Journal of water and health最新文献

Water consumers in the United States may want to test their drinking water using at-home commercially available test kits rather than a certified laboratory due to convenience and affordability. However, while numerous do-it-yourself test kits are available for purchase online or at local stores, these kits are unregulated and lack data on their performance. We evaluated off-the-shelf home drinking water test kits that measure iron, copper, manganese, and fluoride concentrations to investigate whether these kits could reliably provide meaningful results. We evaluated their performance in three water matrices: deionized water (DI), tap water, and river water, and with laboratory-trained personnel compared to untrained users. Our results showed highly repeatable but variable performance in the test kits' ability to detect potential contaminants in the water. Most kits performed best in the DI water matrix with no interference. Our results suggest that there are concerns about their accuracy and usefulness and that whether the results can be relied on depends on which parameter is being measured in which water with which kit and for which purpose.

This study assessed the annual effective dose from drinking water across different age categories, considering various sources of water. The water samples were collected from different locations, with the samples categorized into public drinking water systems, private wells, and bottled water. In the drinking water samples, no radionuclides other than Ra-226, Th-232, K-40, and H-3 were detected. The average tritium concentration in drinking water was measured at 1.84 Bq L^-1, significantly below the permissible safety standards. The study indicated that infants received the highest annual effective dose from drinking water, averaging 0.88 mSv year^-1, compared to 0.11 mSv*year^-1 for children and 0.08 mSv*year^-1 for adults. Among the different water sources, well water from Stublla village showed significantly elevated levels at 0.49 mSv*year^-1. The highest contribution to the annual effective dose from the ingestion of drinking water comes from Ra-226, Th-232, and K-40, with average values of 1.72, 0.42, and 0.161 mSv*year^-1, respectively. Despite these variations, the average annual effective doses from drinking water for infants, children, and adults were 0.81, 0.098, and 0.076 mSv year^-1, respectively. Based on drinking water sources, the Stublla region had the highest yearly effective dosage, with an average value of 0.49 mSv year^-1.

During COVID-19, surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater has been a promising tool for tracking viral infection at the community level. However, in addition to the shedding rates within the community, SARS-CoV-2 concentrations in raw wastewater are influenced by several environmental factors. This study investigated the effects of wastewater characteristics on the viral quantification of SARS-CoV-2 and pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) for a large wastewater system with combined sewers. Principal component analysis illustrated that water temperature negatively correlates with SARS-CoV-2 and PMMoV in wastewater, but flow rate and EC are highly correlated with SARS-CoV-2 in spring and winter. The normalization using EC enhanced the correlation with clinical data compared to normalization using pH, flow rate, and raw SARS-CoV-2. The normalization using PMMoV reduced the correlation with clinical data. Multiple linear and random forest (RF) applied to predict the concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, given the confirmed cases and physicochemical parameters. RF regression was the best model to predict SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater (R²=0.8), with the most important variables being the confirmed cases followed by water temperature. RF model is a potent predictor of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. This enhances the degree of reliability between community outbreaks and SARS-CoV-2 monitoring.

In this paper, we report our findings focused on how the Miniature Portable Alternative Sanitation System (Mini-PASS) has affected the health of children 12 years old and younger, changes to water hauling and usage that occurred, and hygiene practices. Our findings demonstrate that a simple plumbing system such as the Mini-PASS handwashing station can help decrease the reuse of water in a wash basin, which ultimately contributes to increased positive health outcomes for households. Our evaluation will inform the broader community about the health benefits of an affordable, responsive, decentralized water system solution for communities that lack piped water and sewer.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for access to safe WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) practices, especially in non-household settings. This study examined the COVID response measures and WASH infrastructure and services situation in and around 14 marketplaces in three provinces in the Republic of Vanuatu during the pandemic. A total of 144 surveys and 42 interviews were undertaken with market stakeholders and government officials, including structured observations. 93% of the vendors were women, with 43% forced to change their product during COVID. 56% of vendors brought their own water containers, 40% of whom shared them with family; 16% of vendors had visible soap at their stalls. Rural market vendors were less likely to follow or observe protective measures. Six of seven rainwater tanks at markets tested positive for Escherichia coli. Among other things, the highly gendered space of 'marketing' and the centrality of marketplaces to both local food security and livelihoods brings into sharp relief the multiplex and inter-connected character of WASH. Marketplaces stand as an optimal 'leverage point' for not only improving and scaling-up WASH services but also building greater WASH literacy and behavior change.

