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International Journal of Environmental... Jan 2021Affordable access to safe drinking water is essential to community health, yet there is limited understanding of water insecurity among Native Americans. Therefore, the...
Affordable access to safe drinking water is essential to community health, yet there is limited understanding of water insecurity among Native Americans. Therefore, the focus of this paper is to describe Apsáalooke (Crow Indian) tribal members' experiences with water insecurity. For Apsáalooke people, local rivers and springs are still vitally important for traditional cultural activities. We interviewed 30 Native American adults living on the Crow Reservation in Southeastern Montana. Participants answered six open-ended interview questions about their water access, costs of obtaining water and changes in their domestic and traditional water uses. Participants emphasized how the use of water has changed over time and described the complex challenges associated with addressing water insecurity in their community, including the importance of considering the spiritual and cultural impacts of water insecurity on health. Water insecurity is a growing global problem and more attention and efforts are needed to find appropriate and affordable solutions.
Topics: Adult; Drinking Water; Humans; Indians, North American; Montana; Water Insecurity; Water Supply
PubMed: 33445579
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18020582 -
Environmental Health and Preventive... Mar 2020In low resourced countries, water-associated diseases have still impact on public health. Poor quality of water can cause waterborne diseases through bacteria, viruses,...
BACKGROUND
In low resourced countries, water-associated diseases have still impact on public health. Poor quality of water can cause waterborne diseases through bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and parasites that has been responsible for millions of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, this study aimed to assess quality and safety of public municipal drinking water in Addis Ababa City.
METHODS
Descriptive epidemiological study design that used quantitative approach was carried out at Addis Ababa City Administration from June 2016 to October 2016. Pre-tested and standardized aseptic sample collection technique was utilized to collect a total of 2976 samples (2951 water samples for bacteriological analysis by Presence-Absence (P-A) culturing method and 25 samples for parasites identification through direct microscopy examination). Descriptive data were summarized and cleaned by the SPSS version 20 software and presented in table and graph.
RESULTS
The study revealed that 10%, 7% and 3% were positive for bacteriological, total coliforms, and fecal coliforms respectively through Presence-Absence Broth test. The bacterial distribution trends from 1st to 13th weeks of wet season were slight increment of total coliforms and slight decrement for fecal coliforms. All tested for parasitological samples from selected reservoirs were free from parasitological species.
CONCLUSION
This study reflects that there were positive for bacterial, total coliforms, and fecal coliforms during the study period. It needs continuous screening and treating water sources to utmost important for prevention and control waterborne disease.
Topics: Cities; Drinking Water; Ethiopia; Seasons; Water Quality
PubMed: 32151243
DOI: 10.1186/s12199-020-00847-8 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2019Maintaining a clean water supply is of utmost importance for human civilization. Human activities are putting an increasing strain on Earth's freshwater reserves and on... (Review)
Review
Maintaining a clean water supply is of utmost importance for human civilization. Human activities are putting an increasing strain on Earth's freshwater reserves and on the quality of available water on Earth. To ensure cleanliness and potability of water, sensors are required to monitor various water quality parameters in surface, ground, drinking, process, and waste water. One set of parameters with high importance is the presence of cations. Some cations can play a beneficial role in human biology, and others have detrimental effects. In this review, various lab-based and field-based methods of cation detection are discussed, and the uses of these methods for the monitoring of water are investigated for their selectivity and sensitivity. The cations chosen were barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, hardness (calcium, magnesium), lead, mercury, nickel, silver, uranium, and zinc. The methods investigated range from optical (absorbance/fluorescence) to electrical (potentiometry, voltammetry, chemiresistivity), mechanical (quartz crystal microbalance), and spectrometric (mass spectrometry). Emphasis is placed on recent developments in mobile sensing technologies, including for integration into microfluidics.
Topics: Cations; Drinking Water; Environmental Monitoring; Humans; Metals; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Water Quality; Water Supply
PubMed: 31771173
DOI: 10.3390/s19235134 -
Environment International Jan 2020Arsenic (As) is a highly toxic element which naturally occurs in drinking water. In spite of substantial evidence on the association between many illnesses and chronic... (Review)
Review
Arsenic (As) is a highly toxic element which naturally occurs in drinking water. In spite of substantial evidence on the association between many illnesses and chronic consumption of As, there is still a considerable uncertainty about the health risks due to low As concentrations in drinking water. In the Netherlands, drinking water companies aim to supply water with As concentration of <1 μg/L - a water quality goal which is tenfold more stringent than the current WHO guideline. This paper provides (i) an account on the assessed lung cancer risk for the Dutch population due to pertinent low-level As in drinking water and cost-comparison between health care provision and As removal from water, (ii) an overview of As occurrence and mobility in drinking water sources and water treatment systems in the Netherlands and (iii) insights into As removal methods that have been employed or under investigation to achieve As reduction to <1 µg/L at Dutch water treatment plants. Lowering of the average As concentration to <1μg/L in the Netherlands is shown to result in an annual benefit of 7.2-14 M€. This study has a global significance for setting drinking water As limits and provision of safe drinking water.
