Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality

Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality

Author: World Health Organization

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 9789241545037

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This volume describes the methods used in the surveillance of drinking water quality in the light of the special problems of small-community supplies, particularly in developing countries, and outlines the strategies necessary to ensure that surveillance is effective.


Heterotrophic Plate Counts and Drinking-water Safety

Heterotrophic Plate Counts and Drinking-water Safety

Author: Jamie Bartram

Publisher: IWA Publishing

Published: 2003-08-31

Total Pages: 278

ISBN-13: 9781843390251

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Heterotrophic Plate Counts and Drinking-water Safety provides a critical assessment of the role of the Heterotrophic Plate Count (HPC) measurement in drinking water quality management. It was developed from an Expert workshop of 32 scientists convened by the World Health Organization and the WHO/NSF International Collaborating Centre for Drinking Water Safety and Treatment in Geneva, Switzerland. Heterotrophs are organisms, including bacteria, yeasts and moulds, that require an external source of organic carbon for growth. The HPC test (or Standard Plate Count), applied in many variants, is the internationally accepted test for measuring the hetrotrophic microorganism population in drinking water, and also other media. It measures only a fraction of the microorganisms actually present and does not distinguish between pathogens and non-pathogens. High levels of microbial growth can affect the taste and odor of drinking water and may indicate the presence of nutrients and biofilms which could harbor pathogens, as well as the possibility that some event has interfered with the normal production of the drinking water. HPC counts also routinely increase in water that has been treated by an in-line device such as a carbon filter or softener, in water-dispensing devices and in bottled waters and indeed in all water that has suitable nutrients, does not have a residual disinfectant, and is kept under sufficient conditions. There is debate among health professionals as to the need, utility or quantitative basis for health-based standards or guidelines relating to HPC-measured regrowth in drinking water. The issues that were addressed in this work include: the relationship between HPC in drinking water (including that derived from in-line treatment systems, dispensers and bottled water) and health risks for the general public the role of HPC as an indirect indicator or index for pathogens of concern in drinking water the role of HPC in assessing the efficacy and proper functioning of water treatment and supply processes the relationship between HPC and the aesthetic acceptability of drinking water. Heterotrophic Plate Counts and Drinking-water Safety provides valuable information on the utility and the limitations of HPC data in the management and operation of piped water systems as well as other means of providing drinking water to the public. It is of particular value to piped public water suppliers and bottled water suppliers, manufacturers and users of water treatment and transmission equipment and inline treatment devices, water engineers, sanitary and clinical microbiologists, and national and local public health officials and regulators of drinking water quality.


WHO Housing and Health Guidelines

WHO Housing and Health Guidelines

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 149

ISBN-13: 9789241550376

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Improved housing conditions can save lives, prevent disease, increase quality of life, reduce poverty, and help mitigate climate change. Housing is becoming increasingly important to health in light of urban growth, ageing populations and climate change. The WHO Housing and health guidelines bring together the most recent evidence to provide practical recommendations to reduce the health burden due to unsafe and substandard housing. Based on newly commissioned systematic reviews, the guidelines provide recommendations relevant to inadequate living space (crowding), low and high indoor temperatures, injury hazards in the home, and accessibility of housing for people with functional impairments. In addition, the guidelines identify and summarize existing WHO guidelines and recommendations related to housing, with respect to water quality, air quality, neighbourhood noise, asbestos, lead, tobacco smoke and radon. The guidelines take a comprehensive, intersectoral perspective on the issue of housing and health and highlight co-benefits of interventions addressing several risk factors at the same time. The WHO Housing and health guidelines aim at informing housing policies and regulations at the national, regional and local level and are further relevant in the daily activities of implementing actors who are directly involved in the construction, maintenance and demolition of housing in ways that influence human health and safety. The guidelines therefore emphasize the importance of collaboration between the health and other sectors and joint efforts across all government levels to promote healthy housing. The guidelines' implementation at country-level will in particular contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals on health (SDG 3) and sustainable cities (SDG 11). WHO will support Member States in adapting the guidelines to national contexts and priorities to ensure safe and healthy housing for all.


