Water distribution systems can be vulnerable to microbial contamination through cross-connections, wastewater backflow, the intrusion of soiled water after a loss of pressure resulting from an electricity blackout, natural disaster, or intentional contamination of the system in a bioterrrorism event. The most urgent matter a water treatment utility would face in this situation is detecting the ...

background: contamination of water by toxic chemicals has become commonly recognized as an environmental concern. based on our clinical observation in mashhad, northeastern iran, many people might be at risk of exposure to high concentrations of toxic heavy metals in water. because wastewater effluents as well as water wells have been commonly used for irrigation over the past decades, there ha...

Almost half of the world's population relies on non-networked water supply services, which necessitates in-home water storage. It has been suggested that dirty hands play a role in microbial contamination of drinking water during collection, transport, and storage. However, little work has been done to evaluate quantitatively the association between hand contamination and stored water quality w...

Bacterial contamination of drinking water is a major public health problem in rural China. To explore bacterial contamination in rural areas of Beijing and identify possible causes of bacteria in drinking water samples, water samples were collected from wells in ten rural districts of Beijing, China. Total bacterial count, total coliforms and Escherichia coli in drinking water were then determi...

OBJECTIVE To assess the contamination level of total and faecal coliforms in water wells and distribution networks, and their association with human health in Gaza Governorate, Gaza Strip. METHODS Data were obtained from the Palestinian Ministry of Health on contamination of total and faecal coliforms in water wells and distribution networks, and on the incidence of water-related diseases in ...

OBJECTIVE To assess the extent and causes of microbiological contamination of household drinking water between source and point-of-use in developing countries. METHODS A systematic meta-analysis of 57 studies measuring bacteria counts for source water and stored water in the home to assess how contamination varied between settings. RESULTS The bacteriological quality of drinking water signi...

BACKGROUND Microbiological contamination of water in dental unit waterlines (DUWL) creates a risk of cross-infections, and is a source of biological risk factors in the work environment of a dentist. The aim of the study was to evaluate dentists' knowledge on DUWL microbiological contamination and the scope of activities/procedures they undertake to monitor it. MATERIALS AND METHOD The questi...

Petroleum hydrocarbon contamination of ground water is a significant and often complex problem. The complexity results from the fact that ground-water contamination is a product of soil contamination. Especially with older spills, significant amounts of hydrocarbons can be trapped below the water table. Traditional pump and treat is ineffective because of the low solubility of trapped oily phas...

Many water-related illnesses show an increase during the wet season. This is often due to fecal contamination from runoff, yet, it is unknown whether seasonal changes in water availability may also play a role in increased illness via changes in the type of primary water source used by households. Very little is known about the dynamic aspects of access to water and changes in source type acros...

Man-made organic chemicals have been found in drinking water for many years. Their numbers and varieties increase as our analytical capabilities improve. The identified chemicals comprise 10 to 20% of the total organic matter present. These are volatile or low molecular weight compounds which are easily identified. Many of them are carcinogenic or mutagenic. Chlorinated compounds have been foun...