scholarly journals Dhaka Sitting on a Plastic Bomb: Issues and Concerns around Waste Governance, Water Quality, and Public Health

Earth ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-30
Author(s):  
Md Nadiruzzaman ◽  
Hosna Jahan Shewly ◽  
Afsana Afrin Esha
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Toxic Elements ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Risk Society ◽  
Safe Drinking Water ◽  
New Strategy ◽  
Future Risk ◽  
Governance Infrastructure

Plastic, an offer of modernity, has become one of the essential parts of our everyday life. However, it is presenting a massive threat in altered forms, to our health and environment. Plastic does not only pollute the surface environment, freshwater, and marine ecosystems, but toxic elements released from plastics also percolate down the surface and contaminate groundwater, which we often use as ‘safe’ drinking water. This probable future risk is deeply rooted in the entire governance infrastructure of plastic waste which could potentially lead to contamination of groundwater. Thus, a state-sponsored ‘safe drinking water’ initiative could contrarily produce a ‘risk society’. A recent study finds 81% of tap water samples collected worldwide contained plastic pollutants, which means that annually we may be ingesting between 3000 and 4000 microparticles of plastic from tap water. Based on review, ethnographic observations and interviews, and lived experience in a plastic-wrapped city (Dhaka), this paper sheds light on the complex interface of plastic, water, and public health, on the relevance of Beck’s ‘risk society’ to understand this complexity, and on replicating the idea of ‘risk society’ in the case of Bangladesh. Through understanding the plastic–groundwater–waste management nexus, this paper highlights and advocates for a new strategy of plastic governance in modern states.

Risks and keeping customers' confidence: the key role of consumers' perception regarding the safety of tap water

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline van de Veerdonk ◽  
Jan Van Essen ◽  
Jos Dekker
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Acceptable Level ◽  
Safe Drinking Water ◽  
Vital Importance ◽  
People’S Perception ◽  
Water Companies

Safe drinking water is a primary necessity to life that is of essential importance to public health. The water companies make sure that the water that comes out of the tap is safe to drink. The water companies are well aware of any actual risks in the process from source to tap, and they take many actions to avoid risks or to reduce the risks to an acceptable level. This is also what they communicate to their customers. But whether their customers are convinced that their drinking water is safe is decided not just by their knowledge of any actual risks, but also by their perception of such risks. To keep customer confidence high, it is of vital importance that the drinking water sector is aware of the consumers' perception regarding the safety of tap water: a risk may be negligible based on the facts, but might still become a big problem because of people's perception. Risk management thus should keep the balance between facts and perception.

GROUND WATER AND PUBLIC HEALTH: A NEW SHALLOW WELL TECHNOLOGY TO PROVIDE SAFE DRINKING WATER FOR PRIVATE WELLS

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel Belaval ◽  
◽  
Joseph D. Ayotte ◽  
Ian Carlisle ◽  
Ryan P. Gordon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Ground Water ◽  
Safe Drinking Water ◽  
Private Wells

GROUNDWATER AND PUBLIC HEALTH: A NOVEL SHALLOW WELL TECHNOLOGY TO PROVIDE SAFE DRINKING WATER FOR PRIVATE DOMESTIC WELLS

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian D. Carlisle ◽  
◽  
Marcel Belaval ◽  
Ryan P. Gordon ◽  
Harry Simbliaris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Safe Drinking Water

scholarly journals Preliminary Study of Lead-Contaminated Drinking Water in Public Parks—An Assessment of Equity and Exposure Risks in Two Texas Communities

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6443
Author(s):  
Leanne Fawkes ◽  
Garett Sansom
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
The United States ◽  
Median Income ◽  
Safe Drinking Water ◽  
Public Parks ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Contaminated Drinking Water ◽  
Lead Levels