Drinking Water Microbiology

Drinking Water Microbiology

Author: Gordon A. McFeters

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-03-07

Total Pages: 508

ISBN-13: 1461244641

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The microbiology of drinking water remains an important worldwide concern despite modem progress in science and engineering. Countries that are more technologically advanced have experienced a significant reduction in water borne morbidity within the last 100 years: This reduction has been achieved through the application of effective technologies for the treatment, disinfec tion, and distribution of potable water. However, morbidity resulting from the ingestion of contaminated water persists globally, and the available ep idemiological evidence (Waterborne Diseases in the United States, G. F. Craun, ed. , 1986, CRC Press) demonstrates a dramatic increase in the number of waterborne outbreaks and individual cases within the United States since the mid-1960s. In addition, it should also be noted that the incidence of water borne outbreaks of unknown etiology and those caused by "new" pathogens, such as Campylobaeter sp. , is also increasing in the United States. Although it might be debated whether these increases are real or an artifact resulting from more efficient reporting, it is clear that waterborne morbidity cannot be ignored in the industrialized world. More significantly, it represents one of the most important causes of illness within developing countries. Approxi mately one-half the world's population experiences diseases that are the direct consequence of drinking polluted water. Such illnesses are the primary cause of infant mortality in many Third World countries.


Topics in Public Health

Topics in Public Health

Author: David Claborn

Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand

Published: 2015-06-17

Total Pages: 310

ISBN-13: 9535121324

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Public health has been defined as the efforts of a community that allow a population to remain healthy. This definition is very inclusive, so elements of clinical care, health promotion and many other fields contribute to the larger discipline of public health. The profession has evolved in recent years, with the emphasis in the developed world changing from the hygiene method for control of infectious diseases to a more complex approach to address chronic disease. However, the focus in public health continues to be the population. This book provides a sample of fields that contribute to the public health profession. Its broad approach provides examples of the core fields of public health, including environmental health, epidemiology, biostatistics, health administration, and health behavior.


Indicators for Waterborne Pathogens

Indicators for Waterborne Pathogens

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2004-06-19

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 0309091225

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Recent and forecasted advances in microbiology, molecular biology, and analytical chemistry have made it timely to reassess the current paradigm of relying predominantly or exclusively on traditional bacterial indicators for all types of waterborne pathogens. Nonetheless, indicator approaches will still be required for the foreseeable future because it is not practical or feasible to monitor for the complete spectrum of microorganisms that may occur in water, and many known pathogens are difficult to detect directly and reliably in water samples. This comprehensive report recommends the development and use of a "tool box" approach by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency and others for assessing microbial water quality in which available indicator organisms (and/or pathogens in some cases) and detection method(s) are matched to the requirements of a particular application. The report further recommends the use of a phased, three-level monitoring framework to support the selection of indicators and indicator approaches.Â


Modern Tools and Methods of Water Treatment for Improving Living Standards

Modern Tools and Methods of Water Treatment for Improving Living Standards

Author: Alexander Omelchenko

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2005-08-19

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13: 1402031165

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Providing the population of the Earth with safe drinking water is one of the biggest challenges of modern society. In recognition of this problem the United Nations Organization and UNESCO declared 2003 to be the International Year of Freshwater. On November 19-22, 2003, the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on “Modern Tools and Methods of Water Treatment for Improving Living Standards” took place in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. Thirty-one participants from 15 countries including Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, UK, Ukraine, USA, and Uzbekistan attended the meeting. They discussed the scientific concepts and practical means for the solution of the complex social, economic and ecological problems associated with water purification, consumption, conservation, and protection. They also established a network of scientists and specialists to foster further collaboration and the exchange of ideas. The location of the ARW was chosen quite deliberately. The city of Dnepropetrovsk is located on the banks of the Dnieper River and it has a population of about 1. 3 million people. As it is one of the largest industrial centers, it shares all the environmental problems, which are found in the modern Ukraine. In 2001, one in seven of the water samples taken from Ukrainian industrial and drinking water supply systems did not meet sanitary-hygienic standards, and one in twelve did not meet microbiological standards.