Water Quality Violations and Avoidance Behavior: Evidence from Bottled Water Consumption

2011 ◽  
Vol 101 (3) ◽  
pp. 448-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Graff Zivin ◽  
Matthew Neidell ◽  
Wolfram Schlenker

We examine the impact of poor water quality on avoidance behavior by estimating the change in bottled water purchases in response to drinking water violations. Using data from a national grocery chain matched with water quality violations, we find an increase in bottled water sales of 22 percent from violations due to microorganisms and 17 percent from violations due to elements and chemicals. Back-of-the envelope calculations yield costs of avoidance behavior at roughly $60 million for all nationwide violations in 2005, which likely reflects a significant understatement of the total willingness to pay to eliminate violations.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelkader T. Ahmed ◽  
Mohammed Emad ◽  
Mohammed A. Bkary

AbstractMany people prefer to drink bottled water instead off the tap water. The bottled water is stored in the plastic bottles sometimes for long time. These plastic bottles might leach out some harmful materials into the water especially when exposed to temperature alteration, which may affect human health. This research work focused on investigating the effect of changing temperature on the bottled water quality. The work studied the effect of heating water in plastic bottles by sun, oven, and microwave. The study included also the impact of cooling and freezing the bottled waters. Results showed that temperature alterations caused changes in some physicochemical properties of bottled waters such as decreasing the values of pH and TDS and increasing levels of fluoride and chloride. In addition, the concentration levels of some physiochemical parameters exceeded the permissible values for drinking water. With temperature alterations, all levels of heavy metals in bottled waters were minimal except some small concentrations of copper and zinc. Results confirmed also differences in behavior between the bottled water brands exposed to the same temperature alterations. Heating bottled waters above 50 °C is alarming problem on the water quality. This is because above this degree, many alternations were observed in the water content. The outcomes of this work are useful for improving the current legislation on bottled waters and their storage.


1999 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 565-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
BRUCE A. LARSON ◽  
EKATERINA D. GNEDENKO

Casual observation suggests that many households in Moscow boil water, settle water in pans for some periods (e.g., overnight) before consuming, filter water, and buy bottled water. To date, there has been little empirical analysis of such avoidance behavior. Based on a recently completed survey of 615 households in Moscow, this paper investigates the types and amounts of avoidance measures that are used by households in Moscow to adjust drinking water quality. Survey results show that this is clearly the case: over 88 per cent of the sample boil water regularly due to concerns about water quality; 23 per cent filter water regularly; over 30 per cent settle water regularly; and about 13 per cent buy bottled water regularly. On the other hand, residents are generally content with their cold water supply and quality of delivery. Based on a microeconomic model of household avoidance behavior, logit regression results show how avoidance decisions relate to income, opinions of water quality, and location in the city. It is expected that this analysis from Moscow can also be used as a guide for future studies in other cities in Russia to evaluate opinions of quality, avoidance measures, and citizens' willingness to support public infrastructure projects designed to improve water supply.


2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Graff Zivin ◽  
Matthew Neidell ◽  
Wolfram Schlenker

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 521-532

Parallel to the increase in public concern about the safety of drinking water globally, the demand for bottled water has increased in almost every country. Although tap water is significantly cheaper than bottled water, consumers concerned about the safety of tap water. They still prefer the bottled water despite several checks implemented in tap water networks. The present paper aims to discuss network water quality in the city of Istanbul, Turkey and to present the findings on a related survey conducted by the authors. The survey was conducted with the participation of 980 individuals living in different districts in Istanbul and the findings were assessed to determine the public perception about tap water quality and bottled water consumption especially after the experienced years of drought and water quality concerns. Findings demonstrated that several individuals never drink tap water and certain individuals do not utilize tap water at all. It was found that only 4% in the surveyed group drink tap water without hesitation. Based on survey findings, the abovementioned group was mainly among the lowest income group in the sample. When purchasing bottled water, several individuals preferred the well-known brands. It was found that the most significant reasons for preferring bottled water were the nice taste of the bottled spring water, which was perceived not to exist in tap water. It was concluded that drinking water treatment facilities and regulations are required to cater the future quality demands. Furthermore, it was determined that adequate inspections and controls on network water are necessary.


This paper examines an explanatory policy in the management of drinking water in Tunisia. Indeed, the price variable, while is considered, in general way, as a confident indicator in the regulation of drinking water consumption, it seems to be insufficient since the management of drinking water is influenced by other set of variables such as: the revenue level of households, the consumption of bottled water, the alternative sources, the household size and, above all, the quality variable, which presents an enormous variability inter- and intra-regions. Through our study, we have shown, that the variation in willingness to pay (WTP) is essentially due to psychological and subjective consideration (the degree of importance of these variables in the scale of preferences of consumers).


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 6851
Author(s):  
Neal Spicer ◽  
Brenda Parlee ◽  
Molly Chisaakay ◽  
Doug Lamalice

Many Indigenous communities across Canada suffer from the lack of access to clean drinking water; ensuring individuals and communities have safe water to drink either from their home or from their local environment requires the consideration of multiple factors including individual risk perception. In collaboration with local leaders, semi-structured interviews (n = 99) were conducted over a two-year period in the Dene Tha’ First Nation and Kátł’odeeche First Nation to unpack the issue of risk perception and its meaning to local community members. These local metrics of risk perception including smell, taste, safety, health fears and level of concern were then used to explore patterns in other data on drinking water consumption patterns and bottled water use. The results are consistent with previous research related to water insecurity and indicate that both communities consume more bottled water than the average Canadian. Results also varied by jurisdiction; those in Alberta indicated much higher levels of concern and a greater degree of bottled water consumption.


