Potential Health and Environmental Risks Associated with Onsite Greywater Reuse: A Review

2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maya Benami ◽  
Osnat Gillor ◽  
Amit Gross
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Greywater Reuse

scholarly journals Diseases due to unhealthy environments: an updated estimate of the global burden of disease attributable to environmental determinants of health

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 464-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Prüss-Ustün ◽  
J. Wolf ◽  
C. Corvalán ◽  
T. Neville ◽  
R. Bos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Burden Of Disease ◽  
Disease Burden ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Global Burden Of Disease ◽  
Intersectoral Collaboration ◽  
Global Burden ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Life Years ◽  
Comparative Risk ◽  
Global Disease Burden

Abstract Background The update of the global burden of disease attributable to the environment is presented. The study focuses on modifiable risks to show the potential health impact from environmental interventions. Methods Systematic literature reviews on 133 diseases and injuries were performed. Comparative risk assessments were complemented by more limited epidemiological estimates, expert opinion and information on disease transmission pathways. Population attributable fractions were used to calculate global deaths and global disease burden from environmental risks. Results Twenty-three percent (95% CI: 13–34%) of global deaths and 22% (95% CI: 13–32%) of global disability adjusted life years (DALYs) were attributable to environmental risks in 2012. Sixty-eight percent of deaths and 56% of DALYs could be estimated with comparative risk assessment methods. The global disease burden attributable to the environment is now dominated by noncommunicable diseases. Susceptible ages are children under five and adults between 50 and 75 years. Country level data are presented. Conclusions Nearly a quarter of global disease burden could be prevented by reducing environmental risks. This analysis confirms that eliminating hazards and reducing environmental risks will greatly benefit our health, will contribute to attaining the recently agreed Sustainable Development Goals and will systematically require intersectoral collaboration to be successful.

scholarly journals Assessing environmental risks of laundry detergents in greywater used for irrigation

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daryl Stevens ◽  
Peter Dillon ◽  
Declan Page ◽  
Michael Warne ◽  
Guang Guo Ying
Keyword(s):  
Performance Index ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Environmental Index ◽  
Laundry Detergents ◽  
Environmental Performance Index ◽  
Poorly Drained Soils ◽  
Very High ◽  
Greywater Reuse ◽  
Environmental Labelling

The objective of this study was to assess the environmental risk posed to Australian and New Zealand ecosystems by the presence of powdered laundry detergents in greywater used for irrigating gardens. Fifty powdered laundry detergents were assessed and all contained hazards which posed moderate to very high risks from increased alkalinity, sodicity and salinity to plants and soils when used at manufacturer-recommended doses and the resulting greywater used for irrigation. A number of detergents had phosphorus and boron concentrations considered to be a high risk for a number of plants. Risk to groundwater quality was also evaluated and found to potentially be a tighter constraint than risk to plants and soil where irrigation reuse is extensive in arid areas. A detergent environmental performance index was composed on risks assessed for three scenarios to compare with a washability performance index for the same powders. Only one detergent exceeded the 80% environmental index (100% = low risk from all hazards assessed) and maintained wash performance above 85%. The analysis suggests that for poorly drained soils greywater reuse is not recommended for most of the powdered laundry detergents evaluated. However the methodology may provide a basis for environmental labelling of detergents.

Health Effects of the Alkylbenzenes. II. Ylenes

1989 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence K. Low ◽  
J. Ralph Meeks ◽  
Carl R. Mackerer
Keyword(s):  
Health Effects ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Petroleum Products ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Membered Ring ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Boiling Points ◽  
Alkyl Groups ◽  
Fuel Evaporation

The alkylbenzenes are a class of six-membered ring aromatic compounds that have a variety of alkyl groups attached. These chemicals are liquids with relatively low boiling points used primarily as solvents or as starting materials in the synthesis of other chemicals and drugs. They are integral components of gasoline, distillate fuels and other petroleum products and are economically important in the chemical, petroleum, pharmaceutical, polymer, paint and dye industries. Alkylbenzenes such as toluene, the xylenes, ethylbenzene, styrene and cumene are produced and utilized in large quantities and therefore, present the possibility of exposure to humans and to wildlife. Fortunately, the toxicity of alkylbenzenes has been found to be rather low and therefore, the human and environmental risks are probably low. In modern industrial activities, exposures to the alkylbenzenes are minimized by workplace controls or personal protective equipment which meet guidelines for maximum allowable exposure concentrations that have been established for the workplace. Nevertheless, considerable quantities of alkylbenzenes are released to the environment each year through solvent and fuel evaporation, accidental spills and misuse, and considerable toxicological infonnationfor these materials has appeared in the recent literature. This present paper, the second in a series reviewing the potential health effects of alkylbenzenes, covers the toxicology and disposition of the dimethyl-substituted benzenes (the .xylenes) in animals and man.

scholarly journals Potential Health and Environmental Risks of Three-Dimensional Engineered Polymers

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcia de Almeida Monteiro Melo Ferraz ◽  
Heiko H. W. Henning ◽  
Pedro Ferreira da Costa ◽  
Jos Malda ◽  
Séverine Le Gac ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Potential Health

scholarly journals Identifying Drivers of Genetically Modified Seafood Demand: Evidence from a Choice Experiment

