Bottled and Well Water Quality in a Small Central Appalachian Community: Household-Level Analysis of Enteric Pathogens, Inorganic Chemicals, and Health Outcomes in Rural Southwest Virginia
| dc.contributor.author | Cohen, Alasdair | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Rasheduzzaman, Md | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Darling, Amanda | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Krometis, Leigh-Anne H. | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Edwards, Marc A. | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Brown, Teresa | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Ahmed, Tahmina | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Wettstone, Erin | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Pholwat, Suporn | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Taniuchi, Mami | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Rogawski McQuade, Elizabeth T. | en |
| dc.coverage.country | United States | en |
| dc.coverage.state | Virginia | en |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-07-26T13:23:12Z | en |
| dc.date.available | 2022-07-26T13:23:12Z | en |
| dc.date.issued | 2022-07-15 | en |
| dc.date.updated | 2022-07-25T16:32:19Z | en |
| dc.description.abstract | Consumption of unsafe drinking water is associated with a substantial burden of disease globally. In the US, ~1.8 million people in rural areas lack reliable access to safe drinking water. Our objective was to characterize and assess household-level water sources, water quality, and associated health outcomes in Central Appalachia. We collected survey data and water samples (tap, source, and bottled water) from consenting households in a small rural community without utility-supplied water in southwest Virginia. Water samples were analyzed for physicochemical parameters, total coliforms, <i>E. coli</i>, nitrate, sulfate, metals (e.g., arsenic, cadmium, lead), and 30+ enteric pathogens. Among the 69% (<i>n</i> = 9) of households that participated, all had piped well water, though 67% (<i>n</i> = 6) used bottled water as their primary drinking water source. Total coliforms were detected in water samples from 44.4% (<i>n</i> = 4) of homes, <i>E. coli</i> in one home, and enteric pathogens (<i>Aeromonas</i>, <i>Campylobacter</i>, <i>Enterobacter</i>) in 33% (<i>n</i> = 3) of homes. Tap water samples from 11% (<i>n</i> = 1) of homes exceeded the EPA MCL for nitrate, and 33% (<i>n</i> = 3) exceeded the EPA SMCL for iron. Among the 19 individuals residing in study households, reported diarrhea was 25% more likely in homes with measured <i>E. coli</i> and/or specific pathogens (risk ratio = 1.25, cluster-robust standard error = 1.64, <i>p</i> = 0.865). Although our sample size was small, our findings suggest that a considerable number of lower-income residents without utility-supplied water in rural areas of southwest Virginia may be exposed to microbiological and/or chemical contaminants in their water, and many, if not most, rely on bottled water as their primary source of drinking water. | en |
| dc.description.version | Published version | en |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | en |
| dc.identifier.citation | Cohen, A.; Rasheduzzaman, M.; Darling, A.; Krometis, L.-A.; Edwards, M.; Brown, T.; Ahmed, T.; Wettstone, E.; Pholwat, S.; Taniuchi, M.; Rogawski McQuade, E.T. Bottled and Well Water Quality in a Small Central Appalachian Community: Household-Level Analysis of Enteric Pathogens, Inorganic Chemicals, and Health Outcomes in Rural Southwest Virginia. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 8610. | en |
| dc.identifier.doi | https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148610 | en |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10919/111364 | en |
| dc.language.iso | en | en |
| dc.publisher | MDPI | en |
| dc.rights | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International | en |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | en |
| dc.subject | drinking water | en |
| dc.subject | environmental health | en |
| dc.subject | enteric pathogens | en |
| dc.subject | metals | en |
| dc.subject | well water | en |
| dc.subject | bottled water | en |
| dc.subject | rural health | en |
| dc.subject | Virginia | en |
| dc.subject | Appalachia | en |
| dc.title | Bottled and Well Water Quality in a Small Central Appalachian Community: Household-Level Analysis of Enteric Pathogens, Inorganic Chemicals, and Health Outcomes in Rural Southwest Virginia | en |
| dc.title.serial | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health | en |
| dc.type | Article - Refereed | en |
| dc.type.dcmitype | Text | en |