scholarly journals Arsenic in drinking water: not just a problem for Bangladesh

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. van Halem ◽  
S. A. Bakker ◽  
G. L. Amy ◽  
J. C. van Dijk
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
World Health ◽  
Drinking Water Standard ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Arsenic In Groundwater ◽  
Tube Wells ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Near Future ◽  
High Arsenic

Abstract. For more than a decade it has been known that shallow tube wells in Bangladesh are frequently contaminated with arsenic concentrations at a level that is harmful to human health. By now it is becoming clear that a disaster of an unheard magnitude is going on: the World Health Organization fears that in the near future 1 in every 10 adult deaths in Bangladesh will be caused by arsenic-related cancers. Other studies show that problems with arsenic in groundwater/drinking water occur in many more countries worldwide, such as in the USA and China. In Europe the focus on arsenic problems is confined to countries with high arsenic levels in their groundwater, such as Romania, Hungary and Italy. In most other European countries, the naturally occurring arsenic concentrations are lower than the drinking water standard of 10 μg L−1. However, from the literature review presented in this paper, it may also be concluded that using the European standard, health risks cannot be excluded. It is therefore recommended that the current arsenic standard be reconsidered.

scholarly journals Arsenic in drinking water: a worldwide water quality concern for water supply companies

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. van Halem ◽  
S. A. Bakker ◽  
G. L. Amy ◽  
J. C. van Dijk
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Arsenic Removal ◽  
European Countries ◽  
World Health ◽  
Drinking Water Standard ◽  
Arsenic In Groundwater ◽  
Tube Wells ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract. For more than a decade it has been known that shallow tube wells in Bangladesh are frequently contaminated with arsenic concentrations at a level that is harmful to human health. By now it is clear that a disaster of an unheard magnitude is going on: the World Health Organization has estimated that long-term exposure to arsenic in groundwater, at concentrations over 500 μg L−1, causes death in 1 in 10 adults. Other studies show that problems with arsenic in groundwater/drinking water occur in many more countries worldwide, such as in the USA and China. In Europe the focus on arsenic problems is currently confined to countries with high arsenic levels in their groundwater, such as Serbia, Hungary and Italy. In most other European countries, the naturally occurring arsenic concentrations are mostly lower than the European drinking water standard of 10 μg L−1. However, from the literature review presented in this paper, it is concluded that at this level health risks cannot be excluded. As consumers in European countries expect the drinking water to be of impeccable quality, it is recommended that water supply companies optimize arsenic removal to a level of <1 μg L−1, which is technically feasible.

scholarly journals Drinking water standards in South American countries: convergences and divergences

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 295-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vívian Gemiliano Pinto ◽  
Léo Heller ◽  
Rafael Kopschitz Xavier Bastos
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
World Health ◽  
South American ◽  
Who Guidelines ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Drinking Water Standards ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Almost All

In this paper we present a comparative assessment of drinking-water standards from almost all South American countries, using the USA and the Canadian standards and the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines as references. Similarities and discrepancies between standards/guidelines were identified through descriptive analyses and, in the case of chemical standards, clustering techniques. In general, one or another of the four consecutive editions of the WHO Guidelines were shown to be quite influential in setting drinking-water standards in the region, but not so much the USA and the Canadian standards. Considerable discrepancies between South American drinking-water standards were found, mainly with respect to chemical substances. Questions are raised about their scientific basis and/or the practicalities for their enforcement. In conclusion, the paper highlights that many drinking-water regulations in South America need updating, taking on the approach of health-based targets in setting these standards, as well as that of a broader risk-based preventive management in the entire supply system to assure water safety.

Groundwater Treatment via Ozonation

2019 ◽  
pp. 200-225
Author(s):  
Nor Azliza Akbar ◽  
Zaidin Bin Matsin ◽  
Siti Fatihah Binti Ramli
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
World Health ◽  
Ozone Treatment ◽  
Drinking Water Standard ◽  
Inorganic Substances ◽  
Inorganic Pollutant ◽  
Good Potential ◽  
Health Organization

Groundwater is the source of drinking water that needs to be maintained from pollution. Groundwater pollution is a major problem caused by human activities that are invaluable to human health. When high levels of organic and inorganic substances do not exceed the standard of drinking water, various studies have been made by researchers to overcome the problem. Various alternatives such as in-situ and ex-situ treatment have been carried out to eliminate pollutants from groundwater. Among the treatment, ozone becomes a major alternative because of its effectiveness in treating raw water. Ozone treatment has several advantages such as disinfectants, oxidize of organic and inorganic pollutant, and remove taste and color from groundwater. The performance of ozonation process becomes better when combined with other treatments. Therefore, application of ozone can replace chlorine because of its good potential to improve quality of groundwater effluent and comply drinking water standard adopted by World Health Organization.

