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International Journal of Geriatric... Mar 2023Lithium, a mood stabilizer, is known to exhibit neuroprotective effects in animal models and may have anti-dementia effects.
BACKGROUND
Lithium, a mood stabilizer, is known to exhibit neuroprotective effects in animal models and may have anti-dementia effects.
AIMS
We used data from Scottish Mental Survey 1932, a population-based cohort study, to investigate the association between lithium in drinking water and dementia rate in humans.
METHOD
Lithium levels in drinking water from 285 sampling sites across Scotland dating from 2014 were obtained from the sole public water provider (Scottish Water). Dementia and non dementia cases were identified from cohort data by electronic health records until 2012, and linked to postcode.
RESULTS
The mean lithium level at all sampling sites was 1.45 μg/L (SD 1.83, range 0.5-18.2) and was 1.26 (SD 0.63, range 0.55-9.19) for sites matched to participant data. Of 37,597 study members, 3605 developed dementia until June 2012. Lithium levels were positively associated with the risk of dementia in women (highest in second quartile, HR 1.17, 95%CI 1.04-1.32), but there was no relationship in men (highest in second quartile, HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.81-1.12). The pattern of association was explored further by decile, and in females there was an association between lithium level and increased dementia risk compared to the lowest decile (0.55-0.68 μg/L) in all deciles except the highest, corresponding with lithium levels 0.68-2.1 μg/L.
CONCLUSIONS
Lithium levels in drinking water are very low across Scotland which limited detection of potential effect. Our results do not support an association between extremely low levels of lithium and later dementia risk. We found a trend to increased risk in females at lithium levels below but not above 2.1 μg/L.
Topics: Male; Humans; Female; Lithium; Cohort Studies; Drinking Water; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 36747488
DOI: 10.1002/gps.5890 -
PloS One 2021This study aims to measure the efficacy of drinking water in terms of the economic impacts and risk of illness involved in using perilous water sources. Socio-economic...
This study aims to measure the efficacy of drinking water in terms of the economic impacts and risk of illness involved in using perilous water sources. Socio-economic factors were also considered. A multidisciplinary approach was employed to analyze the data, including the cost of illness (COI), regression technique, and irrigation water efficiency methods. The primary data set consisted of 210 peri-urban and urban households. It was found that the average cost of illness was higher in peri-urban ($10.79 USD) areas, while willingness to pay for quality water was higher in urban residents. Social status, income, and family size was positively associated with the cost of illness, while education, the source of drinking water (ground water and others), and awareness about safe drinking were negatively associated with the cost of illness. Furthermore, urban residents were more efficient in terms of conveyance and water use. This is one of the first studies to apply irrigation water efficiency methods to measure drinking water efficiency. The results are timely and important with both practical and social implications, including guiding policy framework. It is suggested that family planning programs be made more effective to control family size. The filtration plants to enhance drinking water quality be installed in the central places of each town/division/union council. A public-private partnership could work to provide affordable quality drinking water.
Topics: Cost of Illness; Drinking Water; Family Characteristics; Humans; Income; Psychological Distance; Urban Population; Water Quality
PubMed: 34587161
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257509 -
Toxicology Letters May 2022Arsenic is a toxicant commonly found in drinking water. Even though its main route of exposure is oral, little is known of the impact of in vivo arsenic exposure on...
Arsenic is a toxicant commonly found in drinking water. Even though its main route of exposure is oral, little is known of the impact of in vivo arsenic exposure on small intestine. In vitro studies have shown that arsenic decreases differentiation of stem and progenitor cells in several different tissues. Thus, small intestinal organoids were used to assess if arsenic exposure would also impair intestinal stem cell differentiation. Unexpectedly, no changes in markers of differentiated epithelial cells were seen. However, exposing mice to 100 ppb arsenic in drinking water for 5 weeks impaired distinct populations of intestinal stromal cells. Arsenic reduced the width of the pericryptal lamina propria by 1.6-fold, and reduced Pdgfra mRNA expression, which is expressed in intestinal telocytes and trophocytes, by 4.2-fold. The height or extension of Pdgfra telopodes into the villus tip was also significantly reduced. Transcript expression of several other stromal cell markers, such as Grem1, Gli, CD81, were reduced by 1.9-, 2.3-, and 1.4-fold, respectively. Further, significant correlations exist between levels of Pdgfra and Gli1, Grem1, and Bmp4. Our results suggest arsenic impairs intestinal trophocytes and telocytes, leading to alterations in the Bmp signaling pathway.
Topics: Animals; Arsenic; Drinking Water; Intestines; Mice; Stem Cells; Stromal Cells
PubMed: 35378173
DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2022.03.006 -
Water Research Oct 2021Water-based opportunistic pathogens (OPs) are a leading cause of drinking-water-related disease outbreaks, especially in developed countries such as the United States...
