Self-Reported Physical Complaints are Reduced Upon Regular Use of an In-Home Water Filter System (AcalaQuell®): A Prospective, Controlled Documentation Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rainer Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Life Stress ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Household Water Treatment ◽  
Water Filter ◽  
Filter System ◽  
Physical Complaints ◽  
Household Water ◽  
Actual Use

Background: The emerging public concern regarding the quality of drinking water has led to an increased interest in household water treatment systems. Many systems reduce contaminants effectively in laboratory tests at least to some degree, but for the vast majority their effects in actual use are not investigated. Objective: To test the effectiveness of an in-home water filter system (AcalaQuell® Swing) in reducing health problems under real life conditions. Methods: Twenty participants suffering from cardiovascular ailments, gastrointestinal issues or fatigue/exhaustion symptoms were enrolled in the study. In the control condition (three weeks) they consumed 35ml of tap water per kg of body weight daily. After an intermission of one week, they drank the same amount of filtered water in the following three weeks. Results: There was a slarge reduction in physical complaints after consumption of the filtered water (d = 1.4), and an increase in resiliency to physical and mental stress, cognitive performance and affectivity (d = 1.0). Conclusion: The AcalaQuell® Swing water filter effectively mitigates health complaints. The effect is not due to expectation, increase in water consumption, decrease of life stress, or spontaneous symptom remission.

scholarly journals DEVELOPMENT OF A PORTABLE HOUSEHOLD WATER DEVICE FOR IMPROVING DRINKING WATER QUALITY IN NIGERIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-66
Author(s):  
J.G. Akinbomi ◽  
I.I. Odika
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Drinking Water Quality ◽  
State University ◽  
Water Filter ◽  
Household Water ◽  
Α Level

Pipe borne water supplied to Nigerian households may not always meet the accepted drinking water quality standards due to possible water pipe damage. The objective of this study was, therefore, to develop a portable water filter device for improving household drinking water quality. Five litres of representative tap water samples collected from Lagos State University Staff quarters were passed through the developed device. The experimental variables investigated for data acquisition were aeration period of untreated tap water; device backwashing operation cycles and retention times of tap water in the filter device. The results of the analyses of water samples for the various values of the experimental variables showed that the range values of water parameters between the treated and untreated tap water samples were 0.04-0.05, 0.02-0.03, 0.04-0.12, 0.3-0.4, 125-137, 10-20, 3-10 mg/L for barium, chromium, iron, pH, Total Dissolved Solids, hardness and chloride, respectively. Although the developed device helped in improving the quality of the tap water; the p-values for the different experimental variables were greater than α-level of 0.05 indicating the non-significance of using the developed water device. Consequently, future study will consider other experimental variables that will justify the significance of using the developed device.

scholarly journals Cholera and household water treatment why communities do not treat water after a cholera outbreak: a case study in Limpopo Province

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-8
Author(s):  
Lutendo S. Mudau ◽  
Murembiwa S. Mukhola ◽  
Paul R. Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Cholera Outbreak ◽  
Household Water Treatment ◽  
Health Gains ◽  
Household Water ◽  
Vhembe District ◽  
Environmental Health Education

Background: Cholera is one of the common diseases in developing countries caused by consumption of contaminated and untreated drinking water. A study was conducted 7 months after a cholera outbreak in Vhembe district, Limpopo, South Africa. The aim of the study was to assess if the communities were still conforming to safe water practices after an outbreak of cholera.Methodology: One hundred and fifty-two (152) participants from 11 villages were recruited to form 21 focus groups, with a mean of 7. The interview transcripts were coded and arranged based on the study themes.Results: Of the 21 groups in 11 villages, three villages were using water from boreholes, six were using river water and three were using mixed sources which included river, canal and spring water, three depended on municipal tanks and only six were using tap water. Only 19% of the respondents treated their water, even though the majority of communities reported treatment of water as a priority. Four villages claimed they never received environmental health education at all, while most of the villages confirmed they received education during a cholera outbreak.Conclusion: Regardless of the outbreak and health education efforts done, communities continued using unprotected water sources without any form of treatment, as they perceived it to be unimportant. Sustainable water supplies and environmental health education should be continued after an outbreak as it is important for public health gains.

