Evaluation of household drinking water filter distribution programs in Haiti

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justine Rayner ◽  
Anna Murray ◽  
Myriam Joseph ◽  
Ariel Branz ◽  
Daniele Lantagne

Household water treatment (HWT) can reduce the diarrheal disease burden in populations without access to safe water. We evaluated five programs that distributed biosand, ceramic, or Sawyer filters in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and cholera outbreak. We conducted household surveys and tested Escherichia coli and turbidity in stored household untreated and treated water in ∼50 randomly selected households from each program. Across programs, self-reported filter use ranged from 27 to 78%; confirmed use (participants with reported use who also showed the filter with water currently in it) ranged from 20 to 76%; and effective use (participants who used the filter to improve water quality to international guideline values) ranged from 0 to 54%. Overall, programs that more successfully met evaluation metrics: (1) distributed an effective technology; (2) provided safe storage; (3) required cash investment; (4) provided initial training; (5) provided follow-up; (6) provided supply-chain access; (7) targeted households relying on contaminated water sources; and, (8) had experience working in the local context. These findings, similar to results of previous research on HWT, suggest that well-implemented programs have the potential to result in sustained household filter use in Haiti.

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ansley Lemons ◽  
Ariel Branz ◽  
Mesiaki Kimirei ◽  
Tracy Hawkins ◽  
Daniele Lantagne

Globally, approximately two billion people drink contaminated water. Use of household water treatment (HWT) methods, such as locally manufactured ceramic filters, reduces the diarrheal disease burden associated with unclean water. We evaluated the quality, effectiveness, and acceptability of ceramic filters in two communities in Arusha, Tanzania, by conducting: 1) baseline household surveys with 50 families; 2) filter flow rate testing; 3) filter distribution with training sessions; 4) follow-up surveys at 2, 4, and 6 weeks after distribution; and 5) project end focus group discussions. We tested Escherichia coli (E. coli) and turbidity at baseline and the first two follow-ups. We found: 1) filter quality was low, as only 46% of filters met recommended flow rate guidelines and 18% of filters broke during the 6-week study; 2) filter effectiveness was moderate, with 8% and 35% of filters effectively reducing E. coli to <1 CFU/100 mL and <10 CFU/100 mL, respectively, at follow-ups; and, 3) filter acceptability was high, with 94% overall satisfaction and 96–100% reported use in the previous day. These results highlight the importance of mixed methods research as HWT product quality, effectiveness, and acceptability all impact product efficacy, and the need for quality assurance/quality control and certification schemes for locally manufactured HWT products.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 250-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clair Null ◽  
Daniele Lantagne

Household water treatment with sodium hypochlorite has been shown to reduce self-reported diarrheal disease in developing countries. Reported hypochlorite use, time since treatment, total chlorine residual (TCR), and E. coli concentration results from 589 household surveys in rural Kenya were analyzed to quantify the effect of exceeding recommended 24 hour post-treatment water storage time in ceramic pots. Exceeding storage time recommendations impacted treatment efficacy, as 87% of reported treaters with TCR ≥ 0.2 mg/L storing their water ≤ 24 hours met World Health Organization (WHO) E. coli guideline values, compared to 77% of reported treaters with TCR ≥ 0.2 mg/L storing water >24 hours (p = 0.024) and 7% of reported non-treaters. Implementing organizations face the trade-off between promoting treating water every 24 hours and accepting slightly compromised efficacy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Wilhelm ◽  
Anya Kaufmann ◽  
Elizabeth Blanton ◽  
Daniele Lantagne

Abstract Household water treatment with chlorine can improve the microbiological quality of household water and reduce diarrheal disease. We conducted laboratory and field studies to inform chlorine dosage recommendations. In the laboratory, reactors of varying turbidity (10–300 NTU) and total organic carbon (0–25 mg/L addition) were created, spiked with Escherichia coli, and dosed with 3.75 mg/L sodium hypochlorite. All reactors had >4 log reduction of E. coli 24 hours after chlorine addition. In the field, we tested 158 sources in 22 countries for chlorine demand. A 1.88 mg/L dosage for water from improved sources of <5 or <10 NTU turbidity met free chlorine residual criteria (≤2.0 mg/L at 1 hour, ≥0.2 mg/L at 24 hours) 91–94% and 82–87% of the time at 8 and 24 hours, respectively. In unimproved water source samples, a 3.75 mg/L dosage met relaxed criteria (≤4.0 mg/L at 1 hour, ≥0.2 mg/L after 24 hours) 83% and 65% of the time after 8 and 24 hours, respectively. We recommend water from improved/low turbidity sources be dosed at 1.88 mg/L and used within 24 hours, and from unimproved/higher turbidity sources be dosed at 3.75 mg/L and consumed within 8 hours. Further research on field effectiveness of chlorination is recommended.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (18) ◽  
pp. 9736
Author(s):  
Collin Knox Coleman ◽  
Eric Mai ◽  
Megan Miller ◽  
Shalini Sharma ◽  
Clark Williamson ◽  
...  