Microplastics in water have emerged as a significant public concern in recent years due to their potential adverse impacts on both human and animal health. This study conducts an analysis of articles published in key journals indexed in the Web of Science from 2011 to 2023, employing CiteSpace and VOSviewer for data extraction and visualization. The results elucidate a marked increase in both the number of publications and citations since 2018. Initially, the United Kingdom was at the forefront of research output in this domain, with a publication proportion of 16.59% from 2011 to 2017 and 4.37% from 2018 to 2023. However, the proportion of publications in China has increased from 10.31 to 40.45%. Notably, the Marine Pollution Bulletin has not only been an early contributor to this field but also holds the record for the highest number of published articles. Keyword analysis indicates research trends and hotspots. Recent investigations on microplastic removal techniques have predominantly centered on adsorption. Moreover, studies focusing on microplastics in surface water have also garnered considerable attention. This study offers a comprehensive review of existing research and provides guidance for future directions in microplastic research.

Fungal contamination of drinking water distribution systems can impact water quality with implications for public health. We document an instance of Exophiala spp. biofilm contamination of customer taps in the Midwest United States following consumer complaints. Three samples of black biofilm were collected from customer taps in Ohio and then processed using next-generation DNA sequencing of the bacterial 16S and fungal ITS regions. Two samples with successful ITS sequencing were dominated by Exophiala spp., putatively identified as E. cancerae and E. lecanii-corni. Dominant bacterial phyla in samples included Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria. Bacterial composition varied substantially at the family and genus levels, and potentially pathogenic bacteria (i.e., Acinetobacter spp., Legionella spp., Mycobacterium spp., and Pseudomonas spp.) were detected. The potential for fungal contamination of drinking water distribution systems should be evaluated when biofilms are observed.

Wastewater is free in the environment and is an important source of contamination. One of the microorganisms that is present in aquatic environments is Aeromonas, so the objective of this study was to identify the presence of Aeromonas in the Tulancingo River. A total of 55 presumptive isolates of Aeromonas spp. were obtained by means of phenotypic characteristics; of these, 80% (44/55) were positive for the gcat gene, and 100% (44/44) of those were confirmed to be Aeromonas spp. by means of the rpoD gene, where Aeromonas caviae was identified in 43.2%, Aeromonas media in 29.5%, Aeromonas hydrophila in 11.3%, Aeromonas salmonicida in 9.1%, and Aeromonas allosaccharophila, Aeromonas lusitana, and Aeromonas veronii in 2.3% each. The genus Aeromonas is capable of causing infections in humans. Aeromonad wastewater can resist treatment processes if not done correctly, which represents a potential route of contamination. Therefore, its presence should not be underestimated, and it should be considered to be a true gastrointestinal pathogen. In addition, specific actions must be taken, mainly with the use of wastewater treatment plants. All of this will ensure the quality of treated water and its reuse for the irrigation of agricultural growing areas, thus mitigating potential health threats.

This study examined antioxidant system responses and gastrointestinal pathological changes related to alpha olefin sulfonate (α-OS) toxicity in generated oxidative stress. Clarias gariepinus, self-bred fish, including the control, were exposed to α-OS concentrations observed in the field (0.05, 0.10, 0.15, and 0.20 mg/l) for 30 days. Sigma-Aldrich test kits were used to assess reduced glutathione S-transferase (GST) spectrophotometrically, while abnormal changes or damage in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) were examined under a microscope. In plasma, α-OS exposure increased GST activities by 73%, varying with dose and duration. Glutathione (GSH) activity decreased by 26% but had few impacts. Increasing α-OS concentration and exposure duration led to histopathologic damage in the GIT, while the control fish had a normal GIT architecture. Fish absorb surfactants easily through their skin and gills, and blood circulates them to their organs. Fish contamination lowers human resistance by altering numerous enzymes through the food chain. When other contaminants are present in high amounts, the combined toxicity damages biota more than either pollutant alone. Any detergent contamination in coastal waters should be addressed seriously because the organisms that are low on the food chain and other sensitive ones will be eliminated even at low concentrations.

The study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns among the fecal indicator bacteria and analyze the characteristics of wastewater from anaerobic digestion (AD) wastewater treatment systems in swine farms. Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. were identified by conventional and molecular methods. AMR profiles and wastewater quality were analyzed using standard methods. The results indicated that the primary resistances observed in E. coli were against AM, TE, SXT, and DO. Among Enterococcus spp., the highest resistance was noted for TE, followed by E, CIP, and NX. Enterococcus faecium showed the highest resistance to CIP, NX, and TE. Multidrug-resistant-E. coli and enterococci were 64.2 and 32.6%, respectively. Furthermore, CL-resistant E. coli and VA-resistant Enterococcus spp. were reported. Compared with influent, the proportion of AMR E. coli and Enterococcus spp. in effluent was decreased. This decline suggested that AD effectively removed antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (ARB). However, high influent biochemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, and chemical oxygen demand levels demonstrated significant pollution. Therefore, swine farms should prioritize waste management and regular maintenance of treatment systems to enhance the removal of ARB and pollutants. This study analyzed data from only three farms, highlighting the need for future research with a larger sample.