scholarly journals A critical evaluation of two point-of-use water treatment technologies: can they provide water that meets WHO drinking water guidelines?

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 611-630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather M. Murphy ◽  
Edward A. McBean ◽  
Khosrow Farahbakhsh

Point-of-use (POU) technologies have been proposed as solutions for meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for safe water. They reduce the risk of contamination between the water source and the home, by providing treatment at the household level. This study examined two POU technologies commonly used around the world: BioSand and ceramic filters. While the health benefits in terms of diarrhoeal disease reduction have been fairly well documented for both technologies, little research has focused on the ability of these technologies to treat other contaminants that pose health concerns, including the potential for formation of contaminants as a result of POU treatment. These technologies have not been rigorously tested to see if they meet World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water guidelines. A study was developed to evaluate POU BioSand and ceramic filters in terms of microbiological and chemical quality of the treated water. The following parameters were monitored on filters in rural Cambodia over a six-month period: iron, manganese, fluoride, nitrate, nitrite and Escherichia coli. The results revealed that these technologies are not capable of consistently meeting all of the WHO drinking water guidelines for these parameters.

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.


Author(s):  
María Emilia Gavelli ◽  
Laura Carolina Luciani Giacobbe ◽  
Carolina Bustos Fierro ◽  
María Eugenia Olivera

Introduction and objectives: In the context of COVID-19, the World Health Organization has recommended the use of extemporaneously prepared bleach solutions of 1 g/L, as a conservative concentration able to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 and the vast majority of other pathogens that may be present in the healthcare setting. Consequently, there is a renewed interest in conducting stability studies of these solutions. The goal of this work was to verify the available chlorine concentration in several bleach solutions trademarks and to propose a beyond use date for 1 g/L bleach solutions, obtained after dilution with drinking water from different sources. Methods: Bleach trademarks, with nominal concentrations between 25-60 g/L, were subjected to iodometric titration to determine the available chlorine concentration. One trademark was used to prepare 1 g/L dilutions using water from different purification plants in Córdoba, Argentina. The samples were stored at room-temperature, both exposed or protected from light. The available chlorine concentration was determined by titration at preestablished time intervals. The beyond use date was reached when the available chlorine concentration dropped below 90 % of its initial. Results: The concentration of active chlorine in the different trademark bleaches was within the values established by current regulations. Diluted solutions protected from light showed a decrease of less than 10 % in active chlorine concentration during the first 10 days of assay. However, one sample exceeded the acceptance limit after 14 days. In contrast, in the samples exposed to light, the concentration of active chlorine dropped to 96.4 % at 24 hours and 79.3 % after 48 hours. No differences related to drinking water sources were observed. Conclusions: Compliance of the nominal available chlorine concentration in trademark bleach solutions was confirmed. Regardless the water source used for dilution, 1 g/L bleach solutions were stable for 10 days when stored at room temperature and protected from light. Instead, solutions exposed to light maintain their available chlorine concentration for only 24 hours.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 2079-2087
Author(s):  
Prince Kaponda ◽  
Suresh Muthukrishnan ◽  
Rory Barber ◽  
Rochelle H. Holm

Abstract Cholera remains a problem in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in Malawi. Our aim was to investigate drinking water source quality compared with water treatment, risk perception and cholera knowledge for patients who had reported to a health center for treatment in the 2017–2018 outbreak in Karonga District, Malawi. The study analyzed 120 drinking water samples linked to 236 cholera patients. Nearly 82% of the samples met the national criteria for thermotolerant coliforms of 50 cfu/100 ml, while 50% met the more stringent World Health Organization criteria of 0 cfu/100 ml. In terms of the human dimensions, 68% of survey respondents reported that they treated their water, while knowledge of prevention, transmission and treatment of cholera was also generally high. However, of the 32 patients whose drinking water sources had thermotolerant coliforms of 200+ cfu/100 ml, seven reported they felt a low or no personal risk for contracting cholera in the future and their community was extremely well prepared for another outbreak. The cost of a reactive response to cholera outbreaks puts a burden on Malawi, providing an opportunity for investment in innovative and localized preventive strategies to control and eliminate the risk of cholera while acknowledging social and cultural norms.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. 1247-1234
Author(s):  
Kelechi Uchenna Ugoji ◽  
Abba Ibim Green ◽  
Ruth Ngozi Nmoye ◽  
Ndukam Billy Igbere

This research appraises in partial the environmental engineering effects of open dumpsite with peripheral study of the dumpsite at km 3 Aba-Enugu Expressway in Abia State southeast of Nigeria. The investigation includes visual assessment, interviews / questionnaires results, and analysis. The study reveals that the waste dump serves as a sink to many parts of Aba metropolis being one of the biggest dumpsites in Abia state. The sand value of 47.7% obtained from the study agrees with existing literature/hydrogeology of the area. Results proved that the ground water is safe as samples display quality, which are below the Nigerian standards for drinking water quality limit. These values also fall below the World Health Organization (WHO) water quality limit so the residents around do not stand any health risk at the moment. However, increasing concentration of pollutants indicates that the Soil and probably the potential drinking water source may be contaminated with time, supporting existing study. Therefore, this research recommends a well-engineered waste management plan alongside Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) cradle-to-grave approach to management of open dumpsite.


