Family correlations of arsenic methylation patterns in children and parents exposed to high concentrations of arsenic in drinking water.

Radionuclides (uranium, thorium, radium, radon gas etc.) are found naturally in air, water, soil and rock. Everyday, we ingest and inhale these radionuclides through the air we breathe and through food and water we take. Out of the internal exposure via ingestion of radionuclides, water contributes the major portion. The natural radioactivity of water is due to the activity transfer from bed rock and soils. In our surveys carried out in the past few years, we have observed high concentrations of uranium and total dissolved solids (TDS) in drinking waters of some southern parts of Punjab State exceeding the safe limits recommended by national and international agencies. The main drinking water source is the underground water procured from different depths. Due to the highly saline taste, disorders in their digestive systems and other ailments, people are installing reverse osmosis (RO) systems in their houses. Some RO systems have been installed on commercial basis. The state government is also in the process of installing community RO systems at the village level. As high values of uranium are also undesired and may pose health hazards due to radioactivity and toxicity of uranium, we have conducted a survey in the field to study the performance of various RO systems for removal of uranium and TDS. Water samples from about forty RO systems from Faridkot, Mansa, Bathinda and Amritsar districts of Punjab State were collected and analyzed. Our results show that some RO systems are able to remove more than 99% of uranium in the underground waters used for drinking purposes. TDS values are also reduced considerably to the desired levels. So RO systems can be used to avoid the risk of unduly health problems posed by high concentrations of uranium and TDS in drinking water.

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Social Representations of Drinking Water in Schoolchildren and Parents from Two Schools in Zapopan, Mexico

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13061871 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 1871

Author(s):

Alejandra María Corona-Romero ◽

María Fernanda Bernal-Orozco ◽

Gabriela Alejandra Grover-Baltazar ◽

Barbara Vizmanos

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Water Consumption ◽

Social Representations ◽

Well Being ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

Functional Dimension ◽

Health And Nutrition ◽

Children And Parents ◽

Unhealthy Diet ◽

Practical Dimension

Childhood obesity and children being overweight has increased recently; although they are multi-causal problems, an unhealthy diet is a critical component. In Mexico, drinking water consumption in children from 9 to 18 years only reaches 30% of total fluid consumption. The aim of our study was to describe the social representations (SR) of drinking water in school-children and parents of two schools in Zapopan, Mexico. Associative free listing was used as an information gathering technique. Schoolchildren aged 8 to 12 years (n = 50) and parents (n = 23) from two elementary schools were selected by a convenience sampling from April to June 2015. A similarity analysis was performed using the co-occurrence index; with this, a similarity graph was obtained. Prototypical analysis was performed to explore the structure of the SR. Three dimensions were described in the children’s SR: a functional dimension related to health and nutrition, a practical dimension that describes the instruments used for its consumption, and a theoretical dimension that specifies the characteristics of water and its relationship with nature. In the parents’ SR, a functional dimension was also found; another dimension was described regarding the integral well-being that drinking water provides. A practical dimension describes the features related to its consumption. The investigation describes the structure of the water SR, which help to contextualize and explain the actions of schoolchildren and their parents regarding drinking water consumption.

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Bank filtration: a suitable process for the removal of iodinated X-ray contrast media?

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2004.0336 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 50 (5) ◽

pp. 261-268 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

S. Schittko ◽

A. Putschew ◽

M. Jekel

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Contrast Media ◽

Surface Waters ◽

Sampling Period ◽

Transformation Products ◽

Bank Filtration ◽

Anoxic Conditions ◽

X Ray ◽

High Concentrations ◽

Media Concentration

After bank filtration, effluent influenced surface waters are often used as raw drinking water. It is known that high concentrations of iodinated X-ray contrast media are detectable in such surface waters and thus, more knowledge about the behaviour of the contrast media during bank filtration is necessary and the subject of investigations in this study. The adsorbable organic iodine (AOI), four widely used iodinated X-ray contrast media and four possible transformation products were quantified in an influenced lake, five groundwater wells and a drinking water well. Under anoxic conditions the AOI as well as the concentration of the contrast media are decreased by bank filtration, whereby the AOI is decreased by 64% and the contrast media concentration can be reduced up to 95%, depending on the compound. In the raw drinking water the following average concentrations were determined: Iopromid <20 ng/L, Diatrizote 166 ng/L, Iopamidol 166 ng/L and Iohexol 34 ng/L. Instationary conditions during the sampling period indicate that, at least under anoxic conditions, a large part of the contrast media and transformation products, which are still iodinated, may be associated to colloids and/or humic material.

