A community-led water-testing project made up of households that rely on private well water with high arsenic levels saw on average a 47 percent drop in participants’ urinary arsenic levels after filters were installed and a digital health program was implemented, according to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Over the two-year study period, participating households received phone calls to encourage use of the filter and a reminder to replace the filter cartridge.
Tag: Drinking Water
Expert Briefing on Lead, PFAS Chemicals in Drinking Water, and Their Threat to Public Health
“Forever Chemicals” and Lead Exposure: Their Threat to Public Health Ahead of World Water Day, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health will host an expert briefing for the media about efforts to reduce lead and “forever chemicals” levels…
New method for purifying drinking water could be used in disaster zones
Scientists have developed a new method that converts seawater into drinking water that could be useful in disaster zones where there is limited electrical power.
Institutional Alertness and Research on Land Use and Drinking Water Quality
Research examines land ownership in rural regions of the United States, farmland rental arrangements in Canada, and drinking water sharing arrangements on First Nations located in Canada
For People with Kidney Disease, There Is No Safe Amount of Lead in Drinking Water
• In this analysis of U.S. adults with advanced kidney disease, even low levels of lead in community drinking water had a negative effect on health.
• Higher lead levels were found in the drinking water of predominantly Black communities compared with predominantly white communities.
Synthetic Tree Enhances Solar Steam Generation for Harvesting Drinking Water
Solar steam generation has emerged as a promising renewable energy technology for water harvesting, desalination, and purification that could benefit people who need it most in remote communities, disaster-relief areas, and developing nations. In Applied Physics Letters, researchers inspired by mangrove trees thriving along coastlines developed a synthetic tree to enhance SSG, replacing capillary action with transpiration, the process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from leaves, stems, and flowers.
Heavy charge against water germs
Removing pathogens from drinking water is especially difficult when the germs are too tiny to be caught by conventional filters. Researchers at Empa and Eawag are developing new materials and processes to free water from pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses.
Chula Engineering Cures Salty Tap Water with NanoTech
During the dry season this year, Bangkok residents have faced the saltiest tap water problem in 20 years as a result of global warming and seawater rise. Chulalongkorn engineers predict the problem to persist until May and have proposed solutions with desalination technology.
Nitrate in maternal drinking water may impair fetal growth
Women whose household drinking water contained nitrate had babies that weighed, on average, 10 grams less than babies born to mothers where household water had no detectible nitrate, according to a new study. Even low nitrate levels — about half of the allowable level set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA — caused an adverse effect.
NUS engineers create ‘smart’ aerogel that turns air into drinking water
Researchers from NUS Engineering have developed a new aerogel that autonomously absorbs water from the atmosphere and then releases it effortlessly without any external power source. This invention is a promising solution for sustainable, freshwater production.
Drinking Water Significant Source of Microplastics in Human Diet
In an effort to understand the potential risks associated with exposure to micro/nanoplastics, the Emerging Risks of Micro/nanoplastics: Perspectives From Diverse Sectors symposia at the 2020 Society for Risk Analysis virtual Annual Meeting, December 13-17, 2020, aims to highlight the current state of knowledge associated with physical and chemical transformation, hazard characterization, environmental effects, social implications and policy limitations.
Restoring wetlands near farms would dramatically reduce water pollution
Study examines the positive effects of wetlands on water quality and the potential for using wetland restoration as a key strategy for improving water quality, particularly in the Mississippi River Basin and Gulf of Mexico regions
How a toxic chromium species could form in drinking water
Researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology have investigated how hexavalent chromium, known as Cr(VI), can form in drinking water when corroded cast iron pipes interact with residual disinfectant.
Prevent Severe COVID Symptoms With Lifestyle Changes
Obesity is contributing to worse outcomes in people with COVID-19. Dr. Naomi Parrella, medical director of the Rush Center for Weight Loss and Bariatric Surgery, explains how managing your weight can lower your risk for severe COVID symptoms and help you prevent other chronic diseases.
Aluminum may affect lead levels in drinking water
Until recently, researchers have not inspected the interplay between three common chemicals found in drinking water. Research from the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis has found they all affect each other and a closer look is needed.
UIC researchers awarded $1.7M from HUD
The University of Illinois at Chicago received $1.7 million in research funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to study lead and other household health hazards. The funds will support two different projects in Illinois communities.