the defense mechanisms are improved. In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, repeated ozone treatments have led to new findings in "immunomodulation" through ozone. The more effective immune response is discussed as the response of innate immune memory and opens interesting aspects for complementary treatment of autoimmune diseases.
Topics: Humans; Ozone; Drinking Water; Disinfection; Wastewater; Oxidation-Reduction
PubMed: 37958730
DOI: 10.3390/ijms242115747 -
The Science of the Total Environment Sep 2023An important challenge today is to efficiently monitor the presence of polar pharmaceuticals and drugs in surface and drinking waters to ensure its safeness. Most...
An important challenge today is to efficiently monitor the presence of polar pharmaceuticals and drugs in surface and drinking waters to ensure its safeness. Most studies rely on grab sampling techniques, which enable the determination of contaminants at a given point and given time. In this study, we propose the use of ceramic passive samplers (CPSs) to increase the representativeness and efficiency of organic contaminant monitoring in waters. Firstly, we have assayed the stability of 32 pharmaceuticals and drugs and found that five of those compounds were unstable. Moreover, we evaluated the retention capabilities of three sorbents (Sepra ZT, Sepra SBD-L, and PoraPak Rxn RP) in solid-phase extraction (SPE) mode and found no differences in terms of recoveries for all three sorbents. We then calibrated CPSs using the three sorbents for the 27 stable compounds over 13 days, with a suitable uptake for 22 compounds with sampling rates between 0.4 and 17.6 mL/day, which indicates high uptake efficiency. CPSs with the Sepra ZT sorbent were deployed in river water (n = 5) and drinking water (n = 5) for 13 days. Some of the studied compounds occurred with a time-weighted concentration, for instance, of 43 ng/L for caffeine, 223 ng/L for tramadol or 175 ng/L for cotinine in river water.
Topics: Drinking Water; Rivers; Environmental Monitoring; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Ceramics; Pharmaceutical Preparations
PubMed: 37209743
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164267 -
Acta Odontologica Latinoamericana : AOL Dec 2023Fluorosis is a worldwide public health problem. One of the factors related to it is the type of water consumed, such as groundwater. High fluoride concentration in...
UNLABELLED
Fluorosis is a worldwide public health problem. One of the factors related to it is the type of water consumed, such as groundwater. High fluoride concentration in groundwater may be explained by contamination from local industries. Since fluoride and arsenic are the main pollutants of groundwater, some studies correlate groundwater consumption with high prevalence of fluorosis.
AIM
The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review to determine whether children's risk of fluorosis is related to drinking groundwater.
MATERIALS AND METHOD
The protocol for this systematic review was registered at the National Institute of Health Research Database (CRD42021227298). A comprehensive search was conducted to identify potentially relevant studies by exploring a range of electronic databases (Medline via PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, Web of Science Core Collection, Medline via Ovid, Lilacs, Embase, and grey literature).
RESULTS
A total 2189 articles were found. After reading titles and abstracts, 63 were selected for screening, and the final data was extracted from 15 articles.
CONCLUSION
A relationship was identified between drinking fluoridated water from wells and the prevalence of fluorosis in individuals up to 18 years old. This is the first study to assess the issue systematically worldwide.
Topics: Child; Humans; Adolescent; Fluorides; Prevalence; Fluorosis, Dental; Groundwater; Drinking Water
PubMed: 38345279
DOI: 10.54589/aol.36/3/169 -
International Journal of Environmental... Mar 2024The prevalence of dementia increases with nearly 10 million new cases each year, with Alzheimer's disease contributing to 60-70% of cases. Environmental factors such as...
The prevalence of dementia increases with nearly 10 million new cases each year, with Alzheimer's disease contributing to 60-70% of cases. Environmental factors such as drinking water have been evaluated to determine if a relationship exists between trace elements in drinking water and the risk of developing cognitive disorders in the elderly. The purpose of the current systematic review was to evaluate an association between the composition of drinking water and cognitive function in the elderly. In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a literature search was conducted using PubMed and CINAHL databases. A total of 10 studies were included in the current systematic review. Aluminum is the most commonly evaluated trace element in studies ( = 8), followed by silica ( = 5), calcium ( = 4), and fluoride ( = 4). Aluminum exposure showed an increased risk of cognitive decline in four studies, with no association reported in the other studies. Higher silica and pH levels were shown to be protective against a decline in cognitive function. A similar protective effect of calcium was found in two studies. Future research should measure multiple trace mineral levels in all water sources to evaluate the impact on cognitive function.
Topics: Aged; Humans; Aluminum; Calcium; Cognition; Cognitive Dysfunction; Drinking Water; Silicon Dioxide; Trace Elements
PubMed: 38541362
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21030362