Journal of water and health最新文献

Access to clean water is vital for public health; however, many urban households suffer from waterborne illnesses due to contamination. This study examines the economic cost of contaminated water to households in Khurda (Odisha) and Paschim Medinipur (West Bengal), focusing on diseases like diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and fever. Using a detailed questionnaire, data were gathered from 281 households. Findings show that 17% of households with piped water reported illness compared to 5.26% with non-piped water, with issues such as foul smell and red water also noted. The average household cost of illness is ₹47.69 (US$ 0.57¹), highlighting the need for improved water infrastructure and sanitation to address public health risks.

A literature-based quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) was performed for the fit-for-purpose use of roof-collected rainwater in high-pressure vehicle washing. Our exposure assessment combined estimates of enteric pathogens in roof runoff (available for Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Giardia spp.) with an experimental study that directly measured vehicle washing exposure doses via a conserved tracer. For dose-response modeling, we considered a disability-adjusted life year (DALY) endpoint to capture the disease burden of potential pathogen infections. Annual risks for domestic and occupational scenarios were compared to a 10^-6 DALY per person per year (ppy) benchmark using either untreated water or water treated to achieve previously reported log reduction targets (LRTs) for other forms of non-potable use. Combined across pathogens, vehicle washing using untreated roof-collected rainwater resulted in 95th percentile risks of 10^-1.4 and 10^-2.4 DALY ppy for occupational and recreational exposures, respectively, exceeding the selected benchmark. Treatment following indoor use or irrigation LRTs met the benchmark for domestic but not occupational use, suggesting that home vehicle washing can be included with other non-potable uses following existing treatment guidances. We also calculated new setting-specific LRTs for both scenarios (1.0-3.5 for domestic and 3.0-5.5 for occupational depending on pathogen), providing explicit risk-based treatment guidance for these applications.

Biodegradability and resistance from indigenous bacterial communities to dyes were tested using samples from both polluted and unpolluted surface waters in Buenos Aires. Five dyes were selected for the study: Acid Black 210, Direct Orange 39, Malachite Green, Gentian Violet, and Alizarin Red. Water quality was assessed by measuring chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, and both Escherichia coli and enterococci counts. Biodegradability was tested using a respirometric method, while resistance was assessed by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). No bacterial strains capable of degrading the dyes as the sole carbon source were isolated from the respirometric tests. However, from the MIC tests, 28 strains capable of dye discolouration were identified, using nutrient broth as a supplement. Two of them were able to degrade Malachite Green and Acid Black 210 at a concentration of 50 mg L^-1 in less than 24 h and with an efficiency greater than 87%. These strains were identified as Aeromonas sp. and Shewanella sp. through MALDI-TOF/MS and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The determination of biodegradability and resistance can be used to enhance the characterization of watercourses. Furthermore, this methodology provides a means to isolate biodegrading bacteria that could be applied in effluent treatment processes.

Private wells provide a source of household water for over 40 million people in the United States and an estimated 1 million people in the Coastal Lowlands Aquifer system along the Gulf of Mexico. Well water quality is dependent on the local geology and factors that contribute to anthropogenic contamination from the surface. Here, we evaluated groundwater quality and well management in southern Alabama, USA, to better understand factors that influence exposures through drinking water from private wells. The most common constituents that exceeded USEPA primary or secondary human health benchmarks were pH (92%), and total coliform (TC) (25%), followed by Fe (7%), Pb (6%), nitrate (1%), and As (1%). Most wells (68%) also displayed temporal changes in the number of exceedances, often showing positive for TC during one sampling campaign and negative in another, while the secondary standard for pH (6.5-8.5) was consistently not met. We also found that the common choices of water treatment did not protect against the most common water quality exceedances. Our results underscore the need to understand well water quality coupled with management practices when assessing potential exposures to the private well population through drinking water.

