Transcript Document
The Water "Community" Tina Van Horn Environmental Public Health Specialist Monroe County Health Dept. 7/17/2015 1 Why is water important to the Community? • Water is a finite resource 7/17/2015 • History has demonstrated that the treatment and protection of water sources benefits the community by improving the health of the residents 2 History of water treatment • Sanskrit writings demonstrated that heating and filtering of water was advocated as early as 4000 – 2000 B.C. • These efforts improved the aesthetic qualities of taste, odor and appearance 7/17/2015 3 Water treatment in the 1700’s – early 1800’s • Filtration became more sophisticated • Sand was used as a means of filtration beginning in the early 1800’s • Still primarily focusing on the aesthetic qualities 7/17/2015 4 Water Treatment in the late 1800’s • Scientists gained a greater understanding of drinking water contaminants • NOT ALL CONTAMINANTS ARE VISIBLE 7/17/2015 5 Water Treatment in the late 1800’s • In 1855 cholera was proven to be a waterborne disease and was linked to a well in London that had been contaminated by sewage 7/17/2015 6 Water Treatment in the late 1800’s • In 1880 Louis Pasteur demonstrated the “Germ Theory” of disease • Pasteur suggested that water was a likely media for carrying germs 7/17/2015 7 Water Treatment in the 1900’s • Efforts continued to improve filtration • Sand filtration became a more common practice • In 1908 chlorination was was used for the first time to treat water in Jersey City, NJ 7/17/2015 8 Water Treatment in the 1900’s 7/17/2015 9 Water Treatment in the 1900’s • 1914 – First federal regulation of drinking water when the US set public health standards for bacteriological quality • Water quality standards continued to change and be updated through the end of the century 7/17/2015 10 Water Treatment in the 1900’s • Additional sources of pollution and contamination were recognized and supported the need for even more regulation 7/17/2015 11 Water Treatment Today • In the US, Americans consume over 3 ½ billion gallons of treated water daily 7/17/2015 12 Water Treatment Today • 98 % of treated water is chlorine treated Other 2% Chlorine Based 98% 7/17/2015 13 Water Treatment Today • 90% of Americans receive their water from community water systems 7/17/2015 14 7/17/2015 15 Water Treatment Today in Developing Countries • 1/3 of the world’s population lacks a safe water supply • 2.9 billion people lack adequate sanitation facilities, sewage is discharged to the surface or dumped into rivers 7/17/2015 16 Water Treatment Today in Developing Countries • 25,000 people die each day from waterborne disease • Water-related diseases kill a child every 8 seconds 7/17/2015 17 7/17/2015 18 Symptoms of Waterborne Diseases • Diarrhea • Fever • Abdominal Cramps These symptoms are common to many other conditions, making diagnosis difficult. 7/17/2015 19 Common Waterborne Diseases • • • • • • • Typhoid Cholera Dysentery-Shigella Diarrhea-Cryptosporidium Giardiasis Diarrhea-E. Coli Gastroenteritis-Viruses 7/17/2015 Cryptosporidium Giardiasis 20 Causes of Waterborne Disease • • • • Bacteria Viruses Protozoans Parasitic Worms 7/17/2015 21 Recent Outbreaks in the U.S. • In 1993, more than 400,000 people in Milwaukee, WI became ill from Cryptosporidium 7/17/2015 22 Other sources of Contamination – 21st Century Contaminants • Municipal Sewage • Industrial pollution • Polluted runoff from stormwater in urban areas • Mining waste • Pesticides and fertilizers used in agriculture • Petroleums spills and leaks • Animal waste from feedlots and farms 7/17/2015 • Hazardous waste sites • Natural contamination such as arsenic and radon 23 Other uses for Water – Pathways of exposure • Recreation • Agriculture – Irrigation • Hygiene 7/17/2015 24