High fluoride drinking water in Gokwe, northwest Zimbabwe

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antony Mamuse ◽  
Ron Watkins

More than 200 million people worldwide are exposed to excessive fluoride in drinking water. According to the World Health Organization, the optimal concentration range of fluoride in drinking water is 0.5 to 1.5 mg/L. Above this range, populations may contract dental fluorosis or, in severe cases, crippling skeletal fluorosis. In the Gokwe area in NW Zimbabwe, where drinking water contains up to 11 mg/L fluoride, fluorosis prevalence has previously been estimated at 62%. This paper investigates the water quality of 126 water sources in Gokwe (58 pumped boreholes, 15 flowing artesian boreholes, 46 wells and 7 streams). The water chemistry, determined from high performance ion chromatography and field measurements, showed that the water source types exhibit significantly different (P < 0.05) concentrations of F−, Cl−, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, temperatures, pH and conductivity values. Thirty-five (28%) of the 126 water sources (18 pumped boreholes, 15 artesian boreholes, one well and one stream) contained F− > 1.5 mg/L, indicating that fluoride contamination in the area is a characteristic of deeper groundwater, possibly due to its interactions with the potentially fluoridic coaly and carbonaceous materials of the Lower Karoo Aquifer at depth. The plausibility of providing alternative low fluoride water, and defluoridation, should be investigated.

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 497-507
Author(s):  
Philip Ruciaka Kirianki ◽  
Edward Muchiri ◽  
Natasha Potgieter

Abstract Njoro sub-county in Kenya suffers from constant water shortages causing the residents to rely on both improved and unimproved water sources in the area. The households in the sub-county also use different household storage containers to store drinking water in times when water is not readily available. This study was therefore undertaken to assess selective physico-chemical parameters of water used by the population for drinking purposes using standard assessment methods. A total of 372 water source samples and 162 storage container water samples were tested over a period of three months. Turbidity (0.70–273.85 NTU), iron (0.7–2.10 mg/L), fluoride (0.15–4.01 mg/L), manganese (0.01–0.37 mg/L), and nitrate (0.09–27.90 mg/L) levels in water samples were generally higher than the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and/or the World Health Organization (WHO) water quality recommendations for safe drinkable water. The results from this study support the need for continuous monitoring and treating drinking water at the points of collection and of consumption to minimize the long-term health effects on communities consuming this water.


Author(s):  
María Emilia Gavelli ◽  
Laura Carolina Luciani Giacobbe ◽  
Carolina Bustos Fierro ◽  
María Eugenia Olivera

Introduction and objectives: In the context of COVID-19, the World Health Organization has recommended the use of extemporaneously prepared bleach solutions of 1 g/L, as a conservative concentration able to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 and the vast majority of other pathogens that may be present in the healthcare setting. Consequently, there is a renewed interest in conducting stability studies of these solutions. The goal of this work was to verify the available chlorine concentration in several bleach solutions trademarks and to propose a beyond use date for 1 g/L bleach solutions, obtained after dilution with drinking water from different sources. Methods: Bleach trademarks, with nominal concentrations between 25-60 g/L, were subjected to iodometric titration to determine the available chlorine concentration. One trademark was used to prepare 1 g/L dilutions using water from different purification plants in Córdoba, Argentina. The samples were stored at room-temperature, both exposed or protected from light. The available chlorine concentration was determined by titration at preestablished time intervals. The beyond use date was reached when the available chlorine concentration dropped below 90 % of its initial. Results: The concentration of active chlorine in the different trademark bleaches was within the values established by current regulations. Diluted solutions protected from light showed a decrease of less than 10 % in active chlorine concentration during the first 10 days of assay. However, one sample exceeded the acceptance limit after 14 days. In contrast, in the samples exposed to light, the concentration of active chlorine dropped to 96.4 % at 24 hours and 79.3 % after 48 hours. No differences related to drinking water sources were observed. Conclusions: Compliance of the nominal available chlorine concentration in trademark bleach solutions was confirmed. Regardless the water source used for dilution, 1 g/L bleach solutions were stable for 10 days when stored at room temperature and protected from light. Instead, solutions exposed to light maintain their available chlorine concentration for only 24 hours.


