Survey for Cadmium, Cobalt, Chromium, Copper, Nickel, Lead, Zinc, Calcium, and Magnesium in Canadian Drinking Water Supplies

1981 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-53
Author(s):  
Jean C Méranger ◽  
Kunnath S Subramanian ◽  
Chantal Chalifoux

Abstract A second national survey was done to ascertain the levels of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Ca, and Mg in Canadian drinking water supplies. Raw, treated, and distributed water samples collected from 71 municipalities across Canada were analyzed both by atomic absorption spectrophotometry using the direct method and by an APDC-MIBK extraction procedure. As in the first national survey, the amounts of trace metals found in the 3 types of water samples were essentially the same. Contamination of the water supplies with these metals except Cu and Zn was minimal during treatment and distribution. For Canadian drinking water, the median and extreme values expressed as ng metal/mL water were: Cd ≤0.02 (≤0.02-0.07), Co ≤2.0 (≤2.0-6.0), Cr ≤2.0 (≤2.0-4.1), Cu ≤10 (≤10-900), Ni ≤2.0 (≤2.0-69.0), Pb ≤1.0 (≤1.0-79.7), and Zn ≤10 (≤10-750). Hardness values as mg CaCO3/L, ranged from 6.7 in St. John’s, Newfoundland, to 328.3 in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. The median values for the Canadian drinking water supplies were well below the maximum permissible limits set by Health and Welfare Canada and the World Health Organization.

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olufunmilayo I Ndububa ◽  
Abubakar U Ardo

Lack of access to safe and adequate domestic water supplies contributes to poverty levels through the economic costs of poor health and the high proportion of household expenditure on safe water supplies. Gwallameji, a community on the outskirts of Bauchi town has no access to municipal water supply from Bauchi town, groundwater water, mainly hand dug wells are used as domestic water sources. The quality of water available from these hand dug wells  in the community were determined by the physical, chemical and biological parameters of the water samples collected from domestic water points in the community. The results from the water samples were compared with World Health Organization (WHO) Standards for Drinking Water. High levels of Nitrate and Chromium above recommended levels from the standard were found in all water samples. Concentrations of Calcium highest value of 213mg/l and Magnesium a highest value of 22.02 mg/l at levels higher than recommended levels for drinking water were also obtained in all samples. It was recommended that restrictions on farming activities with use of fertilizers and location of latrines around domestic water sources should be enforced. Hand dug wells should be at a distance of at least 30m from soak away pits and pit latrines. Well lining and cover should be provided for all hand dug wells to reduce contamination of water from these sources. Increased and continued environmental interventions through public health education by community based health workers, awareness and sensitization campaigns should be carried out for improved household and community sanitation in the area.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Tintle ◽  
Kristin Van De Griend ◽  
Rachel Ulrich ◽  
Randall D. Wade ◽  
Tena M. Baar ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Lack of sustainable access to clean drinking water continues to be an issue of paramount global importance, leading to millions of preventable deaths annually. Best practices for providing sustainable access to clean drinking water, however, remain unclear. Widespread installation of low-cost, in-home, point of use water filtration systems is a promising strategy. Methods We conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled trial whereby 16 villages were selected and randomly assigned to one of four treatment arms based on the installation location of Sawyer® PointONE™ filters (filter in both home and school; filter in home only; filter in school only; control group). Water samples and self-reported information on diarrhea were collected at multiple times throughout the study. Results Self-reported household prevalence of diarrhea decreased from 25.6 to 9.76% from installation to follow-up (at least 7 days, and up to 200 days post-filter installation). These declines were also observed in diarrhea with economic or educational consequences (diarrhea which led to medical treatment and/or missing school or work) with baseline prevalence of 9.64% declining to 1.57%. Decreases in diarrhea prevalence were observed across age groups. There was no evidence of a loss of efficacy of filters up to 200 days post-filter installation. Installation of filters in schools was not associated with decreases in diarrhea prevalence in school-aged children or family members. Unfiltered water samples both at schools and homes contained potential waterborne bacterial pathogens, dissolved heavy metals and metals associated with particulates. All dissolved metals were detected at levels below World Health Organization action guidelines. Conclusions This controlled trial provides strong evidence of the effectiveness of point-of-use, hollow fiber membrane filters at reducing diarrhea from bacterial sources up to 200 days post-installation when installed in homes. No statistically significant reduction in diarrhea was found when filters were installed in schools. Further research is needed in order to explore filter efficacy and utilization after 200 days post-installation. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03972618. Registered 3 June 2019—retrospectively registered.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 497-507
Author(s):  
Philip Ruciaka Kirianki ◽  
Edward Muchiri ◽  
Natasha Potgieter

