scholarly journals Health Risk Assessment of Household Drinking Water in a District in the UAE

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Mahmoud ◽  
Mohamed Hamouda ◽  
Ruwaya Al Kendi ◽  
Mohamed Mohamed

The quality of household drinking water in a community of 30 houses in a district in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) was assessed over a period of one year (January to November 2015). Standard analytical techniques were used to screen for water quality parameters and contaminants of concern. Water quality was evaluated in the 30 households at four sampling points: kitchen faucet, bathroom faucet, household water tank, and main water pipe. The sampling points were chosen to help identify the source when an elevated level of a particular contaminant is observed. Water quality data was interpreted by utilizing two main techniques: spatial variation analysis and multivariate statistical techniques. Initial analysis showed that many households had As, Cd, and Pb concentrations that were higher than the maximum allowable level set by UAE drinking water standards. In addition, the water main samples had the highest concentration of the heavy metals compared to other sampling points. Health risk assessment results indicated that approximately 30%, 55%, and 15% of the houses studied had a high, moderate, and low risk from the prolonged exposure to heavy metals, respectively. The analysis can help with planning a spatially focused sampling plan to confirm the study findings and set an appropriate course of action.

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Miller ◽  
B. Whitehill ◽  
D. Deere

This paper comments on the strengths and weaknesses of different methodologies for risk assessment, appropriate for utilisation by Australian Water Utilities in risk assessment for drinking water source protection areas. It is intended that a suggested methodology be recommended as a national approach to catchment risk assessment. Catchment risk management is a process for setting priorities for protecting drinking water quality in source water areas. It is structured through a series of steps for identifying water quality hazards, assessing the threat posed, and prioritizing actions to address the threat. Water management organisations around Australia are at various stages of developing programs for catchment risk management. While much conceptual work has been done on the individual components of catchment risk management, work on these components has not previously been combined to form a management tool for source water protection. A key driver for this project has been the requirements of the National Health and Medical Research Council Framework for the Management of Drinking Water Quality (DWQMF) included in the draft 2002 Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG). The Framework outlines a quality management system of steps for the Australian water industry to follow with checks and balances to ensure water quality is protected from catchment to tap. Key steps in the Framework that relate to this project are as follows: Element 2 Assessment of the Drinking Water Supply System• Water Supply System analysis• Review of Water Quality Data• Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Element 3 Preventive Measures for Drinking Water Quality Management• Preventive Measures and Multiple Barriers• Critical Control Points This paper provides an evaluation of the following risk assessment techniques: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP); World Health Organisation Water Safety Plans; Australian Standard AS 4360; and The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines – Drinking Water Quality Management Framework. These methods were selected for assessment in this report as they provided coverage of the different approaches being used across Australia by water utilities of varying: scale of water management organisation; types of water supply system management; and land use and activity-based risks in the catchment area of the source. Initially, different risk assessment methodologies were identified and reviewed. Then examples of applications of those methods were assessed, based on several key water utilities across Australia and overseas. Strengths and weaknesses of each approach were identified. In general there seems some general grouping of types of approaches into those that: cover the full catchment-to-tap drinking water system; cover just the catchment area of the source and do not recognise downstream barriers or processes; use water quality data or land use risks as a key driving component; and are based primarily on the hazard whilst others are based on a hazardous event. It is considered that an initial process of screening water quality data is very valuable in determining key water quality issues and guiding the risk assessment, and to the overall understanding of the catchment and water source area, allowing consistency with the intentions behind the ADWG DWQM Framework. As such, it is suggested that the recommended national risk assessment approach has two key introductory steps: initial screening of key issues via water quality data, and land use or activity scenario and event-based HACCP-style risk assessment. In addition, the importance of recognising the roles that uncertainty and bias plays in risk assessments was highlighted. As such it was deemed necessary to develop and integrate uncertainty guidelines for information used in the risk assessment process. A hybrid risk assessment methodology was developed, based on the HACCP approach, but with some key additions and modifications to make it applicable to varying catchment risks, water supply operation needs and environmental management processes.


Author(s):  
Reza Aghlmand ◽  
Saeed Rasi Nezami ◽  
Ali Abbasi

In recent years, in addition to water resources’ quantity, their quality has also received much attention. In this study, the quality of the urban water distribution network in northwestern Iran was evaluated using the water quality index (WQI) method. Then, some important trace elements were investigated, and finally, the health risk assessment was evaluated for both carcinogenic elements (Ni, Cd, Cr, Pb, and As) and non-carcinogenic elements (Ca, Mg, Na, K, F, NO3, and Cu) using carcinogenic risk (CR) and hazard quotient (HQ), respectively. In the present study, the WQI was calculated based on both World Health Organization (WHO) and Iranian drinking water standards. Comparing the results of these standards revealed that the WQI based on the Iranian standard was slightly higher. Regarding the calculated WQI for the study region, the status of water quality for drinking consumption is in the good water quality class (25 < WQI < 50). It was observed that Cu and Cd have the highest and lowest concentrations in all sampling points, respectively. Hazard Index (HI) results showed that the non-carcinogenic substances studied had a low risk for both adults and children (<1.0). However, the CR results showed that Ni, Cd, and As were above the desired level for both children and adults. The results of this study can be applied for efficient water management and human health protection programs in the study area.