2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilmar Torres-López ◽  
Inés Restrepo-Tarquino ◽  
Charlotte Patterson ◽  
John Gowing ◽  
Isabel Dominguez Rivera

<p>Globally, access to improved water sources is lower in rural areas compared to urban areas. Furthermore, in rural areas many people use water from individual systems they have developed with their investments, often without external support. This phenomenon has been called Self-supply. Self-supply ranges from simple to complex systems and different water sources. Water quality varies, from achieving World Health Organization (WHO) standards (0 CFU/100 ml) to systems that provide water posing high risks to human health. While most studies in Self-supply have been developed in Africa, little is known in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This research explores Self-supply in a rural microcatchment in Colombia (LAC). Data was collected through household and drinking water surveys and analysed. Results showed that 40% of households used Self-supply systems taking water from springs and brooks. Thermotolerant Coliforms were below 50 CFU/100 ml, both in dry and rainy season, and between 5 to 7% of samples achieved the WHO standard. These results suggest that Self-supply has potential to offer safe drinking water, provided improvements on source protection and institutional support. Therefore, Self-supply could contribute to address “unfinished business”, including ensuring access for the hardest-to-reach people, as stated in the post-2015 development agenda.</p>


2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret-Ann Armour

AbstractDrinking water is essential to us as human beings. According to the World Health Organization “The quality of drinking-water is a powerful environmental determinant of health” (


Author(s):  
Paulina Farías ◽  
Jesús Alejandro Estevez-García ◽  
Erika Noelia Onofre-Pardo ◽  
María Luisa Pérez-Humara ◽  
Elodia Rojas-Lima ◽  
...  

Water fluoride levels above the World Health Organization’s guideline (1.5 mg/L), common in overexploited aquifers, represent a health hazard. Our objective was to assess the health risks posed by exposure to fluoride in different drinking water sources in a contaminated basin in Mexico. Fluoride was measured in mutual drinking water sources and in the urine of 39 children and women. Risks were estimated through hazard quotient (HQ) by drinking water source. Dental fluorosis was assessed in the children. Mean fluoride water concentrations (mg/L) were: well, 4.2; waterhole, 2.7; bottled, 2.1; rainwater, 0.4. The mean urinary fluoride concentrations (specific gravity adjusted) were 2.1 mg/L and 3.2 mg/L in children and women, respectively. Our multiple linear regression model showed children’s urinary fluoride concentrations increased 0.96 mg/L for every 1 mg/L increase in water fluoride (p < 0.001). Dental fluorosis was diagnosed in 82% of the children, and their HQ according to drinking water source was: well, 1.5; waterhole, 1.1; bottled, 0.8; harvested rainwater, 0.3. The pervasive dental fluorosis indicates a toxic past fluoride exposure; urinary fluoride levels and HQs indicate high exposure and current health risks for most children. Drinking harvested rainwater will likely prevent most of the local fluoride exposure.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 2079-2087
Author(s):  
Prince Kaponda ◽  
Suresh Muthukrishnan ◽  
Rory Barber ◽  
Rochelle H. Holm

Abstract Cholera remains a problem in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in Malawi. Our aim was to investigate drinking water source quality compared with water treatment, risk perception and cholera knowledge for patients who had reported to a health center for treatment in the 2017–2018 outbreak in Karonga District, Malawi. The study analyzed 120 drinking water samples linked to 236 cholera patients. Nearly 82% of the samples met the national criteria for thermotolerant coliforms of 50 cfu/100 ml, while 50% met the more stringent World Health Organization criteria of 0 cfu/100 ml. In terms of the human dimensions, 68% of survey respondents reported that they treated their water, while knowledge of prevention, transmission and treatment of cholera was also generally high. However, of the 32 patients whose drinking water sources had thermotolerant coliforms of 200+ cfu/100 ml, seven reported they felt a low or no personal risk for contracting cholera in the future and their community was extremely well prepared for another outbreak. The cost of a reactive response to cholera outbreaks puts a burden on Malawi, providing an opportunity for investment in innovative and localized preventive strategies to control and eliminate the risk of cholera while acknowledging social and cultural norms.


Author(s):  
С.В. Капранов

Целью работы явилось обоснование необходимости организации и проведения на конкурсной основе благоустройства нецентрализованных водоисточников с использованием разработанной методики комплексной гигиенической и экологической оценки состояния нецентрализованных источников питьевого водоснабжения в условиях чрезвычайной ситуации. В работе использованы результаты многолетнего санитарно-гигиенического обследования и лабораторных исследований воды коллективных источников нецентрализованного питьевого водоснабжения. Определены следующие основные показатели для комплексной гигиенической и экологической оценки состояния нецентрализованных водоисточников: степень соответствия водоисточника установленным санитарно-гигиеническим и санитарно-техническим нормам и требованиям; соблюдение зон санитарной охраны; санитарно-просветительное, эстетическое и художественное оформление водоисточников; уровень благоустройства территории, окружающей водоисточники; качество воды водоисточников по результатам лабораторных исследований за определенный период. По каждому из пяти показателей предусмотрена оценка по 12-балльной шкале с последующим суммированием баллов с целью получения итогового результата комплексной оценки. Учитывая успешное проведение конкурса по благоустройству нецентрализованных источников водоснабжения с использованием разработанной методики комплексной гигиенической и экологической оценки состояния нецентрализованных источников питьевого водоснабжения в районе с резким дефицитом питьевой водопроводной воды, рекомендовано опыт проведения данного мероприятия распространить на другие административные территории, находящиеся в подобной ситуации. The work objective was substantiating the need to arrange and conduct, on a competitive basis, the improvement of non-centralized water sources using the developed methodology for a comprehensive hygienic and environmental estimation of the state of non-centralized sources of drinking water supply in an emergency. The work uses the results of many years of sanitary and hygienic survey and laboratory studies of water from communal sources of non-centralized drinking water supply. The following main indicators have been determined for a comprehensive hygienic and environmental estimation of the state of non-centralized water sources: the degree of compliance of the water source with the established sanitary, hygienic and sanitary technical regulations and requirements; compliance with the sanitary protection zones; the sanitary and educational, aesthetic and artistic design of water sources; the level of improvement of the territory surrounding the water sources; the water quality of the water sources according to the results of laboratory tests for a certain period. Each of the five indicators was estimated according to the 12-point grading scale with the subsequent summation of points in order to provide for the final result of a comprehensive estimation. Considering the successful holding of a competitive tender for the improvement of non-centralized water supply sources using the developed methodology for a comprehensive hygienic and environmental estimation of the state of non-centralized drinking water supply sources in an area with severe shortages of drinking tap water, extending the experience of these measures to other administrative territories in a similar situation is recommended.