Evaluation of household drinking water filter distribution programs in Haiti

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justine Rayner ◽  
Anna Murray ◽  
Myriam Joseph ◽  
Ariel Branz ◽  
Daniele Lantagne
Keyword(s):  
Disease Burden ◽  
Diarrheal Disease ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Household Water Treatment ◽  
Water Filter ◽  
Guideline Values ◽  
Household Water ◽  
Effective Technology ◽  
Effective Use

Household water treatment (HWT) can reduce the diarrheal disease burden in populations without access to safe water. We evaluated five programs that distributed biosand, ceramic, or Sawyer filters in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and cholera outbreak. We conducted household surveys and tested Escherichia coli and turbidity in stored household untreated and treated water in ∼50 randomly selected households from each program. Across programs, self-reported filter use ranged from 27 to 78%; confirmed use (participants with reported use who also showed the filter with water currently in it) ranged from 20 to 76%; and effective use (participants who used the filter to improve water quality to international guideline values) ranged from 0 to 54%. Overall, programs that more successfully met evaluation metrics: (1) distributed an effective technology; (2) provided safe storage; (3) required cash investment; (4) provided initial training; (5) provided follow-up; (6) provided supply-chain access; (7) targeted households relying on contaminated water sources; and, (8) had experience working in the local context. These findings, similar to results of previous research on HWT, suggest that well-implemented programs have the potential to result in sustained household filter use in Haiti.

scholarly journals The effectiveness of household water treatment and safe storage in improving drinking water quality: a disinfection by-product (DBP) perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 785-806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong Xiao ◽  
Youli Duan ◽  
Wenhai Chu
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Treatment ◽  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Household Water Treatment ◽  
Safe Storage ◽  
Drinking Water Safety ◽  
Household Water

Abstract Serving as the last barrier to secure drinking water safety, household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) is perceived as an interim measure for removing pathogens from drinking water and reducing disease risk. In recent years, the application of HWTS has shown a growing trend, and its performance in controlling chemicals has also received much attention. Disinfection by-products (DBPs) are formed by the reaction of chemical disinfectants and precursors, and are present at sub-μg·L−1 or low-to-mid-μg·L−1 levels in drinking water. Although precursor control and disinfection operation modification could contribute to DBP mitigation to some degree, DBP removal after their formation emerges as an important strategy due to the ubiquitous existence of DBPs in distribution systems and tap water. In order to figure out how DBP concentrations vary during the residence time of drinking water in households, this review summarizes the effectiveness and mechanism of HWTS and combination technologies for DBP control in municipal tap water, and makes a comparison with regard to technologies implementing different removal mechanisms as well as DBPs possessing different natures. Based on these results, this article provides an insight into DBP risk assessment and human health protection.

scholarly journals Calibrating an optimal condition model for solar water disinfection in peri-urban household water treatment in Kampala, Uganda

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-109
Author(s):  
Kenan Okurut ◽  
Eleanor Wozei ◽  
Robinah Kulabako ◽  
Lillian Nabasirye ◽  
Joel Kinobe
Keyword(s):  
Water Treatment ◽  
Optimal Condition ◽  
Water Disinfection ◽  
Household Water Treatment ◽  
Solar Water ◽  
Condition Model ◽  
Bacteriological Quality ◽  
Household Water ◽  
Solar Water Disinfection

In low income settlements where the quality of drinking water is highly contaminated due to poor hygienic practices at community and household levels, there is need for appropriate, simple, affordable and environmentally sustainable household water treatment technology. Solar water disinfection (SODIS) that utilizes both the thermal and ultra-violet effect of solar radiation to disinfect water can be used to treat small quantities of water at household level to improve its bacteriological quality for drinking purposes. This study investigated the efficacy of the SODIS treatment method in Uganda and determined the optimal condition for effective disinfection. Results of raw water samples from the study area showed deterioration in bacteriological quality of water moved from source to the household; from 3 to 36 cfu/100 mL for tap water and 75 to 126 cfu/100 mL for spring water, using thermotolerant coliforms (TTCs) as indicator microorganisms. SODIS experiments showed over 99.9% inactivation of TTCs in 6 h of exposure, with a threshold temperature of 39.5 ± 0.7°C at about 12:00 noon, in the sun during a clear sunny day. A mathematical optimal condition model for effective disinfection has been calibrated to predict the decline of the number of viable microorganisms over time.

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