349 Maasai children younger than 6 years old were randomised by alternate household to drink water either left in plastic bottles exposed to sunlight on the roof of the house or kept indoors (control). The trial was run in Maasai by Maasai community elders. Children drinking solar disinfected water had a significantly lower risk of severe diarrhoeal disease over 8705 two weekly follow up visits...

Introduction: Humic substances (HSs) are very complex and heterogeneous organic matter with high molecular weight and various functional groups, which are produced from the chemical and biological degradation of plants and animal tissues. HS can cause: colour, odour and taste problems in drinking water, biological growth in distribution systems, increase in chlorine demand for disinfection, mem...

BACKGROUND Solar radiation reduces the bacterial content of water, and may therefore offer a method for disinfection of drinking water that requires few resources and no expertise. METHODS We distributed plastic water bottles to 206 Maasai children aged 5-16 years whose drinking water was contaminated with faecal coliform bacteria. Children were instructed to fill the bottle with water and le...

Environmental opportunistic mycobacteria, including Mycobacterium avium, M. terrae, and the new species M. immunogenum, have been implicated in outbreaks of hypersensitivity pneumonitis or respiratory problems in a wide variety of settings. One common feature of the outbreaks has been exposure to aerosols. Aerosols have been generated from metalworking fluid during machining and grinding operat...

Using effectiveness data from a recent systematic review and cost data from programme implementers and World Health Organization (WHO) databases, we conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis to compare non-piped in source- (dug well, borehole and communal stand post) and four types of household- (chlorination, filtration, solar disinfection, flocculation/disinfection) based interventions to impro...

Control of waterborne gastrointestinal parasites represents a major concern to water industries worldwide. In developed countries, pathogens in drinking water supplies are normally removed by sand filtration followed by chemical disinfection. Cryptosporidium spp. are generally resistant to common disinfection techniques and alternative control strategies are being sought. In the current study, ...

Acquisition of waterborne disease is a substantial risk for international travelers to countries with inadequate sanitation facilities. It also poses smaller but still significant risks for wilderness travelers who rely on surface water in developed countries with low rates of diarrheal illness, such as the United States. This article reviews the etiology and risks associated with waterborne di...

A small-sized generator of ozonated water was developed using an electro-conductive diamond. We studied the optimum conditions for producing ozonated water. As a result, we developed a small-sized generator of ozonated water driven by a dry-cell for use in the average household. This generator was easily able to produce ozonated water with an ozone concentration (over 4 mg/L) sufficient for dis...

The present study aimed to determine the concentrations of several disinfection byproducts (DBPs), including trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetic acids (HAAs), and haloacetonitriles (HANs), in the public and private swimming pools in Sanandaj, Iran (n=16). Correlations between DBP levels with water quality parameters (free chlorine, pH, total organic carbon, temperature, number of swimme...