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.
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.
"Well-written and informative." --Richard Lewis, Lewis Information Systems "This [book] combines information which could possibly haverequired as many as four reference sources in the past." --Steven C. Messer In its first edition, John De Zuane's popular reference drewwide praise for being an insightful theoretical resource. Now, inthe second edition of Handbook of Drinking Water Quality, DeZuane builds on that legacy with the same practical and conceptualemphases, adding a wealth of new information that providesimmediate access to the data and guidelines needed to * understand the impact of drinking water parameters on publichealth * help build and operate water supply facilities * conduct reliable drinking water sampling, monitoring, andanalytical evaluation * implement potability standards from the source to the treatmentfacility, to storage, to the tap * write new standards and expand/modify existing standards asquickly as needed Preventing contamination of drinking water requires amultidisciplinary perspective, one that incorporates elements ofbacteriology, chemistry, physics, engineering, public health,preventive medicine, and control and evaluation management. In aconcise, easy-to-use format, Handbook of Drinking WaterQuality, Second Edition, describes * Data and guidelines from the World Health Organization and theEuropean Community used to develop drinking water standards * U.S. drinking water standards--their physical, chemical,microbiological, and radionuclide parameters and monitoringrequirements * EPA-approved analytical methods and the most effectivetreatment technologies for each contaminant * Critical concepts of water quality control as applied in watertreatment in conventional or chemical treatment plants * Disinfection and fluoridation requirements * Common problems with water distribution systems, including deadends, sediments, bacterial growth, insufficient pressure, and mainbreaks To keep pace with recent breakthroughs in scientific research,water analysis, and program implementation and monitoring, thisSecond Edition features expanded and updated informationon * All drinking water regulations issued since the previousedition in 1990 * Current drinking water standards adopted by the EuropeanCommunity * Lead poisoning, radon, and Cryptosporidium * Compulsory water treatment for lead and copper * Coliform Rule compliance (disinfection and filtration) * Trihalomethane reduction with ozonation As a quick reference, handbook, and technical manual Handbookof Drinking Water Quality, Second Edition, is an essentialvolume for engineers, water supply and treatment personnel,environmental scientists, public health officials, or anyoneresponsible for assuring the safety of drinking water.
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.
Most people associate fluoride with the practice of intentionally adding fluoride to public drinking water supplies for the prevention of tooth decay. However, fluoride can also enter public water systems from natural sources, including runoff from the weathering of fluoride-containing rocks and soils and leaching from soil into groundwater. Fluoride pollution from various industrial emissions can also contaminate water supplies. In a few areas of the United States fluoride concentrations in water are much higher than normal, mostly from natural sources. Fluoride is one of the drinking water contaminants regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because it can occur at these toxic levels. In 1986, the EPA established a maximum allowable concentration for fluoride in drinking water of 4 milligrams per liter, a guideline designed to prevent the public from being exposed to harmful levels of fluoride. Fluoride in Drinking Water reviews research on various health effects from exposure to fluoride, including studies conducted in the last 10 years.
The quality of drinking water is paramount for public health. Despite important improvements in the last decades, access to safe drinking water is not universal. The World Health Organization estimates that almost 10% of the population in the world do not have access to improved drinking water sources. Among other diseases, waterborne infections cause diarrhea, which kills nearly one million people every year, mostly children under 5 years of age. On the other hand, chemical pollution is a concern in high-income countries and an increasing problem in low- and middle-income countries. Exposure to chemicals in drinking water may lead to a range of chronic non-communicable diseases (e.g., cancer, cardiovascular disease), adverse reproductive outcomes, and effects on children’s health (e.g., neurodevelopment), among other health effects. Although drinking water quality is regulated and monitored in many countries, increasing knowledge leads to the need for reviewing standards and guidelines on a nearly permanent basis, both for regulated and newly identified contaminants. Drinking water standards are mostly based on animal toxicity data, and more robust epidemiologic studies with accurate exposure assessment are needed. The current risk assessment paradigm dealing mostly with one-by-one chemicals dismisses the potential synergisms or interactions from exposures to mixtures of contaminants, particularly at the low-exposure range. Thus, evidence is needed on exposure and health effects of mixtures of contaminants in drinking water. Finally, water stress and water quality problems are expected to increase in the coming years due to climate change and increasing water demand by population growth, and new evidence is needed to design appropriate adaptation policies. This Special Issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on the current state of knowledge on the links between drinking water quality and human health.