2021 ◽  
Vol 232 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Chabuk ◽  
Zahraa Ali Hammood ◽  
Nadhir Al-Ansari ◽  
Salwan Ali Abed ◽  
Jan Laue

AbstractIraq currently undergoing the problem of water shortage, although Iraq has two Rivers (Euphrates and Tigris) pass throughout most of its areas, and they have represented a major source of water supply. In the current research, to evaluate the quality of the Euphrates river in Iraq based on the values of total dissolved salts (TDS), the TDS concentrations were collected from sixteen sections along the river in the three succeeding years (2011, 2012, and 2013). The evaluation of the river was done depending on the classification of (W.H.O. (World Health Organization). (2003). Total Dissolved Salts in Drinking-water: Background document for development of W.H.O. Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality. World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland). of rivers for drinking uses. Inverse Distance Weighting Technique (IDWT) as a tool in the GIS was employed to establish the maps of the river that using interpolation/prediction for the TDS concentrations to each selected year and the average values of TDS for these 3 years. Based on the five categories of rivers’ classification of the TDS concentrations according to the (W.H.O. (World Health Organization). (2003). Total Dissolved Salts in Drinking-water: Background document for development of W.H.O. Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality. World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland), the Euphrates river was classified, and the maps of classification for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013 and the average values for 3 years were created. The average values for 3 years of TDS along the Euphrates river indicated that the sections from SC-1 to SC-4 as moderate-water-quality-Category-3, the sections from SC-5 to SC-10 as poor-water-quality-Category-4, while the sections between SC-11 to SC-16 as very poor-water-quality-Category-5. The interpolation maps showed that the Euphrates river in Iraq was ranged from moderate water quality (Category-3) to very poor water quality (Category-5).


Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Regina Böger ◽  
Karl Rohn ◽  
Nicole Kemper ◽  
Jochen Schulz

Poor drinking water quality can affect pigs’ health and performance. The disinfection of water may enhance microbial water quality. In this study, bacteria and endotoxins in sodium hypochlorite-treated and -untreated water from one pig nursery were analyzed. Water samples were taken from incoming water and from compartments with treated and untreated water at the beginning and end of pipes and from nipples. The farm was visited 14 times to measure total bacteria counts and concentrations of Pseudomonas spp. and endotoxins. Additionally, the occurrence of coliform bacteria was analyzed. A mixed model analysis revealed significant reductions in total bacteria counts and Pseudomonas spp. in treated water at the beginning of pipes and at nipple drinkers. The differences between bacteria concentrations at the end of pipes had no clear trend. Endotoxin concentrations were approximately equal at the beginning of pipes and at nipple drinkers but were found to have differences at the end of pipes. The occurrence of coliform bacteria was significantly reduced in treated water. The application of sodium hypochlorite can significantly reduce bacteria in water pipes. Endotoxin concentrations were mostly unaffected by water treatment. Disinfection of the dead-end pipe sections failed, and thus these parts should be regarded as potential contamination sources.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-269
Author(s):  
Ai Yue ◽  
Yaojiang Shi ◽  
Renfu Luo ◽  
Linxiu Zhang ◽  
Natalie Johnson ◽  
...  

Purpose Although access to safe drinking water is one of the most important health-related infrastructure programs in the world, drinking water remains a large problem in China today, especially in rural areas. Despite increased government investment in water resource protection and management, there is still an absence of academic studies that are able to document what path the investment has taken and whether it has had any tangible impact. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of drinking water investment on drinking water in China. Design/methodology/approach The authors make use of nationally representative data from 2005 and 2012 to measure the impact of drinking water investment among 2,028 rural households in 101 villages across five provinces. Both ordinary least squares regression and probit regression are used to analyze the correlates and the impact of drinking water investment. Findings The authors demonstrate that water quality was likely a significant problem in 2004 but that China’s investment into drinking water appears to have resulted in initial improvements during the study period. The authors show that the most significant change came about in terms of hardware: villages that received more drinking water investment now have more piped tap water and more access to water treatment infrastructure (disinfecting and filtering facilities). High rates of rural resident satisfaction with drinking water suggest the effects of drinking water investment are being felt at the village level. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical study on drinking water investment over time in rural China using nationally representative data.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-83
Author(s):  
Ali Shahryari ◽  
Charlotte D. Smith ◽  
Abolfazl Amini

Background: The consumption of bottled water globally, including Iran, has increased tremendously in recent years. This study was designed to assess the bacteriological quality of bottled water and its compliance with the drinking water regulations. In addition, we evaluated bottled waters for the presence of a variety of genera of bacteria and the effect of storage duration on the extent of bacterial contamination. Methods: Four hundred samples of bottled water belonging to ten different Iranian brands with various production dates were purchased from supermarkets in Gorgan, Iran, from 2017 to 2018. Bacterial quality of bottled water was assessed using heterotrophic plate count (HPC) followed by usual biochemical tests for identification of bacterial genera, and by the API system. Results: The average HPC of bottled water was 9974 colony-forming units per milliliter (CFU/ml). Twelve genera were isolated, among which Bacillus spp. and Escherichia coli were the most and least abundant, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that there was a positive association between water quality and storage duration so that the highest microbial load occurred within the first to third months after bottling. Furthermore, the highest rate of contamination was observed in May when ambient air temperatures commonly reached 40 °C. Conclusion: The bacterial quality of bottled water was not according to the standard of drinking water quality. This study demonstrated the variation in bacterial levels after bottling, which indicates the presence of waterborne heterotrophic bacteria, some of which can pose severe health risks to consumers.


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