Water quality and food safety: a review and discussion of risks

Water Policy ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 680-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Puja Jawahar ◽  
Claudia Ringler
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Quality Management ◽  
High Water ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Animal Products ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Safety Risks

While increased diversification of developing-country diets as a result of agricultural and economic growth has improved nutritional status and human health, the increased consumption of high-value products—particularly fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy and animal products—has lead to significant food safety risks associated with unsafe management and use of water resources These risks are both magnified and masked in developing countries due to a lack of regulation combined with a dearth of data and information on the relations between water use, water quality and food safety risks. Given the likely estimated rapid increase in production, trade, and consumption of agricultural commodities with high water-related food safety risks, avoiding contamination and maintaining water quality and food safety are becoming growing public health issues in developing countries. This paper introduces the linkages between water quality and food safety, describes the causes for declining water quality levels, and identifies the various stages of the production process that are vulnerable to contamination due to water use. It concludes with a review of constraints to food safety and water quality management and identifies the main research gaps relevant to agricultural water management in developing countries.

scholarly journals Effluent standards for developing countries: combining the technology- and water quality-based approach

2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (9) ◽  
pp. 133-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.M.J. Ragas ◽  
P.A.G.M. Scheren ◽  
H.I. Konterman ◽  
R.S.E.W. Leuven ◽  
P. Vugteveen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Pollution ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Water Quality Management ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Effluent Standards ◽  
The Usa

It is a challenge for developing countries to realize socio-economical development without impairing water resources in an unacceptable way. A possible means for controlling water pollution is through defining, applying and enforcing effluent standards for wastewater discharges. However, in many developing countries the definition of effluent standards is still poor. They are either too stringent because they are based on standards from developed countries, or too relaxed and therefore they do not guarantee the safe intended uses of water. In order to define an approach for setting effluent standards that suits the needs and means of developing counties, water quality management practices in the USA, the EU, the New Independent States (NIS) and the Philippines were analyzed and compared. Four criteria (protection of the environment, technical viability, economic feasibility and institutional capacity requirements) were used to assess the suitability of these practices for developing countries. It is concluded that a combined approach that is based on best available technology not entailing excessive costs and environmental quality standards is the best way to define effluent standards that restrict water pollution against affordable costs.

scholarly journals Multi-date trends in groundwater pollution from pit latrines

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 607-621
Author(s):  
Bloodless Dzwairo
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
South African ◽  
Groundwater Pollution ◽  
Opportunistic Infections ◽  
Water Quality Management ◽  
Waterborne Diseases ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Poor Water Quality ◽  
Pit Latrine

Abstract This paper provides a multi-date review of trends in groundwater pollution from pit latrine sanitation structures using global, regional and South African cases. The paper focuses on three parameters which are microorganisms, nitrate and phosphorus, which are aligned with the challenge of waterborne diseases, and generally linked to poor water quality, and inadequate sanitation and hygiene. Poor sanitation and hygiene open up transmission routes for ingestion of faecal matter, which as at 2018 continue to pose risks of diarrhoea, opportunistic infections, and consequent malnutrition. These challenges currently account for approximately 1.7 million deaths annually, of which more than 90% are in developing countries, which have low sanitation coverage. While pit toilets are the generally preferred form of sanitation technology for developing countries, most provide evidence of the interconnectedness between the structures and groundwater pollution. The mechanism of pollution is generally indicated to be seepage of polluted pit latrine leachate into groundwater. This specific type of microbial and chemical routing from toilets into the environment increases the prevalence of diseases. These diseases usually result in high mortality for developing countries. Therefore, this review has highlighted the need to minimize pollution of groundwater from pit latrines, thereby contributing towards sustainable water quality management.

Methodology for Reliable Assessment of Water Quality. I. Risk-based Rationing and Evaluation

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (8) ◽  
pp. 60-65
Author(s):  
V.I. Danilov-Danilyan ◽  
O.M. Rosenthal
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Quality Management ◽  
Probabilistic Approach ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Water Quality Assessment ◽  
Environmental Safety ◽  
Reliable Assessment ◽  
Stability Of Water ◽  
Usual Interpretation

The problems of ensuring the reliability of water quality assessment and optimizing its rationing are considered. Specific examples show that the usual interpretation of water quality standards and results of measurements of pollutants concentration as deterministic values does not comply with a number of provisions of Russian legislation and leads to errors, the consequences of which are incompatible with the requirements of environmental safety of water use. The reliability and stability of water use can only be guaranteed if both the measurement data and the established standards are considered as random values determined with an unavoidable error. In accordance with the probabilistic approach, one of the key tasks of water quality management is considered – determining the number of checks necessary for sufficiently reliable confirmation or refutation of the hypothesis of quality compliance with the standard. Various options for solving this problem in the framework of a risk-based approach are analyzed.

scholarly journals Regional problems of the provision of hygienic reliability of drinking water consumption

2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (11) ◽  
pp. 1025-1028 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey V. Tulakin ◽  
G. V. Tsyplakova ◽  
G. P. Ampleeva ◽  
O. N. Kozyreva ◽  
O. S. Pivneva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Treatment ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Quality Management ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Temporal Analysis ◽  
Chemical Oxidation ◽  
Regional Problems