Use of coastal, estuarine and freshwater recreational environments has significant benefits for health and well-being, including rest, relaxation, exercise, cultural and religious practices, and aesthetic pleasure, while also providing substantial local, regional and national economic benefits. These guidelines focus on water quality management for coastal and freshwater environments to protect public health. The guidelines: 1. describe the current state of knowledge about the possible adverse health impacts of various forms of water pollution; and2. set out recommendations for setting national health-based targets, conducting surveillance and risk assessments, putting in place systems to monitor and control risks, and providing timely advice to users on water safety.These guidelines are aimed at national and local authorities, and other entities with an obligation to exercise due diligence relating to the safety of recreational water sites. They may be implemented in conjunction with other measures for water safety (such as drowning prevention and sun exposure) and measures for environmental protection of recreational water use sites.
K347191 BCC Drinking water quality is a sensitive issue, and the public is constantly barraged by contaminant reports now routinely at parts-per-trillion. Protection from microbial disease risks from drinking water must always be predominant; trace chemicals usually fall farther down the scale of possible health risks, but even negligible detections raise public concerns. Drinking Water Quality and Contaminants Guidebook presents information and guidance on drinking water quality and regulatory issues reflecting experiences and judgments from the author’s more than 43 years of extensive experience. It contains digested comprehensive information on important chemical, microbial, and radionuclide water contaminants, and discussions of several drinking water-related policy issues. Information is presented for long-standing regulated contaminants and chemicals of emerging concern in understandable terms for professionals and non-experts alike. Dossiers contain readily accessed information on sources, physical and chemical properties, toxicity, analytical methodology, water treatment technology, regulations and health advisories, and also include World Health Organization Guidelines. Aesthetic and acceptance factors such as water hardness and salinity that influence public perceptions of drinking water quality are also addressed. Features: Compiles and interprets essential information on numerous key chemical, microbial, and radionuclide water contaminants Provides standardized entries for each contaminant, including occurrence, health, analytical, water treatment, regulations, and World Health Organization guidance and recommendations with source citations Examines many water-related topics including fracking, potable water reuse, desalination, boil water notices, bottled water, foodborne and waterborne disease, and public perceptions about public drinking water quality Provides essential information and the basis for management of many long-standing contaminants such as lead, mercury, disinfection by-products, E. coli, and also emerging issues such as legionella, glyphosate, BPA, and more
Cyanobacterial toxins are among the hazardous substances most widely found in water. They occur naturally, but concentrations hazardous to human health are usually due to human activity. Therefore, to protect human health, managing lakes, reservoirs and rivers to prevent cyanobacterial blooms is critical. This second edition of Toxic Cyanobacteria in Water presents the current state of knowledge on the occurrence of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins as well as their impacts on health through water-related exposure pathways, chiefly drinking-water and recreational activity. It provides scientific and technical background information to support hazard identification, assessment and prioritisation of the risks posed by cyanotoxins, and it outlines approaches for their management at each step of the water-use system. It sets out key practical considerations for developing management strategies, implementing efficient measures and designing monitoring programmes. This enables stakeholders to evaluate whether there is a health risk from toxic cyanobacteria and to mitigate it with appropriate measures. This book is intended for those working on toxic cyanobacteria with a specific focus on public health protection. It intends to empower professionals from different disciplines to communicate and cooperate for sustainable management of toxic cyanobacteria, including public health workers, ecologists, academics, and catchment and waterbody managers. Ingrid Chorus headed the department for Drinking-Water and Swimming-Pool Hygiene at the German Environment Agency. Martin Welker is a limnologist and microbiologist, currently with bioMérieux in Lyon, France.
Legionnaires' disease, a pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacterium, is the leading cause of reported waterborne disease outbreaks in the United States. Legionella occur naturally in water from many different environmental sources, but grow rapidly in the warm, stagnant conditions that can be found in engineered water systems such as cooling towers, building plumbing, and hot tubs. Humans are primarily exposed to Legionella through inhalation of contaminated aerosols into the respiratory system. Legionnaires' disease can be fatal, with between 3 and 33 percent of Legionella infections leading to death, and studies show the incidence of Legionnaires' disease in the United States increased five-fold from 2000 to 2017. Management of Legionella in Water Systems reviews the state of science on Legionella contamination of water systems, specifically the ecology and diagnosis. This report explores the process of transmission via water systems, quantification, prevention and control, and policy and training issues that affect the incidence of Legionnaires' disease. It also analyzes existing knowledge gaps and recommends research priorities moving forward.