Topics: Arsenic; Drinking Water; Environmental Monitoring; Groundwater; Netherlands; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Water Supply
PubMed: 31810053
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105253 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2022Water quality monitoring is an essential component of water quality management for water utilities for managing the drinking water supply. Online UV-Vis... (Review)
Review
Water quality monitoring is an essential component of water quality management for water utilities for managing the drinking water supply. Online UV-Vis spectrophotometers are becoming popular choices for online water quality monitoring and process control, as they are reagent free, do not require sample pre-treatments and can provide continuous measurements. The advantages of the online UV-Vis sensors are that they can capture events and allow quicker responses to water quality changes compared to conventional water quality monitoring. This review summarizes the applications of online UV-Vis spectrophotometers for drinking water quality management in the last two decades. Water quality measurements can be performed directly using the built-in generic algorithms of the online UV-Vis instruments, including absorbance at 254 nm (UV), colour, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total organic carbon (TOC), turbidity and nitrate. To enhance the usability of this technique by providing a higher level of operations intelligence, the UV-Vis spectra combined with chemometrics approach offers simplicity, flexibility and applicability. The use of anomaly detection and an early warning was also discussed for drinking water quality monitoring at the source or in the distribution system. As most of the online UV-Vis instruments studies in the drinking water field were conducted at the laboratory- and pilot-scale, future work is needed for industrial-scale evaluation with ab appropriate validation methodology. Issues and potential solutions associated with online instruments for water quality monitoring have been provided. Current technique development outcomes indicate that future research and development work is needed for the integration of early warnings and real-time water treatment process control systems using the online UV-Vis spectrophotometers as part of the water quality management system.
Topics: Drinking Water; Spectrophotometry; Water Purification; Water Quality; Water Supply
PubMed: 35458971
DOI: 10.3390/s22082987 -
Scientific Reports Jan 2023Exposure to low levels of nitrate in drinking water may have adverse reproductive effects. We reviewed evidence about the association between nitrate in drinking water... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Exposure to low levels of nitrate in drinking water may have adverse reproductive effects. We reviewed evidence about the association between nitrate in drinking water and adverse reproductive outcomes published to November 2022. Randomized trials, cohort or case-control studies published in English that reported the relationship between nitrate intake from drinking water and the risk of perinatal outcomes were included. Random-effect models were used to pool data. Three cohort studies showed nitrate in drinking water is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth (odds ratio for 1 mg/L NO-N increased (OR) = 1.01, 95% CI 1.00, 1.01, I = 23.9%, 5,014,487 participants; comparing the highest versus the lowest nitrate exposure groups pooled OR (OR) = 1.05, 95% CI 1.01, 1.10, I = 0%, 4,152,348 participants). Case-control studies showed nitrate in drinking water may be associated with the increased risk of neural tube defects OR = 1.06, 95% CI 1.02, 1.10; 2 studies, 2196 participants; I = 0%; and OR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.12, 2.05; 3 studies, 1501 participants; I = 0%). The evidence for an association between nitrate in drinking water and risk of small for gestational age infants, any birth defects, or any congenital heart defects was inconsistent. Increased nitrate in drinking water may be associated with an increased risk of preterm birth and some specific congenital anomalies. These findings warrant regular review as new evidence becomes available.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Infant, Newborn; Humans; Nitrates; Drinking Water; Premature Birth; Reproduction; Parturition
PubMed: 36631499
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-27345-x -
Water Research Oct 2022Understanding water-energy nexus in the provision of drinking water services is a challenge which has outstanding relevance in the current climatic emergency....
Understanding water-energy nexus in the provision of drinking water services is a challenge which has outstanding relevance in the current climatic emergency. Environmental efficiency and eco-efficiency assessment of water companies are two useful tools to address this challenge. In this study, we estimated hyperbolic and enhanced hyperbolic distance functions to compute the potential reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy costs in the provision of drinking water. The empirical application focused on the English and Welsh water companies over 2011-2019. Average environmental efficiency and eco-efficiency scores were 0.920 and 0.962, respectively which indicates that water companies performed well but there is room for improvement. Moreover, due to the economies of scale, the cost of reducing GHG emissions was higher for water and sewerage companies than for water only companies. The results and conclusions of this study allow better understanding of the relationship between the provision of drinking water, energy costs and GHG emissions.