Safe drinking water is celebrated as a public health achievement and is a top priority for the Environmental Protection Agency. Yet today, lead (Pb) contaminated drinking water has the potential to be a public health crisis in the United States. Despite efforts to provide safe drinking water, update water infrastructure, and ensure strict drinking water regulations, there are incidents of unsafe lead levels and reports of associated adverse health effects. While there has been increased attention paid to the quality of drinking water within individuals’ homes, little research has examined the presence and concentration of lead in water from drinking fountain sources located in public parks. In this study, we sampled drinking water from every accessible public park in the Bryan/College Station (BCS), TX metropolitan area (N = 56). With a lower detection level of 2.0 μg/L, we discovered a mean lead concentration of 1.3 μg/L across all sites and a maximum of 8.0 μg/L. Furthermore, neighborhoods below the median income for BCS were twice as likely to have detectable lead levels in their water and had 1.5 times the mean concentration. This study underscores the need for action and supports previous studies that have identified a disparate burden to lead exposure among low socioeconomic populations within the United States. By examining the water quality in drinking fountains in publicly accessible parks, the results of our study provide public health professionals with important information about where infrastructure should be improved and the potential harms of lead in drinking fountain water.

scholarly journals Ascertaining the Bacteriological Quality of Water Drawn from Cast and Non-cast Wells in Zaria, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
pp. 34-43
Author(s):  
Danjuma, Florence Yachim ◽  
Onaji, Ajegba Innocent ◽  
Ocheme Julius Okojokwu ◽  
Danladi Yakubu Papi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Safe Drinking Water ◽  
Internal Wall ◽  
Bacterial Counts ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Bacteriological Quality

Lack of access to safe drinking water is a threat to public health and wellbeing of the people as it exposes them to risk of waterborne diseases. This study assessed the bacteriological quality of well water samples obtained from Zaria communities and compared the level of contamination between wells with internal wall casting (cast wells) and wells without internal wall casting (non-cast wells). Water samples from 142 wells were collected for a period of six months encompassing both rainy and dry seasons (July to September for rainy season and November to January for dry season). The water samples were collected and analysed for faecal contamination using membrane filtration technique. The water samples contained high density of bacterial counts ranging from 1.73x103±2.73x102 – 2.02x102±1.85x102cfu/100ml during the raining season and 4.17x102±3.07x101 – 1.39x103±3.27x102cfu/100ml during the dry season. Coliforms and E. coli were present in all the samples with  total coliform counts ranging from 1.06 x 103 – 2.12 x 104 cfu/100 ml and E. coli counts ranging from 5.10 X 102 – 5.0 X 104 cfu/100 ml Counts were higher during the raining season in all the locations compared to the dry season. Faecal coliform counts were higher in wells without casting (91.9%) compare to wells with casting (91.2%) while E. coli counts were higher in wells with casting (77.9%) compared to wells without casting (66.2%). There was no significant difference in the bacterial counts between cast and non-cast wells (p-values were all greater than 0.05).A total of 168 organisms were isolated from this study and they include; E. coli(48.3%), Klebsiella pnuemonaie(11.8%), Klebsiella ozanae(13.2%), Enterobacter agglomerans(11.8%), Enterobacter gergoviae(14.7%), Enterobacter aerogenes (8.8%), Citrobacter freundii(8.8%), Proteus mirabilis (5.9%), Serratia liquefaciens(10.3%) and Acinetobacter lwoffii (2.9%). E. coliwas isolated more frequently (48.3%) compared to other species and was more frequent in non-cast wells (50.0%) compared to cast wells (47.1%). Other species were more frequent in cast wells. The bacteria isolated from this study are mostly of enteric origin; these organisms acquire public health significance under certain conditions, therefore, their removal in drinking water should be given moderate priority. The wells in this study fail to meet the minimum standard for safe drinking water and are therefore not safe for domestic purposes especially for drinking purpose without adequate treatment.