2021 ◽  
Vol 193 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan W. Peterson ◽  
Benjamin M. Fry ◽  
Daniel R. Wade ◽  
Ford J. Fishman ◽  
Jacob T. Stid ◽  
...  

AbstractMetal and metalloid contamination in drinking water sources is a global concern, particularly in developing countries. This study used hollow membrane water filters and metal-capturing polyurethane foams to sample 71 drinking water sources in 22 different countries. Field sampling was performed with sampling kits prepared in the lab at Hope College in Holland, MI, USA. Filters and foams were sent back to the lab after sampling, and subsequent analysis of flushates and rinsates allowed the estimation of suspended solids and metal and other analayte concentrations in source waters. Estimated particulate concentrations were 0–92 mg/L, and consisted of quartz, feldspar, and clay, with some samples containing metal oxides or sulfide phases. As and Cu were the only analytes which occurred above the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines of 10 μg/L and 2000 μg/L, respectively, with As exceeding the guideline in 45% of the sources and Cu in 3%. Except for one value of ~ 285 μg/L, As concentrations were 45–200 μg/L (river), 65–179 μg/L (well), and 112–178 μg/L (tap). Other metals (Ce, Fe, Mg, Mn, Zn) with no WHO guideline were also detected, with Mn the most common. This study demonstrated that filters and foams can be used for reconnaissance characterization of untreated drinking water. However, estimated metal and other analyte concentrations could only be reported as minimum values due to potential incomplete retrieval of foam-bound analytes. A qualitative reporting methodology was used to report analytes as “present” if the concentration was below the WHO guideline, and “present-recommend retesting” if the concentration was quantifiable and above the WHO guideline.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2114 (1) ◽  
pp. 012050
Author(s):  
Mohammad Yahya R Al-Yasiri ◽  
Hadi Dwaich Z. Al-Attabi

Abstract The quality of drinking water is related to the state of the water supply networks, pollution, and contamination of drinking water with contaminants of both anthropogenic and natural origin. Water samples were collected from 22 different waterworks in Kut, Iraq, and heavy metal concentrations (Pb, Ni, and Zn) were analyzed. In various parts of the city, 22 sampling sites were pre-defined. The results indicated that heavy metal concentrations in water samples did not surpass WHO guidelines (World Health Organization).


2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (4B) ◽  
pp. 240
Author(s):  
Phan Nhu Nguyet

The communities within Binh Dinh province in the Central Vietnam are reliant on groundwater as their primary supply of domestic and potable water. Meanwhile, it is seriously contaminated with fluoride that causing fluorosis problem for people. This study aims to investigate the link between severity of dental fluorosis rate in a population and fluoride concentration in drinking water in Tay Son area. A total of 50 well-water samples were collected and 220 people were surveyed by questionnaire from 50 households at 3 villages: Tay Phu, Binh Tuong, Tay Giang of Tay Son district, Binh Dinh province, Vietnam. The quantitative assessment of severity of dental fluorosis was done by calculating the Community Fluorosis Index (CFI) using Dean’s classification. Result of this study showed that fluoride concentration in well-water varied from 0.31 mg/L to 7.69 mg/L (mean 2.66 mg/L, SD: 2.18 mg/L) with 70 % of well-water samples above the maximum permissible limit of 1.5 mg/L of World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water standard. 100 % people surveyed was suffered from dental fluorosis and Dean scale of dental fluorosis ranged from level 2 to level 5. CFI varied from 3.45 to 4.13 above limit value (0.6). The community seriously suffered from dental fluorosis. The fluoride concentrations and Dean Index have high correlation (r = 0.580, p < 0.0001). Based upon results of this study, it is recommended that the government should supply drinking water with appropriate fluoride content for this community.


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