Abstract Njoro sub-county in Kenya suffers from constant water shortages causing the residents to rely on both improved and unimproved water sources in the area. The households in the sub-county also use different household storage containers to store drinking water in times when water is not readily available. This study was therefore undertaken to assess selective physico-chemical parameters of water used by the population for drinking purposes using standard assessment methods. A total of 372 water source samples and 162 storage container water samples were tested over a period of three months. Turbidity (0.70–273.85 NTU), iron (0.7–2.10 mg/L), fluoride (0.15–4.01 mg/L), manganese (0.01–0.37 mg/L), and nitrate (0.09–27.90 mg/L) levels in water samples were generally higher than the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and/or the World Health Organization (WHO) water quality recommendations for safe drinkable water. The results from this study support the need for continuous monitoring and treating drinking water at the points of collection and of consumption to minimize the long-term health effects on communities consuming this water.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hawraz Sami Khalid ◽  
Hoshyar Saadi Ali ◽  
Dhary Almashhadany

The present study was conducted to evaluate the quality of drinking water in randomly selected schools in Erbil city, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. The water quality indices such as the Heavy metal Pollution Index (HPI) and Heavy metal Evaluation Index (HEI) were applied to characterize water quality. Eighteen schools were incorporated and sampled for their water storage tanks available to students. Water samples and sediment samples from tanks floor were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer for the determination of twenty-two metal elements. In drinking water samples, all detected metals did not exceed the permissible limits of the World Health Organization. The results of this study showed that the average values of HPI and HEI for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, and Zn were 54.442 and 0.221, respectively. According to data of the water quality indices, the schools drinking water quality are good and suitable for drinking in terms of heavy metals. However, sediments samples contained high concentrations of all elements including the toxic heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, and Pb). Re-suspension of sediments into water column after refilling storage tanks can pose a serious threat to students drinking water from such vessels. It is therefore recommended that proper storage tanks are provided to the schools accompanied by continuous sanitation and hygiene practice to mitigate the corrosion of tanks to avoid health risks of toxic metal


2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 276-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olcay Kaplan ◽  
Nuran Cikcikoglu Yildirim ◽  
Numan Yildirim ◽  
Nilgun Tayhan

The drinking water quality is associated with the conditions of the water supply networks, the pollution and the contamination of groundwater with pollutants of both anthropogenic and natural origin. In this study, water samples were taken from four different waterworks in Tunceli, Turkey and heavy metals concentrations (As, Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni and Hg) were measured. Four sampling sites were pre-defined in different locations of the city. The obtained results showed that, the heavy metals concentrations in water samples did not exceed the values of WHO (World Health Organization), EC (Europe Community), EPA (Environment Protection Agency) and TSE-266 (Turkish Standard) guidelines.


Resources ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Pond ◽  
Richard King ◽  
Jo Herschan ◽  
Rosalind Malcolm ◽  
Rory Moses McKeown ◽  
...  

Small drinking-water supplies face particular challenges in terms of their management. Being vulnerable to contamination but often not monitored regularly nor well-maintained, small drinking-water supplies may pose consequences for health of users. Sanitary inspection (SI) is a risk assessment tool to identify and manage observable conditions of the water supply technology or circumstances in the catchment area that may favour certain hazardous events and introduce hazards which may become a risk to health. This qualitative research aimed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the SI tool as published by the World Health Organisation to inform a review and update of the forms and to improve their robustness. The study identified a number of benefits of the approach, such as its simplicity and ease of use. Challenges were also identified, such as potential for inconsistencies in perception of risk between inspectors, in interpreting questions, and lack of follow-up action. The authors recommend a revision of the existing SI forms to address the identified challenges and development of complementary advice on possible remedial action to address identified risk factors and on basic operations and maintenance.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 384-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bayeh Abera ◽  
Mulugeta Kibret ◽  
Goraw Goshu ◽  
Mulat Yimer

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the bacterial quality and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Enterobacteriaceae from drinking water in Bahir Dar city. A total of 140 water samples were collected in the wet and dry periods from springs (n = 4), reservoirs (n = 10) and private tap water at households (n = 126). Bacteriological analysis of water was conducted using multiple tube method. Overall, 21.4%, 18.6% and 17.8% of drinking water samples had total coliforms (TC), faecal coliforms (FC) and Escherichia coli, respectively. All spring water samples and 29.2% of private tap water had the highest TC load (18 most probable number/100 mL, 95% CI: 100). For FC, 81.4% of the drinking water supplies tested complied with both World Health Organization and Ethiopian Standards. High levels of resistance (98–100%) were observed for ampicillin by Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All P. aeruginosa isolates and 20 (66.7%) of E. coli revealed multiple drug resistance. Enterobacteriaceae and P. aeruginosa isolates exhibited high levels of antimicrobial resistance. The bacterial quality of drinking water in Bahir Dar city was poor. Microbial surveillance and monitoring with periodic assessment on physical integrity of the water pipelines need to be undertaken.