scholarly journals The New Normal: Coronavirus Pandemic Response Utilizing Microsoft SharePoint

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corey J. Hiti ◽  
Jennifer Chang ◽  
Kriti Gwal ◽  
Eva Escobedo ◽  
Margaret Rea ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
World Health ◽  
Educational Mission ◽  
Residency Programs ◽  
Resident Perceptions ◽  
Work Community ◽  
Resident Perception ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Near Future

Abstract On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a pandemic. Hospitals throughout the USA and the residency programs housed therein have drastically altered their standard operations to slow the spread of disease. Maintaining the educational mission of a residency program within the parameters of social distancing mandates is an unprecedented challenge to graduate medical education and will remain so for the near future. We evaluated resident perception of our efforts to transition educational activities within the residency to an online, remote format utilizing Microsoft SharePoint. Educational conferences were transitioned to a videoconferencing platform on March 13, 2020 in conjunction with the deployment of an intradepartmental Microsoft SharePoint site to provide educational resources, disseminate scheduling changes, and provide wellness resources in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. An 11-question survey available from 4 Jan 2020–4 Jun 2020 surveyed resident perceptions of the instituted changes. Twenty-six of 31 residents (83.8%) responded to the resident survey invitation. Twenty-four of 26 residents (92.3%) characterized the SharePoint as useful. Twenty of 26 residents (76.9%) desired attending guidance as to how to utilize the online resources for each resident rotation. A total of 92.3% (24/26) of residents felt that the program’s response utilizing SharePoint engendered a greater sense of belonging to their work community. Resident perception of the transition to online learning utilizing Microsoft SharePoint as a distribution platform was generally positive, helping to mitigate untoward educational consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FLUORIDE CONTENTS IN GROUNDWATER AND PREVALENCE OF FLUOROSIS IN TAY SON DISTRICT, BINH DINH PROVINCE, VIETNAM

2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (4B) ◽  
pp. 240
Author(s):  
Phan Nhu Nguyet
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Dental Fluorosis ◽  
Fluoride Concentration ◽  
World Health ◽  
Well Water ◽  
Drinking Water Standard ◽  
Limit Value ◽  
The Government ◽  
Health Organization

The communities within Binh Dinh province in the Central Vietnam are reliant on groundwater as their primary supply of domestic and potable water. Meanwhile, it is seriously contaminated with fluoride that causing fluorosis problem for people. This study aims to investigate the link between severity of dental fluorosis rate in a population and fluoride concentration in drinking water in Tay Son area. A total of 50 well-water samples were collected and 220 people were surveyed by questionnaire from 50 households at 3 villages: Tay Phu, Binh Tuong, Tay Giang of Tay Son district, Binh Dinh province, Vietnam. The quantitative assessment of severity of dental fluorosis was done by calculating the Community Fluorosis Index (CFI) using Dean’s classification. Result of this study showed that fluoride concentration in well-water varied from 0.31 mg/L to 7.69 mg/L (mean 2.66 mg/L, SD: 2.18 mg/L) with 70 % of well-water samples above the maximum permissible limit of 1.5 mg/L of World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water standard. 100 % people surveyed was suffered from dental fluorosis and Dean scale of dental fluorosis ranged from level 2 to level 5. CFI varied from 3.45 to 4.13 above limit value (0.6). The community seriously suffered from dental fluorosis. The fluoride concentrations and Dean Index have high correlation (r = 0.580, p < 0.0001). Based upon results of this study, it is recommended that the government should supply drinking water with appropriate fluoride content for this community.

scholarly journals Microbiological Analysis of Tube-Well Water in a Rural Area of Bangladesh

2001 ◽  
Vol 67 (7) ◽  
pp. 3328-3330 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Islam ◽  
A. Siddika ◽  
M. N. H. Khan ◽  
M. M. Goldar ◽  
M. A. Sadique ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
World Health ◽  
Well Water ◽  
Microbiological Analysis ◽  
Tube Wells ◽  
The World ◽  
Tube Well ◽  
Health Organization

ABSTRACT Five tube-wells in Matlab, Bangladesh, were selected for analysis of selected biophysicochemical parameters. The results showed that all tube-well water samples contained zooplankton and bacteria. Results for some of the parameters were outside the accepted limits recommended by the World Health Organization for drinking water. It is concluded that water from tube-wells should be treated if used as drinking water.