Author(s):  
Kai Ma ◽  
Hao Ren ◽  
Tianhong Zhou ◽  
Fuping Wu ◽  
Guozhen Zhang

Abstract The Yellow River flows through Lanzhou city and is the only drinking water source for 3.6 million people. However, people are not clear about the water environmental quality and safety in Lanzhou. To address this problem. Water samples were collected from different sites within this section during the high water period, normal water period and dry water period, and the environmental quality and health risk of the surface water were evaluated using the Nemerow index and health risk assessment method. The results are as follows: first, none of the pollutants exceeded the standard, except for total nitrogen; second, the highest comprehensive evaluation score was 1.04, so the water quality level was good; third, the health risk assessment showed that health risk value of water quality in the Lanzhou section of the Yellow River is on the high side, which is mainly caused by Chromium(Cr); fourth, the carcinogenic risk is five orders of magnitude higher than the non-carcinogenic risk, and the total carcinogenic risk is higher than the maximum acceptable risk level (10−5 a−1), while the total non-carcinogenic risk is lower than the acceptable health risk level (10−6 a−1). Therefore, to ensure the safety of its drinking water, Cr pollutants in the Lanzhou section of the Yellow River should be properly treated and controlled.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 314-326
Author(s):  
Muhammad Irfan Jalees ◽  
Muhammad Umar Farooq ◽  
Asma Tufail Shah

Abstract More than 60% of the population of Pakistan has no access to safe drinking water. Industrial zones near populated areas make conditions more severe due to continuous contamination. The aim of this study was to use statistical tools for correlation and source identification and health risk assessment of contamination due to Sundar Industrial Estate (SIE), Lahore, Pakistan. Drinking and wastewater samples were collected from SIE and analyzed for physical, chemical, microbial, and heavy metals analysis. Results showed that heavy metals and microbial contamination were beyond the National Drinking Water Quality Standards of Pakistan while high values of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) wastewater were responsible for contamination of drinking water through seepage. There was a medium to strong correlation among parameters of all samples as indicated by Pearson correlation and analysis of variance. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis indicated sources of contamination, i.e., refuse leachate and untreated effluent discharges as main source of pollutants for drinking water. Health risk assessment showed a high intake of heavy metals through drinking water. Hazard quotient and hazard index indicated high probability of non-carcinogenic risk while cancer risk assessment suggested that out of every 100 of the population 93 people may suffer carcinogenic effects.


Author(s):  
VN Fedorov ◽  
EV Zaritskaya ◽  
YuA Novikova ◽  
YuN Sladkova ◽  
ND Metelitsa

Summary. Introduction: As the most important environmental factor having multiple effects on human vital activities and health, drinking water often becomes the subject of predicting adverse health effects. With the purpose of establishing quantitative and/or qualitative characteristics of harmful effects of drinking water chemicals for human health, an integral assessment of drinking water quality with subsequent health risk assessment is carried out. It is based on estimating the risk posed by chronic (carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic) exposures that shows probability of developing a disease. Results: Practical activities of departments and institutions of the Federal Service for Surveillance in the Sphere of Consumers Rights and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) on assessing health effects of environmental factors have demonstrated that, even in concentrations equaling their detection limits in quite a number of test methods, most chemical water pollutants pose unacceptable carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks both for the general population and occupational cohorts. Thus, the results of some laboratory methods of testing are inappropriate for an objective human health risk assessment. Conclusions: We describe criteria for selecting methods of the quantitative chemical analysis of drinking water fit for the purposes of sanitary and epidemiologic expert examination combined with a population health risk assessment. The criteria of choice have been elaborated based on the review of regulatory and method documents and results of analytical testing of drinking water quality.


2019 ◽  
Vol 78 ◽  
pp. 03004
Author(s):  
Miaomiao Tian ◽  
Wenzhao Li ◽  
Meijuan Ruan ◽  
Jing Wei ◽  
Weiwei Ma

Drinking water quality has become a great concern to the whole society, especially in heavily polluted rural areas. This paper analyzes the water quality of 100 water supping the US Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) recommended health risk assessment model. The results showed that the microbial indicators exceeded the standard in the whole year, and some of the water supply units which lead, nitrated and dissolved solids exceeding the standard. The model recommended by EPA is applied to establish risk assessment model for health risk assessment of adults in wet and dry seasons, respectively. Results of HRA indicated that carcinogenic risk of chromium was 7.61E-05a-1 and the risk value of arsenic was 9.92E-06a-1 which exceed the maximum acceptable risk level recommended by USEPA 5.0×10-5 closely to the ICPR recommendation 1.0×10-6. Meanwhile we conduct health risk assessment (HRA) on relevant non-carcinogenic indicators: nitrate is 2.95E-09a-1, the risk value of fluoride (F) is 2.49E-09a-1, the risk value of lead is 2.39E-09a-1 and copper (Cu) 9.00E-10a-1 exceeds the maximum acceptable risk level risk value recommended by USEPA 1.0×10-9. The above indicators require priority control and management of pollutants that are prioritized and managed.


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