Extreme Precipitation, Public Health Emergencies, and Safe Drinking Water in the USA

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 305-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie G. Exum ◽  
Elin Betanzo ◽  
Kellogg J. Schwab ◽  
Thomas Y. J. Chen ◽  
Seth Guikema ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Extreme Precipitation ◽  
Safe Drinking Water ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
The Usa

scholarly journals Public health vulnerability due to the exposure of dissolved metal(oid)s in tap water from a mega city (Dhaka, Bangladesh)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shabiha Hossain ◽  
Amit Hasan Anik ◽  
Rahat Khan ◽  
Farah Tasneem Ahmed ◽  
Md. Abu Bakar Siddique ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Water Pollution ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Toxic Elements ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Potentially Toxic Elements ◽  
Polluted Water ◽  
Dhaka City ◽  
Health Vulnerability

Abstract Tap water is the sole source of water in urban cities but gradually being polluted by potentially toxic elements due to unplanned urbanization. The south Asian megacity, Dhaka (capital of Bangladesh) encounters drastic water pollution resulting mainly from anthropogenic differential factors. Consumption of such polluted water distributed to residents by pipelines can trigger health risks. Therefore, this study investigated the public health vulnerability associated with dissolved metal(oid)s in tap water collected across Dhaka city. The concentrations of Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Hg and Pb in measured tap water ranged from 8-156, 7–73, 400-20100, 12–110, 7-101, 12–136, 12–908, 0.03–9.75, 1–5, 0.22–1.30, and 8-118 µg/L, respectively. Among the observed elements, Pb, Cr, and Fe concentrations in 18%, 26%, and 75% of sampling sites, respectively, exceeded the standard guideline criteria of Bangladesh. Entropy-based water quality index demonstrated that ~ 12% of sampling sites possessed water unsuitable for drinking and other household works. The dominant sources of water pollution in this region are industrial effluents and domestic sewage. Both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks are invoked mostly from ingestion of Co and Pb. Regular consumption of this tap water without further pretreatment may result in detrimental health consequences to both children and adults due to the physiological accumulation of toxic elements over time. This study highlighted a comprehensive scenario of the potentially toxic elements in the tap water of Dhaka city, which will allow policymakers to take adequate measures for sustainable water quality management.

scholarly journals Reducing Lead Exposure from Drinking Water: Recent History and Current Status

2005 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 316-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard P. Maas ◽  
Steven C. Patch ◽  
Diane M. Morgan ◽  
Tamara J. Pandolfo
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Lead Exposure ◽  
Research Evidence ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Lead Contamination ◽  
Recent History ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
The U.S

This article discusses the issue of lead contamination of drinking water, noting the various regulatory-driven measures that have been adopted in the U.S. since 1986 to address this public health issue. The article summarizes the literature on the dynamics of tap water lead contamination and discusses this widespread source of lead exposure in the context of the latest research evidence.

scholarly journals Radon Levels of Water Sources in the Southwest Coastal Region of Peninsular Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 6842
Author(s):  
Noor Fadilla Ismail ◽  
Suhairul Hashim ◽  
Mohamad Syazwan Mohd Sanusi ◽  
Ahmad Taufek Abdul Rahman ◽  
David Andrew Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Effective Dose ◽  
Hot Spring ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Coastal Region ◽  
Water Sources ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Average Concentration ◽  
Safe Drinking Water ◽  
Radon Concentrations

Across populations, the dominating source of public exposure to radiation is radon gas. In the present study, we aimed at determining the concentration of radon in water sources from the southwest coastal region of Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 27 water samples were taken from various water sources which included groundwater, as well as hot spring, lake, river, seawater, and tap water; the radon concentrations were measured using a RAD7 portable radon detector. The radon concentrations ranged from 0.07 ± 0.12 to 187 ± 12 Bq l−1, with an average of 21 ± 12 Bq l−1. The highest concentration was found in hot spring water, with an average concentration of 99 ± 6 Bq l−1, while the lowest concentration was found in tap water, with an average concentration of 1.95 ± 0.61 Bq l−1. The average concentrations of radon for all categories of sampled water were below the 100 Bq l−1 WHO guidance level for safe drinking water. According to the ICRP effective dose conversion factor and UNSCEAR (2000), the total effective dose from the summation of inhaled and imbibed water was calculated from the aqueous radon concentrations, with an average effective dose of 4.45 µSv y−1, well within the WHO safe drinking water guideline value of 100 µSv per year. The results of this study could support the efforts of authorities and regulators who are responsible for controlling and strategizing to ensure public safety against radon exposures.

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