water pollution and health

Water Pollution and Health

Martin CormicanNational University of Ireland, GalwayCentre for Health from Environment

@cormican_martin

Water Pollution and Health

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@cormican_martin

Pollution

pollutio – defilement, contaminationApplied to environment: first recorded use 1860General use since 1955

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Water Pollution and Disease

as distinct from Water and Wellbeing


@cormican_martin

Pure Water

Pure: is the opposite of polluted / defiled

But “pure” water is essentially non existent and is not in any case what people value

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Water and WellbeingAttributes of Wholesome Water

Physical : Appearance, taste and odour, hardness,

Wholesome water is expected to contain minerals (natural & good things) as distinct from chemicals (artificial and bad things)

Metaphysical: Origin and narrative (see web site of any major bottled water company)

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What do People Value: How Much Will People Pay (3-5 cent per 10 ml)

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Estimated carbon footprint 250g / 1 Litre bottle

What do People Value: How Much Will People Pay (not a cent)

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What Do People Value in Water

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What Do People Value in Water

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Anthropology:

It is not just applicable to aboriginal /traditional societies

Turns out we have culture too and it is central to how we value and engage with water and how it impacts on our health

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One (Biased) Perspective on Water Composition & Health in Ireland: Drinking

WaterWe could talk about

• Calcium• Magnesium• Lead• Trihalomethane• Heavy metals • Fluoride• Alumminium• Pharmaceuticals

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BUT !

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BUT !

Step 1: Take 500 ml of water

Step 2:Get Some Faeces on a Stick

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Step 3:Stir Faeces into the Water

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Step 4: Give it a good shake and it looks like it did in step 1.

Step 5: Give it to someone to drink (and hope for the best)

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Or just let the play in it !(What could possibly go wrong ?)

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September 7th 1854The Broad Street Pump

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But What Could Possibly Go Wrong Now ? VTEC

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What Could Possible Go Wrong Now ?Cryptosporidiosis

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What Could Possibly Go Wrong ?

NorovirusCampylobacter spp.Salmonella spp.Other gastrointestinal pathogens

AND now there is something else Antimicrobial resistant bacteria / Extra-intestinal pathogenic E. coli

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Antimicrobial Resistant Enteric Bacteria & Water

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing (ESBL) E. coliFluoroquinolone resistant E. coli Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing (ESBL) K. pneumoniaeVancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE)Carbapemase producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE)Colistin-resistant E.coliDo not cause gastrointestinal illness but they may settle in the gut for years

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Extra-Intestinal Pathogenic E. coli

E. coli variants that are harmless in the gut but with a propensity to cause infection at other sites

Uropathogenic E.coliE. coli blood stream infectionCombining AMR & Virulence E. coli ST131 pathogenic, AMR, globally disseminated and still changing

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If We Can’t See the Faeces How Do We Know It’s There ?

E. coli – the indicator of faecal contamination

Criterion for drinking water:

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How Do We Know It’s Not There ?

E. coli – not detected in 100ml does not confirm absence of faecal contamination

Some E. coli are not “legally” E. coli do not produce beta-glucuronidase

Finding virus and Cryptosporidium spp. in water in harder

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Testing Lager VolumesApplying Molecular Methods

Trihalomethanes

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How Do We Know Where it Came From ?

Tools for AccountabilityMicrobial Source Tracking

Next Generation Sequenecing (NGS)

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Assessing the Costsof our Choices

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Other Smaller Things: NanomaterialsDeTER Project

Can we find them ?

How much do they matter for health ?

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Water & Health Beyond Drinking and Infection

Nature and Environment to Attain and Restore Health

• We will utilise perceptions and values to develop a framework that integrates health and environment in Ireland, devise and pilot toolkits to evaluate what communities value in relation to public spaces and to pilot the mechanisms and pathways to mobilise use of blue and green spaces such as parks, coasts and other nature-based solutions to improve people’s health and wellbeing.

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Water & Health Beyond Drinking and Infection

Eutrophication

Biodiversity impacts

Loss of amenity

Loss of integrity & connection

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Summary: The Key Challenge

Since 1854 (or longer) it has been clear that drinking dilute faeces is a bad idea Why do we still do it ?

How do we begin to convince ourselves that we need to stop?

Protecting sources by managing discard of faeces matters What we can’t protect we must at least treat to safety

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Since 1854 (or longer) it has been clear that drinking dilute faeces is a bad idea

It spreads gastrointestinal infectionIt spreads antimicrobial resistance

It spreads extra-intestinal pathogensIt spreads pharmaceuticals (including antibiotics)

Why do we still do it ?

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There are messages but are they working ?

Níl siad ag oibriú

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Cén fáth nach bhfuil feargorainn faoi seo ?

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Anthropology: Understanding the Dominant Species

Perhaps the most important and most difficult field ofstudy for advancing human health and environment

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Acknowledgements & Thanks

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NUI Galway UCD AIT UUProf. Peter Dockery Dr. Enda Cummins Dr. Andrew Fogarty Dr. Patrick DunlopDr. Liam Morrison Mr. David Shevlin Mr. Iain MurrayProf. Martin Cormican *** Dr. Martina Prendergast *** Missing you already ! Dr. Dearbháile Morris*Dr. Eoin McGillicuddy*

water pollution and health

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