Topics: Greenhouse Gases; Drinking Water; Water Supply; Efficiency; Greenhouse Effect
PubMed: 36174487
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119133 -
Occurrence of filamentous fungi in drinking water: their role on fungal-bacterial biofilm formation.Research in Microbiology 2021Water is indispensable to life and safe and accessible supply must be available to all. The presence of microorganisms is a threat to this commitment. Biofilms are the... (Review)
Review
Water is indispensable to life and safe and accessible supply must be available to all. The presence of microorganisms is a threat to this commitment. Biofilms are the main reservoir of microorganisms inside water distribution systems and they are extremely ecologically diverse. Filamentous fungi and bacteria can coexist inside these systems forming inter-kingdom biofilms. This review has the goal of summarizing the most relevant and recent reports on the occurrence of filamentous fungi in water distribution systems along with the current knowledge and gaps about filamentous fungal biofilm formation. Special focus is given on fungal-bacterial interactions in water biofilms.
Topics: Bacteria; Biofilms; Drinking Water; Fungi; Microbial Interactions; Water Microbiology
PubMed: 33197515
DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2020.11.002 -
Environmental Health and Preventive... May 2020Well water could be a stable source of drinking water. Recently, the use of well water as drinking water has been encouraged in developing countries. However, many kinds... (Review)
Review
Well water could be a stable source of drinking water. Recently, the use of well water as drinking water has been encouraged in developing countries. However, many kinds of disorders caused by toxic elements in well drinking water have been reported. It is our urgent task to resolve the global issue of element-originating diseases. In this review article, our multidisciplinary approaches focusing on oncogenic toxicities and disturbances of sensory organs (skin and ear) induced by arsenic and barium are introduced. First, our environmental monitoring in developing countries in Asia showed elevated concentrations of arsenic and barium in well drinking water. Then our experimental studies in mice and our epidemiological studies in humans showed arsenic-mediated increased risks of hyperpigmented skin and hearing loss with partial elucidation of their mechanisms. Our experimental studies using cultured cells with focus on the expression and activity levels of intracellular signal transduction molecules such as c-SRC, c-RET, and oncogenic RET showed risks for malignant transformation and/or progression arose from arsenic and barium. Finally, our original hydrotalcite-like compound was proposed as a novel remediation system to effectively remove arsenic and barium from well drinking water. Hopefully, comprehensive studies consisting of (1) environmental monitoring, (2) health risk assessments, and (3) remediation will be expanded in the field of environmental health to prevent various disorders caused by environmental factors including toxic elements in drinking water.
Topics: Animals; Arsenic; Barium; Drinking Water; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring; Humans; Mice; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Water Wells
PubMed: 32460744
DOI: 10.1186/s12199-020-00855-8 -
Environmental Geochemistry and Health Mar 2021Increasing evidence has emerged that Mn derived from drinking water could be a health risk, especially for children. This study aimed to provide more information on the...
Increasing evidence has emerged that Mn derived from drinking water could be a health risk, especially for children. This study aimed to provide more information on the variation in Mn concentrations in well water and factors that affect manganese concentrations in groundwater in the natural environment. The geochemical data consisted of analyses of single water samples (n = 5311) that were taken only once and data from monitoring sites where water samples (n = 4607) were repeatedly taken and analyzed annually from the same wells. In addition, the well-specific results from six wells at monitoring sites were described in detail. We obtained the data on water samples from the groundwater database of Geological Survey of Finland. In single samples, Mn concentrations varied from < 0.02 µg/l to 5800 µg/l in bedrock well waters and up to 6560 µg/l in Quaternary deposit well waters. Results from single water samples from bedrock wells and Quaternary deposit wells indicated that the dissolved oxygen content has an inverse association with the Mn concentration. When the dissolved oxygen O levels were lower, the Mn concentrations were higher. No clear association was found between the Mn concentration and the pH or depth of the well for single samples. Part of Mn was particle bound, because total Mn was higher than soluble Mn in most measured samples. In the monitoring survey, large variation in Mn concentrations was found in bedrock well water in Kemijärvi, 114-352 µg/l, and in dug well water in Hämeenkoski, 8.77-2640 µg/l. Seasonal and spatial variability in Mn concentrations in water samples from two bedrock wells was large at monitoring sites in northern Finland. Variability in the Mn concentrations in groundwater can be large, even in the same area. These data suggest that single measurements of the Mn concentration from a water source may not reveal the Mn status, and measurement of both the total and soluble Mn concentrations may be recommended.
Topics: Child; Drinking Water; Environment; Environmental Monitoring; Finland; Geology; Groundwater; Humans; Manganese; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 32621276
DOI: 10.1007/s10653-020-00643-x