Problems of hygienic reliability of the drinking water use in regions of the Russian Federation are observed in the article. The optimization of the water use was shown must be based on the bearing in mind of regional peculiarities of the shaping of water quality of groundwater and surface sources of the water use, taking into account of the effectiveness of regional water protection programs, programs for water treatment, coordination of the activity of economic entities and oversight bodies in the management of water quality on the basis of socio-hygienic monitoring. Regional problems requiring hygienic justification and accounting, include such issues as complex hydrological, hydrogeological, climatic and geographical conditions, pronouncement of the severity of anthropogenic pollution of sources of water supply, natural conditions of the shaping of water quality, efficiency of the water treatment. There is need in the improvement of the problems of the water quality monitoring, including with the use of computer technology, which allows to realize regional hygienic monitoring and spatial-temporal analysis of the water quality, to model the water quality management, to predict conditions of the water use by population in regions taking into account peculiarities of the current health situation. In the article there is shown the practicability of the so-called complex concept of multiple barriers suggesting the combined use of chemical oxidation and physical methods of the preparation of drinking water. It is required the further development of legislation for the protection of water bodies from pollution with the bigging up the status of sanitary protection zones; timely revision of the regulatory framework, establishing sanitary-epidemiological requirements to potable water and drinking water supply. The problem of the provision of the population with safe drinking water requires complex solution within the framework of the implementation of target programs adopted at the Federal and regional levels.

scholarly journals Complex interactions between weather, and microbial and physiochemical water quality impact the likelihood of detecting foodborne pathogens in agricultural water

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Weller ◽  
Natalie Brassill ◽  
Channah Rock ◽  
Renata Ivanek ◽  
Erika Mudrak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Pathogen Detection ◽  
Agricultural Water ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Safety Risks ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractAgricultural water is an important source of foodborne pathogens on produce farms. Managing water-associated risks does not lend itself to one-size-fits-all approaches due to the heterogeneous nature of freshwater environments, and because environmental conditions affect the likelihood of pathogen contamination and the relationship between indicator organism levels (e.g., E. coli) and pathogen presence. To improve our ability to develop location-specific risk management practices, a study was conducted in two produce-growing regions to (i) characterize the relationship between E. coli levels and pathogen presence in agricultural water, and (ii) identify environmental factors associated with pathogen detection. Three AZ and six NY waterways were sampled longitudinally using 10-L grab samples (GS) and 24-h Moore swabs (MS). Regression showed that the likelihood of Salmonella detection (Odds Ratio [OR]=2.18), and eaeA-stx codetection (OR=6.49) was significantly greater for MS compared to GS, while the likelihood of detecting L. monocytogenes was not. Regression also showed that eaeA-stx codetection in AZ (OR=50.2) and NY (OR=18.4), and Salmonella detection in AZ (OR=4.4) were significantly associated with E. coli levels, while Salmonella detection in NY was not. Random forest analysis indicated that interactions between environmental factors (e.g., rainfall, temperature, turbidity) (i) were associated with likelihood of pathogen detection and (ii) mediated the relationship between E. coli levels and likelihood of pathogen detection. Our findings suggest that (i) environmental heterogeneity, including interactions between factors, affects microbial water quality, and (ii) E. coli levels alone may not be a suitable indicator of the food safety risks. Instead, targeted methods that utilize environmental and microbial data (e.g., models that use turbidity and E. coli levels to predict when there is a high or low risk of surface water being contaminated by pathogens) are needed to assess and mitigate the food safety risks associated with preharvest water use. By identifying environmental factors associated with an increased likelihood of detecting pathogens in agricultural water, this study provides information that (i) can be used to assess when pathogen contamination of agricultural water is likely to occur, and (ii) facilitate development of targeted interventions for individual water sources, providing an alternative to existing one-size-fits-all approaches.

scholarly journals Blue–Green Infrastructure for Flood and Water Quality Management in Southeast Asia: Evidence and Knowledge Gaps

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perrine Hamel ◽  
Leanne Tan
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Practical Knowledge ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Water Quality Management ◽  
High Water ◽  
The Body ◽  
Future Research

AbstractIn Southeast Asia, projections of rapid urban growth coupled with high water-related risks call for large investments in infrastructure—including in blue–green infrastructure (BGI) such as forests, parks, or vegetated engineered systems. However, most of the knowledge on BGI is produced in the global North, overlooking the diversity of urban contexts globally. Here, we review the literature on BGI for flood risk mitigation and water quality improvement in Southeast Asian cities to understand the scope of practical knowledge and identify research needs. We searched for evidence of local types of BGI in peer-reviewed and grey literature and assessed the performance of BGI based on hydrological, societal, and environmental metrics. The body of literature on BGI in Southeast Asia is small and dominated by wealthier countries but we found evidence of uptake among researchers and practitioners in most countries. Bioretention systems, constructed wetlands, and green cover received the most attention in research. Evidence from modelling and laboratory studies confirmed the potential for BGI to address flooding and water quality issues in the region. However, practical knowledge to mainstream the implementation of BGI remains limited, with insufficient primary hydrological data and information on societal and environmental impacts. In addition, the performance of BGI in combination with grey infrastructure, under climate change, or in informal settlements is poorly studied. Future research and practice should focus on producing and sharing empirical data, ultimately increasing the regional knowledge base to promote efficient BGI strategies.

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