A comprehensive review of human health risks of arsenic and fluoride contamination of groundwater in the South Asia region
J Water Health. 2024 Feb;22(2):235-267. doi: 10.2166/wh.2023.082.ABSTRACTThe present study found that ∼80 million people in India, ∼60 million people in Pakistan, ∼70 million people in Bangladesh, and ∼3 million people in Nepal are exposed to arsenic groundwater contamination above 10 μg/L, while Sri Lanka remains moderately affected. In the case of fluoride contamination, ∼120 million in India, >2 million in Pakistan, and ∼0.5 million in Sri Lanka are exposed to the risk of fluoride above 1.5 mg/L, while Bangladesh and Nepal are mildly affected. The hazard quotient (HQ) for arsenic varied from 0 to 822 in ...
Source: Journal of Water and Health - February 29, 2024 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Yash Aryan Thambidurai Pon Balamurugan Panneerselvam Anil Kumar Dikshit Source Type: research
COVID-19 cases, vaccination, and SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater: insights from a Brazilian municipality
J Water Health. 2024 Feb;22(2):268-277. doi: 10.2166/wh.2024.159.ABSTRACTVaccines combatting COVID-19 demonstrate the ability to protect against disease and hospitalization, and reduce the likelihood of death caused by SARS-CoV-2. In addition, monitoring viral loads in sewage emerges as another crucial strategy in the epidemiological context, enabling early and collective detection of outbreaks. The study aimed to monitor the viral concentration of SARS-CoV-2 in untreated sewage in a Brazilian municipality. Also, it attempted to correlate these measurements with the number of clinical cases and deaths resulting from COVID-...
Source: Journal of Water and Health - February 29, 2024 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Mariana Aparecida de Freitas Abreu Bruna Coelho Lopes Paula Peixoto Assemany Aline Dos Reis Souza Luciene Alves Batista Siniscalchi Source Type: research
Assessing the genotoxic potential of wastewater effluents from three wastewater treatment plants in South Africa
J Water Health. 2024 Feb;22(2):278-289. doi: 10.2166/wh.2023.183.ABSTRACTWastewater treatment plants are mainly monitored for quality in terms of their biological oxygen demand and microbiological constituents as stipulated in the specific discharge permit. Wastewater influents and effluents were taken from three WWTPs in South Africa over the summer and winter seasons. Previous toxicity tests such as the Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence assay and the Selenastrum capricornutum algal growth inhibition test have shown that the effluents displayed acute toxicity. To further investigate the quality of the effluent, the genotoxi...
Source: Journal of Water and Health - February 29, 2024 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Rahzia Hendricks Hein H Du Preez Source Type: research
Detection of endotoxins from selected drinking water microbiota using an LAL-based assay and its implications for human health
J Water Health. 2024 Feb;22(2):290-295. doi: 10.2166/wh.2024.207.ABSTRACTEndotoxins are pyrogenic lipopolysaccharides from Gram-negative bacteria that are known to induce fever, septic shock, and multiple organ failure, posing a substantial risk to human health. Drinking water systems are especially prone to home microbiomes containing a large variety of Gram-negative bacteria. Consumption of water from these systems in developed countries is generally regarded as non-hazardous to humans due to the low number of non-pathogenic bacterial cells per milliliter and oral admission. To assess potential risks posed by endotoxins ...
Source: Journal of Water and Health - February 29, 2024 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Harmen Hawer Rebecca Burmester Nadine Sonnenberg Katja Wei ß Source Type: research
An evaluation of properly operated NSF/ANSI-53 Pb certified drinking water filters in Benton Harbor, MI
In this study, a total of 199 properly installed and operated drinking water filters (combination of faucet mounted and pitcher) were tested in their residential locations. One hundred percent of the water filters were found to perform to the standard to which they were certified, with filtered drinking water Pb concentrations below 5 ppb (maximum observed was 2.5 ppb). In addition, Pb particulate was identified; however, discrete Pb-containing nanoparticles were not widely found or identified.PMID:38421624 | DOI:10.2166/wh.2024.231 (Source: Journal of Water and Health)
Source: Journal of Water and Health - February 29, 2024 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Jennifer Tully Michael Schock Scott Shilling Valerie Bosscher Darren Lytle Stephen Harmon Christina Bennett-Stamper Source Type: research