Water-based opportunistic pathogens (OPs) are a leading cause of drinking-water-related disease outbreaks, especially in developed countries such as the United States (US). Physicochemical water quality parameters, especially disinfectant residuals, control the (re)growth, presence, colonization, and concentrations of OPs in drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs), while the relationship between OPs and those parameters remain unclear. This study aimed to quantify how physicochemical parameters, mainly monochloramine residual concentration, hydraulic residence time (HRT), and seasonality, affected the occurrence and concentrations of four common OPs (Legionella, Mycobacterium, Pseudomonas, and Vermamoeba vermiformis) in four full-scale DWDSs in the US. Legionella as a dominant OP occurred in 93.8% of the 64 sampling events and had a mean density of 4.27 × 10 genome copies per liter. Legionella positively correlated with Mycobacterium, Pseudomonas, and total bacteria. Multiple regression with data from the four DWDSs showed that Legionella had significant correlations with total chlorine residual level, free ammonia concentration, and trihalomethane concentration. Therefore, Legionella is a promising indicator of water-based OPs, reflecting microbial water quality in chloraminated DWDSs. The OP concentrations had strong seasonal variations and peaked in winter and/or spring possibly because of reduced water usage (i.e., increased water stagnation or HRT) during cold seasons. The OP concentrations generally increased with HRT presumably because of disinfectant residual decay, indicating the importance of well-maintaining disinfectant residuals in DWDSs for OP control. The concentrations of Mycobacterium, Pseudomonas, and V. vermiformis were significantly associated with total chlorine residual concentration, free ammonia concentration, and pH and trihalomethane concentration, respectively. Overall, this study demonstrates how the significant spatiotemporal variations of OP concentrations in chloraminated DWDSs correlated with critical physicochemical water quality parameters such as disinfectant residual levels. This work also indicates that Legionella is a promising indicator of OPs and microbial water quality in chloraminated DWDSs.
Topics: Chlorine; Drinking Water; Legionella; Mycobacterium; Water Microbiology
PubMed: 34628111
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117571 -
Environment International Oct 2021There is limited evidence that nitrate, a common contaminant in drinking water, increases the risk of childhood cancers. Our objective was to examine this association in...
BACKGROUND
There is limited evidence that nitrate, a common contaminant in drinking water, increases the risk of childhood cancers. Our objective was to examine this association in Denmark.
METHODS
We conducted a nationwide case-control study based on all singletons liveborn to Danish-born parents from 1991 to 2015 (N = 1,219,140) that included 596 leukemias, 180 lymphomas, and 310 central nervous system cancers (CNC) who were ≤15 years of age at diagnosis and were identified from the Danish Cancer Registry. Approximately 100 controls were randomly selected and matched to each case on date of birth and sex. Nitrate measurements in public water systems were linked with an address registry to estimate individual average nitrate concentrations during preconception, prenatal, and postnatal periods. Odd ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were estimated using conditional logistic regression controlling for the matching variables, and birth order, birthweight, urbanicity, maternal education, employment, income and smoking, and parental age.
RESULTS
There was no evidence of an association of nitrate with leukemia or lymphoma. An association between CNC and the highest category of nitrate exposure (>25 mg/L nitrate) was observed for preconception (OR = 1.82, 95%CI:1.09 to 3.04), prenatal (OR = 1.65, 95%CI:0.97 to 2.81), and postnatal exposure (OR = 1.48, 95%CI:0.82 to 2.68) in fully adjusted models. There was also some evidence of an exposure-response in models of continuous nitrate exposure and CNC.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings provide some evidence that exposure to nitrate from drinking water may increase the risk of childhood CNC cancer, but not leukemia or lymphoma.
Topics: Case-Control Studies; Central Nervous System Neoplasms; Child; Denmark; Drinking Water; Female; Humans; Nitrates; Pregnancy; Risk Factors
PubMed: 33965769
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106613 -
International Journal of Hygiene and... Jan 2024Drinking water quality data, though regularly monitored, is not available in Germany as national overview, but only decentralized from the water suppliers. On the... (Review)
Review
Drinking water quality data, though regularly monitored, is not available in Germany as national overview, but only decentralized from the water suppliers. On the national level, only the number of limit exceedances are reported. An overview on drinking water qualities as complete as possible however is necessary to assess and develop regulations and helpful for authorities, political decision makers, the public and the scientific community. Due to the fragmented nature of the data sources, web-scraping was used in the present study to mitigate aforementioned challenges and knowledge gaps. Data from 502 water supply areas were compiled and further evaluated. The extent and form of reported values varied strongly, as did the availability of data for the different water supply areas. The results show, that the scraped values were not close to but well below associated legal limits or guidance values. For organic parameters, the reported values were mostly below the respective limits of quantification. However, further developments are needed to cover more water supply areas in Germany and internationally.
Topics: Drinking Water; Environmental Monitoring; Germany; Water Quality; Water Supply
PubMed: 37995492
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114295 -
The Science of the Total Environment Sep 2023Due to natural conditions such as geology, topography, and climate, and historical features such as resource utilization, land use, and settlement patterns, the drinking...