Author(s):  
Stephen D. Passman ◽  
Tyler J. White ◽  
Roger D. Lewis

Lack of access to potable drinking water due to contamination from harmful metals is one of the most pressing public health issues globally. In areas close to mining and smelting operations, significant contamination from arsenic and other harmful metals can compound contamination from harmful microorganisms in drinking water. In response to this dual hazard, this study tests a prototype design of an improved point-of-use water filter for resource-poor areas and exposed populations. This project builds upon previous research that has demonstrated the effectiveness of clay pot filters impregnated with silver in reducing coliform bacteria. A compatible attachment comprised of activated charcoal in the form of bone char was added to the clay pot filter with the purpose of enabling the combined filter system to remove arsenic. The experiment tested the designed attachment with source water having an arsenic concentration of 500 parts per billion (ppb) to investigate the combined filter’s ability to reduce the arsenic to acceptable World Health Organization drinking water standards of 10 parts per billion or below. The results demonstrate a significant decrease in the arsenic concentration to below the 10 ppb standard with the bone char attachment, as well as a decrease in the arsenic concentration with the clay pot filter alone. These results warrant further investigation into the potential for clay pot filters with a charcoal layer to reduce arsenic concentrations in drinking water and demonstrate a potential additional benefit in arsenic removal by utilizing inexpensive bone char material in conjunction with the clay pot filter.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antony Mamuse ◽  
Ron Watkins

More than 200 million people worldwide are exposed to excessive fluoride in drinking water. According to the World Health Organization, the optimal concentration range of fluoride in drinking water is 0.5 to 1.5 mg/L. Above this range, populations may contract dental fluorosis or, in severe cases, crippling skeletal fluorosis. In the Gokwe area in NW Zimbabwe, where drinking water contains up to 11 mg/L fluoride, fluorosis prevalence has previously been estimated at 62%. This paper investigates the water quality of 126 water sources in Gokwe (58 pumped boreholes, 15 flowing artesian boreholes, 46 wells and 7 streams). The water chemistry, determined from high performance ion chromatography and field measurements, showed that the water source types exhibit significantly different (P < 0.05) concentrations of F−, Cl−, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, temperatures, pH and conductivity values. Thirty-five (28%) of the 126 water sources (18 pumped boreholes, 15 artesian boreholes, one well and one stream) contained F− > 1.5 mg/L, indicating that fluoride contamination in the area is a characteristic of deeper groundwater, possibly due to its interactions with the potentially fluoridic coaly and carbonaceous materials of the Lower Karoo Aquifer at depth. The plausibility of providing alternative low fluoride water, and defluoridation, should be investigated.


Author(s):  
Hayley E. Schram ◽  
Peter J. Wampler

Water resources, especially safe, potable water, are limited for many Haitians.  In areas where shallow groundwater is available, many household water needs such as laundry, bathing, and cooking are supplied by hand-dug wells. In order to better understand the water quality and prevalence of these household wells, 35 hand-dug wells were surveyed and sampled near the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) in Deschapelles, Haiti. Water samples were collected and tested for fecal coliform and E. coli using the IDEXX Colilert-18 method. Of the samples collected, 89 percent were determined unsafe to use as a drinking water source based on the World Health Organization standard of 1.0 colony-forming unit (cfu) Escherichia Coli (E. coli) per 100 mL. 66 percent of the wells exceeded recreational/body contact standards for the state of Michigan (130 cfu/100 mL). Some of these wells were deemed suitable for conversion to a new well type called In-Situ Filtration (ISF) wells. ISF wells are installed with an internal sand filter pack, PVC casing, pump, and cap which seals the well from surface contamination and provides additional water treatment as water is pumped. Previous ISF installations have reduced E. coli to safe drinking water levels within 90 days.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 871-878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Earl Wesley Lewis ◽  
Nguza Siyambango ◽  
Selma Lendelvo

Abstract Water accessibility in informal settlements remains a challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. In this study water accessibility in the Goreangab informal settlement, Windhoek, Namibia was analyzed. Semi-structured (n – 105) and key informant interviews (n – 3) were conducted. Long distances and financial constraints are the main reasons for poor water accessibility. Only 11% of residents live within 1 km of a safe drinking water source, the recommended safe distance by the World Health Organization on minimum water access standards. Considering local factors, incorporating an integrated water resource management framework and a public–private partnership is suggested to improve the settlement's water supply management.


2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 533-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason T. Lotter ◽  
Steven E. Lacey ◽  
Ramon Lopez ◽  
Genaro Socoy Set ◽  
Amid P. Khodadoust ◽  
...  

In the Municipality of Chimaltenango, Guatemala, we sampled groundwater for total inorganic arsenic. In total, 42 samples were collected from 27 (43.5%) of the 62 wells in the municipality, with sites chosen to achieve spatial representation throughout the municipality. Samples were collected from household faucets used for drinking water, and sent to the USA for analysis. The only site found to have a concentration above the 10 μg/L World Health Organization provisional guideline for arsenic in drinking water was Cerro Alto, where the average concentration was 47.5 μg/L. A health risk assessment based on the arsenic levels found in Cerro Alto showed an increase in noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic risks for residents as a result of consuming groundwater as their primary drinking water source. Using data from the US Geological Survey and our global positioning system data of the sample locations, we found Cerro Alto to be the only site sampled within the tertiary volcanic rock layer, a known source of naturally occurring arsenic. Recommendations were made to reduce the levels of arsenic found in the community's drinking water so that the health risks can be managed.


Author(s):  
Dora Cardona Rivas ◽  
Militza Yulain Cardona Guzmán ◽  
Olga Lucía Ocampo López

Objective: To characterize the burden of intestinal infectious diseases attributable to drinking-water quality in 27 municipalities in the central region of Colombia. Materials and methods: A time-trend ecological study. The drinking-water quality of the National Institute of Health and the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies was identified. The disease burden was calculated based on the mortality registered in the National Department of Statistics and the records of morbidity attended by the Social Protection Integrated Information System. The etiological agents reported in morbidity records and the observation of environmental conditions in the municipalities of the study were included. The disease burden was determined according to the methodology recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).


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