Public Health Vulnerability Due to the Exposure of Dissolved Metal(oid)s in Tap Water from a Mega City (Dhaka, Bangladesh): Source and Quality Appraisals

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.

Chlorination has been believed to be the best sterilization method in water supply engineering for many years. However, the recent carcinogenic problem of trihalomethanes (THM) formed from organic compounds by chlorination requires us to assess the public health risk of THM. The author tried an assessment of a suitable chlorination technique considering both the effects of THM and viruses on human health, using Lake Biwa as a representative example of a water resource in Japan. Statistical handling of data was revealed to be important because of the statistical nature of the data. In other words, since both concentrations are very low in tap water, we need to quantify both the effects and concentrations with probabilities. In the first part of this paper, a statistical procedure and numerical results of the assessment of virus and THM risks are shown. In the second part some results of accuracies in virus experiments are briefly shown. These experiments concerning statistical problems are particularly important for more precise assessment of the public risk of viruses in tap water.

This paper estimates the prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis among participants in the first wave of The Aguascalientes Longitudinal Study of Child Development (EDNA). The analytical sample includes 1052 children in 100 public elementary schools. Dental fluorosis is determined using the Modified Dean’s Index. There is a 43% general dental fluorosis prevalence, and the estimated Community Fluorosis Index is 0.99. Five municipalities report average groundwater fluoride concentrations above the official Mexican guideline value of 1.5 mg/L. In those municipalities, there is a 50% average dental fluorosis prevalence. An ordered logistic regression analysis indicates that obesity in participants increases the likelihood of suffering more severe dental fluorosis symptoms compared with normal-weight participants (OR = 1.62, p < 0.05). Households consuming tap water are more likely to have children suffering more severe dental fluorosis symptoms (OR = 1.63, p < 0.05). Children aged 8 years are more likely to present more severe dental fluorosis symptoms than their peers aged 7 years (OR = 1.37, p < 0.05). Dental fluorosis will persist as a public health problem in Aguascalientes State unless appropriate technologies for fluoride removal from water are installed and operated.

AbstractObjectivesTorrential rainfall and flooding from September 2-6, 2014 submerged &gt;350 villages in Jammu and Kashmir state. We conducted rapid needs assessment in capital Srinagar from 27 September to 1 October to assess population health and safety needs.MethodsBased on Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) methodology, we selected 7 households each from 30 census blocks using 2-stage cluster sampling. We collected information on demographics, needs, and illnesses using structured questionnaire.ResultsOf the 210 households surveyed, an estimated 57% (CI: 41%-73%) reported significant damage, 50% (CI: 36%-63%) were evacuated, and 16% (CI: 10%-22%) reported injuries. Households lacked electricity (22%; CI: 8.8%-36%), tap water (13%; CI: 5%-21%), working toilets (11%; CI: 4%-19%), and adequate food supply (14%; CI: 8%-20%). Moreover, 55% (CI: 45%-64%) of households reported cough, cold, fever, rashes, or diarrhea; 68% (CI: 59%-77%) experienced agitation, anxiety, depression, or nightmares since the flooding. Of the households with a member on medicines for non-communicable diseases, 40% did not have a week’s supply. Restoring basic essentials (30%; CI: 22%-37%) and repairing houses (30%; CI: 19%-40%) were the most urgent needs expressed.ConclusionsFloods damaged &gt;1/2 of households in Srinagar, disrupting basic essentials, and causing mental trauma. These findings helped authorities prioritize assistance with psychological symptoms and availability of prescription medicines. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:133–137)

Sporadic cases and outbreaks of tattoo-associated skin infection with rapidly growing mycobacteria have been reported although they often contain few details of public health investigations and have not previously been systematically collated. We present the details of the public health investigation of a cluster of cases, which occurred in Scotland in 2010. Investigation of the cluster involved case finding, environmental investigation of the tattoo studio and pathological and microbiological investigation of possible cases and tattoo ink. Mycobacterium chelonae was isolated from one case and three probable cases were identified. M. chelonae was grown from an opened bottle of ink sourced from the studio these cases had attended. In addition, in order to identify all published cases, we conducted a systematic review of all reported cases of tattoo-associated skin infection with rapidly growing mycobacteria. A total of 25 reports were identified, describing 71 confirmed and 71 probable cases. Mycobacteria were isolated in 71 cases and M. chelonae was cultured from 48 of these. The most frequently postulated cause of infection was the dilution of black ink with tap water. Reports of tattoo-associated rapidly growing mycobacterial skin infection are increasing in frequency. Interested agencies must work with the tattoo industry to reduce the risk of contamination during tattoo ink manufacture, distribution and application.

Abstract This study aimed to assess the public health risk of coliforms and Escherichia coli contamination of potable water sources in Egypt. A total of 150 water samples (100 tap and 50 well) were collected from five districts in Gharbia governorate, Egypt. High rates of coliforms contamination were recorded in 52 and 76% of examined tap and well water samples, respectively. E. coli strains were detected in 16% of the water samples (15% tap water and 18% well water; 23.7% rural and 8.1% urban). Rural water sources were 3.5 times more likely to be contaminated than urban sources (P = 0.01). Eight (33.3%) E. coli isolates were Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). Multiple drug resistance (MDR) was observed for 62.5% of the isolates. Seven (29.2%) E. coli isolates harboured at least one of the extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) genes. The majority (87.5%) of the STEC isolates were MDRs and harboured ESBL genes. STEC isolates were significantly more likely to resist six classes of antibiotics than non-STEC isolates. This is the first report of potable water contamination with MDR-STEC in Egypt. This study highlights an alarming public health threat that necessitates preventive interventions for public and environmental safety.