Due to natural conditions such as geology, topography, and climate, and historical features such as resource utilization, land use, and settlement patterns, the drinking water supply in Norway is separated into many public and private water supply systems. This survey sheds light on whether the Drinking Water Regulation's limit values provide a sufficient basis for ensuring safe drinking water for the Norwegian population. Participating waterworks, both private and public, were spread throughout the country, in 21 municipalities with different geological conditions. The median value for the number of persons supplied by the participating waterworks was 155. The two largest waterworks, both of which supply >10,000 people, have water sources from unconsolidated surficial sediments of latest Quaternary age. Fourteen waterworks have water sources from bedrock aquifers. Raw and treated water were analysed for 64 elements and selected anions. The concentration of manganese, iron, arsenic, aluminium, uranium, and fluoride exceeded the respective drinking water regulations' parametric value given in Directive (EU) 2020/2184. Regarding the rare earth elements, neither WHO, EU, USA nor Canada have established any limit values. However, concentration of lanthanum in groundwater from a sedimentary well exceeded the health-based guideline value that applies in Australia. Results from this study raise the question of whether increased precipitation can have an impact on the mobility and concentration of uranium in groundwater from bedrock aquifers. Furthermore, findings of high levels of lanthanum in groundwater create uncertainty as to whether the current quality control of Norwegian drinking water is sufficient.
Topics: Humans; Drinking Water; Lanthanum; Uranium; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Water Supply; Groundwater; Arsenic; Norway; Environmental Monitoring
PubMed: 37211126
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164287 -
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) Aug 2019is one of the most important water-related pathogens. Inside the water supply systems and the biofilms, interact with other bacteria and free-living amoeba (FLA)....
is one of the most important water-related pathogens. Inside the water supply systems and the biofilms, interact with other bacteria and free-living amoeba (FLA). Several amoebas may serve as hosts for bacteria in aquatic systems. This study aimed to investigate the co-occurrence of spp. and FLA in drinking water supply systems. A total of 268 water samples were collected from apartment buildings, hotels, and public buildings. Detection of spp. was performed in accordance with ISO 11731:2017 standard. Three different polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocols were used to identify FLA. Occurrence of varied from an average of 12.5% in cold water samples with the most frequent occurrence observed in hot water, in areas receiving untreated groundwater, where 54.0% of the samples were positive. The occurrence of FLA was significantly higher. On average, 77.2% of samples contained at least one genus of FLA and, depending on the type of sample, the occurrence of FLA could reach 95%. In the samples collected during the study, was always isolated along with FLA, no samples containing in the absence of FLA were observed. The data obtained in our study can help to focus on the extensive distribution, close interaction, and long-term persistence of and FLA. Lack of risk management plans and control procedures may promote further spread of in water supply systems. In addition, the high incidence of -related FLA suggests that traditional monitoring methods may not be sufficient for control.
Topics: Amoeba; Drinking Water; Environmental Monitoring; Legionella; Water Microbiology; Water Supply
PubMed: 31443316
DOI: 10.3390/medicina55080492 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jan 2022Pesticides are a large and heterogenous group of chemicals with a complex geographic distribution in the environment. The purpose of this study was to explore the...
Pesticides are a large and heterogenous group of chemicals with a complex geographic distribution in the environment. The purpose of this study was to explore the geographic distribution of pesticides in Danish drinking water and identify potential patterns in the grouping of pesticides. Our data included 899,169 analyses of 167 pesticides and metabolites, of which 55 were identified above the detection limit. Pesticide patterns were defined by (1) pesticide groups based on chemical structure and pesticide-metabolite relations and (2) an exploratory factor analysis identifying underlying patterns of related pesticides within waterworks. The geographic distribution was evaluated by mapping the pesticide categories for groups and factor components, namely those detected, quantified, above quality standards, and not analysed. We identified five and seven factor components for the periods 2002-2011 and 2012-2018, respectively. In total, 16 pesticide groups were identified, of which six were representative in space and time with regards to the number of waterworks and analyses, namely benzothiazinone, benzonitriles, organophosphates, phenoxy herbicides, triazines, and triazinones. Pesticide mapping identified areas where multiple pesticides were detected, indicating areas with a higher pesticide burden. The results contribute to a better understanding of the pesticide pattern in Danish drinking water and may contribute to exposure assessments for future epidemiological studies.
Topics: Denmark; Drinking Water; Environmental Monitoring; Herbicides; Pesticides; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 35055647
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19020823 -
Water Research Sep 2023Discoloured drinking water, caused by elevated concentrations of organic and inorganic particles, is unacceptable. It occurs due to accumulation and subsequent... (Review)
Review
Discoloured drinking water, caused by elevated concentrations of organic and inorganic particles, is unacceptable. It occurs due to accumulation and subsequent mobilisation of material from within drinking water distribution infrastructure. Discolouration is currently partially explained by either the theories of cohesive layers or gravitational sedimentation. It is proposed and shown here how the processes behind these two theories both occur and how to integrate them to better explain observed behaviour and inform operational interventions to reduce discolouration. Deficiencies in understanding regarding the process and factors that influence material accumulation are highlighted. Future research addressing these deficiencies will enable determination of long term sustainable management strategies balancing capital investment and operational maintenance to safeguard distribution of high quality drinking water.
Topics: Drinking Water; Water Supply; Water Quality
PubMed: 37516082
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120416