Wastewater surveillance has played a pivotal role in monitoring SARS-CoV-2 transmission worldwide. However, developing and implementing the methods underpinning these programmes in regions with prolonged periods of low community transmission has proven challenging. In Victoria, Australia, wastewater surveillance provided early warning of unknown community infections and informed timely public health decisions to limit their spread when case numbers were low. To achieve this, we developed a methodological approach sensitive to extremely low viral loads and could readily identify false positives within short turnaround times. Here, we describe the successful development, implementation, and evaluation of analytic methods using Reverse Transcriptase Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) and amplicon sequencing in tandem with CRISPR DETECTR in an ongoing, large-scale surveillance programme to detect SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater in Victoria, Australia. Our study covers ten months, from July 2020 to April 2021, and includes all state-wide health districts and prolonged periods with no known, active community cases among the ∼6.7 million population.

A total of 212 groundwater samples were collected during North East Monsoon (NEM), South West Monsoon (SWM), Pre-Monsoon (PREM), and Post-Monsoon (POM) seasons of 2020-2021 from the Periyar River Basin, draining the south western flanks of Western Ghats. The analytical results revealed the order of abundance of cations as Ca²⁺ > Na⁺ > Mg²⁺ > K⁺ and anions in the order of HCO₃^- > Cl^- > SO₄^2- > NO₃^- for all seasons. The major hydrochemical facies identified were CaHCO₃ and mixed Ca-Mg-Cl in all the seasons with rock-water interaction as the key process regulating water chemistry. Ionic ratios of Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺/Na⁺ + K⁺ and Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺ suggested significant effect of silicate minerals and other sources. The Water Quality Index (WQI) shows that the majority of the samples, namely, 98% in NEM, 86% in POM, 82% in PREM, and 95% in MON, fall in the categories ranging from excellent to good for drinking purposes. Furthermore, the health risk assessment based on carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) during monsoon and non-monsoon seasons for adults and children revealed the potential risk posed by Pb via oral exposure in the study area suggesting children being more susceptible to the damaging effects than adults.

Water (in)security is central to achieving sustainable development in Arctic communities. To characterize the pervasive and place-based challenges faced by Arctic residents and communities, water insecurity can be examined across five dimensions (i.e., availability, accessibility, safety, reliability and preference). Based on an analysis of 61 studies, this narrative review synthesizes how the human dimensions of Arctic water insecurity have been measured in the scientific literature. This review serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers and practitioners when selecting measures of water insecurity based on past studies, and for addressing knowledge gaps through the development of new measures in partnership with Arctic and Indigenous communities. Faced with rapid climatic and societal change, enhanced human-centered measures of water insecurity in the Arctic will enable future research, policy, monitoring, management and stewardship. This is necessary to achieve the human right to water and Sustainable Development Goal of clean water and sanitation for all.

The World Health Organization calls to assess possible health risks from emerging fungi originating not only from hospitals but also from the natural environment. Fungal contamination in oligotrophic water systems represents a public health concern due to the potential for the emergence of antifungal-resistant strains. This study focused on the identification of Aspergillus spp. and Candida spp. isolated from different water sources and materials in contact with water. Isolated strains have been tested against nine antifungals to assess the prevalence of resistance in these strains. Only one strain of Aspergillus protuberus was resistant to amphotericin B. On the other hand, all Candida strains were intermediately resistant to anidulafungin and micafungin, 5.8% were borderline resistant to 5-flucytosine and fluconazole, and 3% to voriconazole. Candida parapsilosis sensu stricto isolated from water samples had statistically higher minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) for anidulafungin than clinical strains and clinical strains had statistically higher MIC for itraconazole. Statistical analysis pointed out habitat to be significant for higher MIC in C. parapsilosis. Our findings show that borderline-resistant strains can be transferred by water; thus, potable water should be considered as a possible source of resistant strains in hospitals and healthcare units.

This study aims to evaluate the population exposed to arsenic in Argentina, proposing a key risk indicator. By employing specific criteria selection, a systematic search of the published evidence on arsenic content in drinking water samples at the provincial level was carried out. Considering the limit recommended by the WHO - 10 μg/L - representativeness of evidence was calculated, as well as the percentage of exposed population (PEP) to high levels of arsenic. For this research, 61 useful publications were found and included in the analysis. They provide relevant data for 50% of the provinces, which represent 70% of the national population. The use of the PEP index, to denote the 'percentage of population exposed' to high arsenic, is proposed as a summary variable, to homogenize the information in the country, and in this way give it comparative value. Information has been systematized and variables identified that may be useful for analysis in eco-epidemiological studies, detailing the current situation of publications of arsenic in drinking water in Argentina.