scholarly journals Arsenic contamination in the deep tube wells of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 57-62
Author(s):  
Suman Man Shrestha ◽  
S. P. Wagley ◽  
S. Parajuli ◽  
U. KC ◽  
A. KC
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Arsenic Concentration ◽  
World Health ◽  
Kathmandu Valley ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Post Monsoon ◽  
Drinking Water Standard ◽  
Tube Wells ◽  
Guideline Value

A study was conducted at 13 different areas of Kathmandu Valley to know the status of arsenic in deep tube wells in post monsoon and winter in 2009 and 2010. The depth of the deep tube wells ranged from 75 m to 304 m. The study was also carried out to know the correlations between depths of the deep tube wells and arsenic concentration. The collected samples were analyzed as per standard method using spectrophotometer. The correlations of arsenic concentration in different season (post monsoon and winter) were also studied. 92.31% of deep tube wells in post monsoon and winter exceeded permissible values of World Health Organization guideline value 0.01 mg/L for drinking water but 38.46% deep tube wells in post monsoon and 46.15% of deep tube wells in winter exceeded permissible values of Nepal Drinking Water Standard of 0.05 mg/L. There was strong positive correlation in arsenic concentration between post monsoon and winter(r=0.94, p<0.001). There was weak but positive correlation between arsenic concentration and depth of deep tube wells in winter ( r=0.23, p=0.451). There was very weak correlations between arsenic concentration and depth of deep tube wells in post monsoon (r=0.055, p=0.859). The trend distribution maps were generated for arsenic in post monsoon and winter.

Field investigation of arsenic in ceramic pot filter-treated drinking water

2011 ◽  
Vol 63 (10) ◽  
pp. 2193-2198 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Archer ◽  
A. C. Elmore ◽  
E. Bell ◽  
C. Rozycki
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
Household Water Treatment ◽  
Drinking Water Standard ◽  
Treatment Technologies ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Treated Drinking Water

Ceramic pot filters (CPFs) is one of several household water treatment technologies that is used to treat drinking water in developing areas. The filters have the advantage of being able to be manufactured using primarily locally available materials and local labor. However, naturallyoccurring arsenic present in the clay used to make the filters has the potential to contaminate the water in excess of the World Health Organization drinking water standard of 0.01 mg/L. A manufacturing facility in Guatemala routinely rinses filters to reduce arsenic concentrations prior to distribution to consumers. A systemic study was performed to evaluate the change in arsenic concentrations with increasing volumes of rinse water. Arsenic field kit results were compared to standard method laboratory results, and dissolved versus suspended arsenic concentrations in CPF-treated water were evaluated. The results of the study suggest that rinsing is an effective means of mitigating arsenic leached from the filters, and that even in the absence of a formal rinsing program, routine consumer use may result in the rapid decline of arsenic concentrations. More importantly, the results indicate that filter manufacturers should give strong consideration to implementing an arsenic testing program.

scholarly journals Groundwater arsenic in Chimaltenango, Guatemala

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 533-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason T. Lotter ◽  
Steven E. Lacey ◽  
Ramon Lopez ◽  
Genaro Socoy Set ◽  
Amid P. Khodadoust ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Inorganic Arsenic ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Average Concentration ◽  
World Health ◽  
Drinking Water Source ◽  
The Usa ◽  
System Data ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Health Organization

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.

scholarly journals Elements of Natural Radioactive Decay Series in Iranian Drinking Water and Cigarettes

2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeed Mohammadi
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Chemical Structure ◽  
Annual Effective Dose ◽  
Radioactive Decay ◽  
Average Concentration ◽  
World Health ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Decay Series ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Different Parts

Elements of Natural Radioactive Decay Series in Iranian Drinking Water and CigarettesThe uranium (238U) decay series provides the most important isotopes of elements radium (226Ra), radon (222Rn), and polonium (210Po) with half-lives of about 1600 years, 3.8 days, and 140 days, respectively. Although the chemical structure of radium is very similar to calcium, the fact that it produces a radioactive gas (radon) complicates its handling in the laboratory and natural environment. In this study, we used the average concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclide 226Ra in drinking water at different parts of Iran to estimate the annual effective dose. In the other part of the study, we measured the concentrations of 210Po in Iranian cigarettes to estimate the internal intake of this radionuclide and its concentration in the lung tissues of smokers. The results indicate that the average concentration of 226Ra in Iranian drinking water was below the 100 mBq L-1 recommended by the World Health Organization while the average concentration of 210Po and 210Pb in Iranian cigarettes was relatively high in comparison with other cigarettes found on the market.

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