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Arsenic Biotransformation as a Cancer Promoting Factor by Inducing DNA Damage and Disruption of Repair Mechanisms

Molecular Biology International ◽

10.4061/2011/718974 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2011 ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Victor D. Martinez ◽

Emily A. Vucic ◽

Marta Adonis ◽

Lionel Gil ◽

Wan L. Lam

Keyword(s):

Dna Damage ◽

Drinking Water ◽

Repair Process ◽

Dna Methyltransferases ◽

Health Concern ◽

Dna Damage And Repair ◽

Repair Mechanisms ◽

Contaminated Drinking Water ◽

High Concentrations ◽

Epigenetic Patterns

Chronic exposure to arsenic in drinking water poses a major global health concern. Populations exposed to high concentrations of arsenic-contaminated drinking water suffer serious health consequences, including alarming cancer incidence and death rates. Arsenic is biotransformed through sequential addition of methyl groups, acquired from s-adenosylmethionine (SAM). Metabolism of arsenic generates a variety of genotoxic and cytotoxic species, damaging DNA directly and indirectly, through the generation of reactive oxidative species and induction of DNA adducts, strand breaks and cross links, and inhibition of the DNA repair process itself. Since SAM is the methyl group donor used by DNA methyltransferases to maintain normal epigenetic patterns in all human cells, arsenic is also postulated to affect maintenance of normal DNA methylation patterns, chromatin structure, and genomic stability. The biological processes underlying the cancer promoting factors of arsenic metabolism, related to DNA damage and repair, will be discussed here.

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Mitigation of Endemic Arsenocosis with Selenium: An Example from China

Geology and Health ◽

10.1093/oso/9780195162042.003.0013 ◽

2003 ◽

Author(s):

Wang Wuyi ◽

Yang Linsheng

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Control Group ◽

Lung Cancers ◽

Clinical Criteria ◽

Contaminated Food ◽

Smoke Pollution ◽

Efficient Measurement ◽

Chronic Arsenic Poisoning ◽

High Concentrations ◽

And Control

Endemic arsenocosis (chronic arsenic poisoning) in China comes from two sources of arsenic (As). One source is drinking water, with As concentrations 2-40 times that of the state standard of 0.05 mg/l As. The second is smoke pollution from combustion of coal with high concentrations of As; this can be inhaled or ingested from smoke-contaminated food. Over 2,000,000 people live in areas of high geological As concentrations (Cao 1996), and more than 17,000 arsenocosis patients in 21 counties of five provinces or Autonomous Regions have been identified. Long-term exposure to As in air, diet, or drinking water can result in permanent and severe damage to health, including lesions of the skin, mucous membranes of the digestive, respiratory, circulatory, and nervous systems, and rhagades (skin cleft on palm and feet). Elevated As intake is also associated with skin, liver, and lung cancers (Centeno 2000, Liang 1999, Wang Lianfang 54-61 1997). At present, there are few studies of efficient measurement of treatment of endemic arsenocosis patients. Our study demonstrates that treatment of these patients with dietary selenium (Se) can cause both excretion (elimination) of As accumulated in the human body and remediation of some health damages. We report the results of this experiment. Data were collected on 3 test groups of people: 186 patients, from BaYinMaoDao Farm in Inner Mongolia suffering from endemic arsenocosis, were divided into a treatment group (100 patients) and a control group (86 patients). A third group, consisting of 70 families, received no treatment but drank ambient well water, >0.10 mg/l As. All participants had been exposed to high-As drinking water (>0.10 mg/l) since 1983. Throughout the experiment, water containing 0.05 mg/1 As was supplied for both treatment and control groups. Of the 186 patients, 100 were treated with Se-enriched yeast tablets, containing 100 μg Se/tablet. The treatment lasted 14 months. Treated patients received 100-200 μg Se/day. All patients were examined for clinical criteria of arsenocosis: characteristic pigmentation, depigmentation, hyperkeratosis, rhagades (skin cleft), and incidence of secondary symptoms of headaches, dizziness, thoracalgia (chest pain), numbness of hands or feet, convulsions, or lumbago.

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Quality of Drinking Water in the Balkhash District of Kazakhstan’s Almaty Region

Water ◽

10.3390/w12020392 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 392 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sabir Nurtazin ◽

Steven Pueppke ◽

Temirkhan Ospan ◽

Azamat Mukhitdinov ◽

Timur Elebessov

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Surface Water ◽

Water Samples ◽

Well Water ◽

Chemical Impurities ◽

Tube Wells ◽

Local Residents ◽

High Concentrations ◽

Growth Economic

The thinly populated Balkhash District of Kazakhstan’s Almaty Region lies in the lower reaches of the Ili-Balkhash basin, which is shared by China and Kazakhstan. The district is arid and heavily dependent on inflows of surface water, which are threatened by the effects of upstream population growth, economic development, and climate change. The quality of drinking water from centralized water systems and tube wells in nine villages of the district was analyzed, and the organoleptic properties of water from these sources was also assessed by an expert and via surveys of local residents. Although most samples met governmental standards for the absence of chemical impurities, high concentrations of mineralization, chlorides, boron, iron, and/or uranium were present in some well water samples. Levels of these pollutants were as much as 4-fold higher than governmental maxima and as much as 16-fold higher than concentrations reported previously in surface water. All centralized water samples met standards for absence of microbial contamination, but total microbial counts in some well water samples exceeded standards. Organoleptic standards were met by all the water from five villages, but centralized water from one village and well water from four villages failed to meet standards based on expert judgment. Residents were, for the most part, more satisfied with centralized rather than well water, but there was no obvious relationship between the failure of water to meet standards and the locations or populations of the settlements. This is the first comprehensive assessment of groundwater used for drinking in the lower Ili-Balkhash basin, and although it relies on a limited number of samples, it nevertheless provides evidence of potentially serious groundwater contamination in the Balkhash District. It is thus imperative that additional and more detailed studies be undertaken.