Author(s):  
Chirhakarhula Chubaka ◽  
Harriet Whiley ◽  
John Edwards ◽  
Kirstin Ross

Rainwater is consumed for drinking water in many parts of Australia, either preferentially over municipal water or in regional or remote areas, because rainwater is the primary source of water. Previous rainwater studies in other areas in Australia have shown the levels of some metals to be above the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG). This study assessed the level of metals in rainwater harvested in the Adelaide region. Water samples were collected from 53 tanks from three different sampling corridors. A total of 365 water samples were analysed for lead, zinc, copper, and cadmium using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. In 47 out of the 53 tanks, lead was above the ADWG of 0.01 ppm in at least one sample (with 180/365 samples above 0.01 ppm). Zinc was above the ADWG (3.0 ppm) in 53/365 samples, copper was above the ADWG (2.0 ppm) in eight samples out of 365 samples, and cadmium was above the ADWG (0.002 ppm) in 19 samples out of 365 samples. These data are consistent with other studies of rainwater quality in Australia. Comparisons of levels of metals and volume of rainfall in the sampling and preceding month, roof material, and tank material, the presence of a first-flush device, sampling corridor, and sample pH showed that the roof material was related to higher levels of metals. There was a significant relationship between sampling corridors and the levels of lead and zinc. Nine of the tanks surveyed had filters installed. There was a small, but statistically significant, decrease in the levels of metals that passed through a filter prior to collection but, in those samples, filters did not remove metals to below guideline concentrations. An estimate of exposure, and a brief discussion of health risks as a result of exposure to metals, is presented.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aldo J. Kitalika ◽  
Revocatus L. Machunda ◽  
Hans C. Komakech ◽  
Karoli N. Njau

This study reports the variations of fluoride ions in rivers on the slopes of Mount Meru in the northern part of Tanzania. More than 318 water samples were collected from Temi, Nduruma, Tengeru, and Maji ya Chai Rivers in both wet (mid-March and April) and dry (August) seasons. The samples were analyzed for fluoride levels using Ion Selective Electrode (ISE). The minimum and maximum average fluoride levels in the wet season were 0.24±0.03 mg/l and 65.20±0.03 mg/l, respectively, whereas the average lowest and highest levels in the dry season were 1.02±0.02 mg/l and 69.01±0.03 mg/l, respectively. Tengeru River had the lowest fluoride levels in both seasons, whereas Maji ya Chai recorded the highest fluoride levels in both seasons. The headwater of all rivers with the exception of Maji ya Chai met the World Health Organization’s (WHO) maximum acceptable fluoride levels of 1.50 mg/l and the downstream environment qualified for Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) maximum permissible fluoride concentration in drinking water of 4.00 mg/l. Also, the laboratory experiments showed that fluoride containing rocks exposed to pH above 7.6 display high leaching of F− in solution which gradually increased with the increase in pH, indicating that dissolution of fluoride in water is a function of pH.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 1295-1303
Author(s):  
Gina H. Kimble ◽  
Vincent R. Hill ◽  
James E. Amburgey

USEPA Method 1623 is the standard method in the United States for the detection of Cryptosporidium in water samples, but quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is an alternative technique that has been successfully used to detect Cryptosporidium in aqueous matrices. This study examined various modifications to a commercial nucleic acid extraction procedure in order to enhance PCR detection sensitivity for Cryptosporidium. An alternative DNA extraction buffer allowed for qPCR detection at lower seed levels than a commercial extraction kit buffer. In addition, the use of a second spin column cycle produced significantly better detection (P = 0.031), and the volume of Tris–EDTA buffer significantly affected crossing threshold values (P = 0.001). The improved extraction procedure was evaluated using 10 L of tap water samples processed by ultrafiltration, centrifugation and immunomagnetic separation. Mean recovery for the sample processing method was determined to be 41% using microscopy and 49% by real-time PCR (P = 0.013). The results of this study demonstrate that real-time PCR can be an effective alternative for detecting and quantifying Cryptosporidium parvum in drinking water samples.


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