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 3934
Author(s):  
Michael J. Weir ◽  
Thomas W. Sproul
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Choice ◽  
Choice Experiment ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Ambiguity Aversion ◽  
Mixed Logit ◽  
The United States ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Subjective Knowledge ◽  
Gm Technology

The aquaculture industry has expanded to fill the gap between plateauing wild seafood supply and growing consumer seafood demand. The use of genetic modification (GM) technology has been proposed to address sustainability concerns associated with current aquaculture practices, but GM seafood has proved controversial among both industry stakeholders and producers, especially with forthcoming GM disclosure requirements for food products in the United States. We conduct a choice experiment eliciting willingness-to-pay for salmon fillets with varying characteristics, including GM technology and GM feed. We then develop a predictive model of consumer choice using LASSO (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator)-regularization applied to a mixed logit, incorporating risk perception, ambiguity preference, and other behavioral measures as potential predictors. Our findings show that health and environmental risk perceptions, confidence and concern about potential health and environmental risks, subjective knowledge, and ambiguity aversion in the domain of GM foods are all significant predictors of salmon fillet choice. These results have important implications for marketing of foods utilizing novel food technologies. In particular, people familiar with GM technology are more likely to be open to consuming GM seafood or GM-fed seafood, and effective information interventions for consumers will include details about health and environmental risks associated with GM seafood.

scholarly journals Development of Consumer Perception Index for assessing greywater reuse potential in arid environments

Water SA ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (4 October) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Shafiquzzaman ◽  
Husnain Haider ◽  
Saleem Saleh AlSaleem ◽  
Abdul Razzaq Ghumman ◽  
Rehan Sadiq
Keyword(s):  
Health Risk ◽  
Human Health Risk ◽  
Arab Countries ◽  
Consumer Perceptions ◽  
Consumer Perception ◽  
Arid Environments ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Plumbing Systems ◽  
Greywater Reuse

Arab countries are primarily situated in arid environments and face serious water scarcity challenges due to growing populations, urbanization, and climate change impacts. Reusing greywater, if adequately treated at the point of generation, poses less human health risk as compared to blackwater reuse. Consumers have several reasons for being unwilling to reuse greywater, including potential health risk, religious and cultural concerns, and feeling uncomfortable. There are several possible reuse applications of treated greywater, such as watering plants, floor cleaning, landscaping, toilet flushing, etc. Therefore, it is important to assess consumer perceptions about greywater reuse before its implementation in any region. In this research, a framework based on greywater reuse indicators (GWRI) was developed to assess consumer perceptions before and after introducing low-cost treatment (LCT). Later the framework was implemented for Muscat, Oman. A questionnaire survey was carried out with 110 households located in diverse socioeconomic settings to collect data about general demographics, existing water uses, water sources, greywater applications (after LCT), and in-house plumbing systems. Seven key GWRI were estimated and aggregated to develop an overall consumer perception index (CPI). The study results revealed that CPI improved significantly from ‘very low’ to ‘high’ after introducing LCT. However, governments should provide financial assistance to consumers for improving in-house plumbing systems, based on detailed investigations. The studyrevealed that the CPI can be applied across the globe and can save time and effort for municipal managers, engineers, and policy makers by providing information that will enable effective decision-making.

scholarly journals Indiana Farm-Level Impacts of Possible Environmental Protection Agency Bans on Selected Soybean Insecticides

1980 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Cashman ◽  
Marshall A. Martin ◽  
Bruce A. McCarl
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Chemical Compounds ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Protection Agency ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Do So

In spite of the economic benefits of insecticides to farmers and consumers, growing concern about the potential health and environmental hazards of some insecticides has resulted in the investigation of many insecticides by the Environmental Protection Agency (Boraiko). The use of several insecticides has already been banned. Others are under review and their use may be banned or restricted in the future.The Environmental Protection Agency must evaluate, monitor, and regulate a wide range of chemical compounds. To do so requires the collection and analysis of information on the environmental, health, and economic impacts of the use of many diverse chemicals. Though regulatory action by the Environmental Protection Agency may reduce health and environmental risks, such action can also alter the profitability and performance of a farming operation.

Conflicts of Interest

2014 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 173-177
Author(s):  
Richard A. Stein ◽  
Devra Lee Davis
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Burden Of Proof ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Environmental Harm ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
History Of Public Health ◽  
The Status ◽  
History Of

Evaluating the potential health impacts of chemical, physical, and biological environmental factors represents a challenging task with profound medical, public health, and historical implications. The history of public health is replete with instances, ranging from tobacco to lead and asbestos, where the ability to obtain evidence on potential environmental hazards has been impaired and the publication of results delayed because of commercial interests. The burden of proof is heavy on those trying to change the status quo when that involves highly profitable industries. When evaluating potential hazards that are linked with industrial activities, it is often the case that only after proof of human or environmental harm becomes undeniable are steps finally taken to control or reduce future hazards. This approach has the net effect of delaying and postponing action, allowing dangerous practices to continue until health or environmental risks have become undebatable.

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