Viruses are major contributors to the annual 1.3 million deaths associated with the global burden of diarrheal disease morbidity and mortality. While household-level water treatment technologies reduce diarrheal illness, the majority of filtration technologies are ineffective in removing viruses due to their small size relative to filter pore size. In order to meet the WHO health-based tolerable risk target of 10−6 Disability Adjusted Life Years per person per year, a drinking water filter must achieve a 5 Log10 virus reduction. Ceramic pot water filters manufactured in developing countries typically achieve less than 1 Log10 virus reductions. In order to overcome the shortfall in virus removal efficiency in household water treatment filtration, we (1) evaluated the capacity of chitosan acetate and chitosan lactate, as a cationic coagulant pretreatment combined with ceramic water filtration to remove lab cultured and sewage derived viruses and bacteria in drinking waters, (2) optimized treatment conditions in waters of varying quality and (3) evaluated long-term continuous treatment over a 10-week experiment in surface waters. For each test condition, bacteria and virus concentrations were enumerated by culture methods for influent, controls, and treated effluent after chitosan pretreatment and ceramic water filtration. A > 5 Log10 reduction was achieved in treated effluent for E.coli, C. perfringens, sewage derived E. coli and total coliforms, MS2 coliphage, Qβ coliphage, ΦX174 coliphage, and sewage derived F+ and somatic coliphages.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rainer Schneider

Background: The emerging public concern regarding the quality of drinking water has led to an increased interest in household water treatment systems. Many systems reduce contaminants effectively in laboratory tests at least to some degree, but for the vast majority their effects in actual use are not investigated. Objective: To test the effectiveness of an in-home water filter system (AcalaQuell® Swing) in reducing health problems under real life conditions. Methods: Twenty participants suffering from cardiovascular ailments, gastrointestinal issues or fatigue/exhaustion symptoms were enrolled in the study. In the control condition (three weeks) they consumed 35ml of tap water per kg of body weight daily. After an intermission of one week, they drank the same amount of filtered water in the following three weeks. Results: There was a slarge reduction in physical complaints after consumption of the filtered water (d = 1.4), and an increase in resiliency to physical and mental stress, cognitive performance and affectivity (d = 1.0). Conclusion: The AcalaQuell® Swing water filter effectively mitigates health complaints. The effect is not due to expectation, increase in water consumption, decrease of life stress, or spontaneous symptom remission.


2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 950-960
Author(s):  
Kyle S. Enger ◽  
Emaly S. Leak ◽  
Tiong Gim Aw ◽  
Angela D. Coulliette ◽  
Joan B. Rose

Many different household water treatment (HWT) methods have been researched and promoted to mitigate the serious burden of diarrheal disease in developing countries. However, HWT methods using bromine have not been extensively evaluated. Two gravity-fed HWT devices (AquaSure™ and Waterbird™) were used to test the antimicrobial effectiveness of HaloPure® Br beads (monobrominated hydantoinylated polystyrene) that deliver bromine. As water flows over the beads, reactive bromine species are eluted, which inactivate microorganisms. To assess log10 reduction values (LRVs) for Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella enterica Typhimurium, bacteriophage MS2, human adenovirus 2 (HAdV2), and murine norovirus (MN), these organisms were added to potable water and sewage-contaminated water. These organisms were quantified before and after water treatment by the HWT devices. On average, 6 LRVs against Vibrio were attained, as well as 5 LRVs against Salmonella, 4 LRVs against MS2, 5 LRVs against HAdV2, and 3 LRVs against MN. Disinfection was similar regardless of whether sewage was present. Polymer beads delivering bromine to drinking water are a potentially effective and useful component of HWT methods in developing countries.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 809-816
Author(s):  
Kirsten Fagerli ◽  
Jacqueline Hurd ◽  
Emma Wells ◽  
Jarred McAteer ◽  
Sunkyung Kim ◽  
...  

Abstract We evaluated a household hollow fiber water filter program in 11 Honduran villages by assessing filter uptake and water quality. Filters were purchased by 90% of households; of these, 94% reported use within the past week. When comparing water treatment methods between baseline and follow-up, there were increases in the proportion of households reporting water treatment (74% vs. 93%, p < 0.001) and treatment by filtration (19% vs. 85%, p < 0.001), and decreased purchase of bottled water (44% vs 6%, p < 0.001), indicating acceptability of the water filtration systems. There was a significant decrease in the presence of Escherichia coli in water samples taken from 35 households at baseline and follow-up in water filter systems (p < 0.001). As a result, 68% of samples met WHO water quality guidelines (no detectable E. coli) 6–12 months after program implementation. Observations of filter stands revealed a 6-inch gap between the top (reservoir) bucket and bottom (filtrate recipient) bucket that could have permitted animals, insects, hands, or other objects to touch filtered water. We recommend a redesign of filter stands to eliminate the gap between buckets, and a longer-term follow-up to assess filter durability and performance.


2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 252-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justine Rayner ◽  
Brian Skinner ◽  
Daniele Lantagne

Locally produced ceramic pot filters have been shown to improve the microbiological quality of household drinking water and reduce the burden of diarrheal disease in users. They are considered one of the most promising household water treatment methods. However, overarching manufacturing and quality control guidelines do not exist for the 35 decentralized filter factories in 18 countries that currently produce filters. In this study, we conducted manufacturing process surveys with 25 filter factories worldwide to document production methods and identify areas where manufacturing and quality control guidelines are needed. Our results show that manufacturing processes vary widely both between and within factories, including the consistency of materials, manufacturing methods, and quality control practices. These variations pose concerns about the consistency and quality of locally produced filters in the absence of standardized quality control procedures. We propose areas where manufacturing guidelines are needed to assist factories in producing consistently high quality filters, and identify topics where further research is needed to refine manufacturing recommendations. These results guided the development of a best practice manual that described consensus-based recommendations to advance consistent, quality-controlled filter production world-wide.


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