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Ecology of Australian Chats (Epthianura Gould): Aridity, Electrolytes and Water Economy.

Australian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1071/zo9770673 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 673 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

CK Williams ◽

AR Main

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Arid Regions ◽

Body Water ◽

Seasonal Movements ◽

Ambient Temperatures ◽

Complex Interactions ◽

Low Concentrations ◽

Access To Water ◽

High Concentrations ◽

High Degree

The four species of Australian chats differentially occupy semiarid and arid regions where surface water commonly contains high concentrations of electrolytes, especially during the summer. The effects of variations in ambient temperature and salinity of drinking water on nutrition, water and electrolyte balances were compared between three species of chats in a split-plot, factorial design. The homeostatic responses revealed very complex interactions between thermoregulation, nutrition, and balances of electrolytes and water. All species have very low tolerance of electrolytes in the drinking water. Ingested electrolytes are not stored but are rapidly excreted in low concentrations at the expense of body water. Survival of chats in arid regions depends on a high degree of selectivity in avoiding water sources with even moderate concentrations of electrolytes. This avoidance is achieved by nomadism and seasonal movements to areas of recent rainfall, thereby increasing the access to water with low concentrations of electrolytes. The ability of the more xeric species to occupy regions of greater aridity cannot be explained by enhanced abilities to excrete electrolytes in high concentrations. The three species studied excrete electrolytes in similar, low concentrations. The more xeric species possess an advantage in water and electrolyte balances through lower evaporative losses of body water, especially at high ambient temperatures.

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Development of a hybrid ozonation biofilm-membrane filatration process for the production of drinking water

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2005.0643 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 51 (6-7) ◽

pp. 241-248 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

T. Leiknes ◽

M. Lazarova ◽

H. Ødegaard

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Organic Matter ◽

High Speed ◽

Membrane Surface ◽

Drinking Water Treatment ◽

Rotating Disk ◽

Operating Conditions ◽

Operating Modes ◽

High Concentrations ◽

Biomass Separation

Drinking water sources in Norway are characterized by high concentrations of natural organic matter (NOM), low alkalinity and low turbidity. The removal of NOM is therefore a general requirement in producing potable water. Drinking water treatment plants are commonly designed with coagulation direct filtration or NF spiral wound membrane processes. This study has investigated the feasibility and potential of a hybrid process combining ozonation and biofiltration with a rotating disk membrane for treating drinking water with high NOM concentrations. Ozonation will oxidize the NOM content removing colour and form biodegradable organic compounds, which can be removed in biological filters. A constructed water was used in this study which is representative of ozonated NOM-containing water. A rotating membrane disk bioreactor downstream the ozonation process was used to carry out both the biodegradation as well as biomass separation in the same reactor. Maintenance of biodegradation of the organic matter while controlling biofouling of the membrane and acceptable water production rates was the focus in the study. Three operating modes were investigated. Removal of the biodegradable organics was consistent throughout the study indicating that sufficient biomass was maintained in the reactor for all operating conditions tested. Biofouling control was not achieved through shear-induced cleaning by periodically rotating the membrane disks at high speed. By adding a small amount of sponges in the membrane chamber the biofouling could be controlled by mechanical cleaning of the membrane surface during disk rotation. The overall results indicate that the system can favorably be used in an ozonation/biofiltration process by carrying out both biodegradation as well as biomass separation in the same reactor.

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Long-time risk of groundwater/drinking water pollution with sulphuric compounds beneath burned peatlands in Indonesia

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2007.459 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 56 (1) ◽

pp. 253-258 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

V.C. Hammen

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Forest Fires ◽

Peat Layer ◽

Swamp Forest ◽

Peat Swamp Forest ◽

Long Time ◽

Risk Areas ◽

High Concentrations ◽

Peat Fires ◽

Vegetation And Peat Fires

Smoke-haze episodes caused by vegetation and peat fires affect parts of Indonesia every year with significant impacts on human health and climate. The forest fires 1997/1998 were by far the largest in Indonesian history, burning between 5 and 8 million hectares before they were stopped by the monsoon rains in December 1997. Fires sprang up again in 1998 on Kalimantan when monsoon rain paused. Peat forests and peatlands are in particular severely affected. In the 1997/1998 haze event, 2.1–2.5 million hectare of peat swamp forest burnt in Indonesia. The remaining ash contains high concentrations of sulphur and sulphuric compounds which eventually leach into the groundwater, thus polluting groundwater and drinking water. The thicker the peat layer is and the higher the number of fires in the respective area the more sulphuric compounds will leach into the groundwater. Risk areas for the sulphur loads of the ash are identified.

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