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Bousquet AG, Eaves LA, Haley K, Catalano D, Williams GB, Hartwell HJ, Brennan C, Fry RC. Identifying and Responding to Lead in Drinking Water in a University Setting. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2024; 21:561. [PMID: 38791777 PMCID: PMC11120698 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21050561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Lead is an established neurotoxicant, and it has known associations with adverse neurodevelopmental and reproductive outcomes. Exposure to lead at any level is unsafe, and the United States (US) has enacted various federal and state legislations to regulate lead levels in drinking water in K-12 schools and childcare facilities; however, no regulations exist for higher education settings. Upon the discovery of lead in drinking water fixtures in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) campus, a cross-campus water testing network and sampling plan was developed and deployed. The campaign was based on the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 3Ts (Training, Testing, and Taking Action) guidance. The seven-month campaign involved 5954 tests on 3825 drinking water fixtures across 265 buildings. A total of 502 (8.43%) tests showed lead above the limit of detection (1 part per billion, ppb), which represented 422 (11.03%) fixtures. Fewer than 1.5% of the tests were above the EPA action level for public water systems (15 ppb). In conclusion, systematic testing of all the fixtures across campus was required to identify localized contamination, and each entity in the cross-campus network undertook necessary roles to generate a successful testing campaign. UNC-CH established preventative measures to test drinking water fixtures every three years, which provide a framework for other higher education institutions in responding to lead contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey G. Bousquet
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (A.G.B.); (L.A.E.); (H.J.H.)
| | - Lauren A. Eaves
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (A.G.B.); (L.A.E.); (H.J.H.)
- Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Kim Haley
- Department of Environment, Health and Safety, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (K.H.); (D.C.); (G.B.W.); (C.B.)
| | - David Catalano
- Department of Environment, Health and Safety, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (K.H.); (D.C.); (G.B.W.); (C.B.)
| | - Gregory B. Williams
- Department of Environment, Health and Safety, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (K.H.); (D.C.); (G.B.W.); (C.B.)
| | - Hadley J. Hartwell
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (A.G.B.); (L.A.E.); (H.J.H.)
| | - Catherine Brennan
- Department of Environment, Health and Safety, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (K.H.); (D.C.); (G.B.W.); (C.B.)
| | - Rebecca C. Fry
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (A.G.B.); (L.A.E.); (H.J.H.)
- Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Curriculum in Toxicology and Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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Levin R, Villanueva CM, Beene D, Cradock AL, Donat-Vargas C, Lewis J, Martinez-Morata I, Minovi D, Nigra AE, Olson ED, Schaider LA, Ward MH, Deziel NC. US drinking water quality: exposure risk profiles for seven legacy and emerging contaminants. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2024; 34:3-22. [PMID: 37739995 PMCID: PMC10907308 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-023-00597-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Advances in drinking water infrastructure and treatment throughout the 20th and early 21st century dramatically improved water reliability and quality in the United States (US) and other parts of the world. However, numerous chemical contaminants from a range of anthropogenic and natural sources continue to pose chronic health concerns, even in countries with established drinking water regulations, such as the US. OBJECTIVE/METHODS In this review, we summarize exposure risk profiles and health effects for seven legacy and emerging drinking water contaminants or contaminant groups: arsenic, disinfection by-products, fracking-related substances, lead, nitrate, per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) and uranium. We begin with an overview of US public water systems, and US and global drinking water regulation. We end with a summary of cross-cutting challenges that burden US drinking water systems: aging and deteriorated water infrastructure, vulnerabilities for children in school and childcare facilities, climate change, disparities in access to safe and reliable drinking water, uneven enforcement of drinking water standards, inadequate health assessments, large numbers of chemicals within a class, a preponderance of small water systems, and issues facing US Indigenous communities. RESULTS Research and data on US drinking water contamination show that exposure profiles, health risks, and water quality reliability issues vary widely across populations, geographically and by contaminant. Factors include water source, local and regional features, aging water infrastructure, industrial or commercial activities, and social determinants. Understanding the risk profiles of different drinking water contaminants is necessary for anticipating local and general problems, ascertaining the state of drinking water resources, and developing mitigation strategies. IMPACT STATEMENT Drinking water contamination is widespread, even in the US. Exposure risk profiles vary by contaminant. Understanding the risk profiles of different drinking water contaminants is necessary for anticipating local and general public health problems, ascertaining the state of drinking water resources, and developing mitigation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronnie Levin
- Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Cristina M Villanueva
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER epidemiología y salud pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel Beene
- Community Environmental Health Program, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- University of New Mexico Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | | | - Carolina Donat-Vargas
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER epidemiología y salud pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Johnnye Lewis
- Community Environmental Health Program, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Irene Martinez-Morata
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Darya Minovi
- Center for Science and Democracy, Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Anne E Nigra
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Erik D Olson
- Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Mary H Ward
- Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
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Mulhern RE, Kondash AJ, Norman E, Johnson J, Levine K, McWilliams A, Napier M, Weber F, Stella L, Wood E, Lee Pow Jackson C, Colley S, Cajka J, MacDonald Gibson J, Hoponick Redmon J. Improved Decision Making for Water Lead Testing in U.S. Child Care Facilities Using Machine-Learned Bayesian Networks. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:17959-17970. [PMID: 36932953 PMCID: PMC10666530 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c07477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Tap water lead testing programs in the U.S. need improved methods for identifying high-risk facilities to optimize limited resources. In this study, machine-learned Bayesian network (BN) models were used to predict building-wide water lead risk in over 4,000 child care facilities in North Carolina according to maximum and 90th percentile lead levels from water lead concentrations at 22,943 taps. The performance of the BN models was compared to common alternative risk factors, or heuristics, used to inform water lead testing programs among child care facilities including building age, water source, and Head Start program status. The BN models identified a range of variables associated with building-wide water lead, with facilities that serve low-income families, rely on groundwater, and have more taps exhibiting greater risk. Models predicting the probability of a single tap exceeding each target concentration performed better than models predicting facilities with clustered high-risk taps. The BN models' Fβ-scores outperformed each of the alternative heuristics by 118-213%. This represents up to a 60% increase in the number of high-risk facilities that could be identified and up to a 49% decrease in the number of samples that would need to be collected by using BN model-informed sampling compared to using simple heuristics. Overall, this study demonstrates the value of machine-learning approaches for identifying high water lead risk that could improve lead testing programs nationwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riley E. Mulhern
- RTI
International, Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - AJ Kondash
- RTI
International, Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Ed Norman
- Environmental
Health Section, Division of Public Health, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Raleigh, North Carolina 27609, United States
| | - Joseph Johnson
- RTI
International, Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Keith Levine
- RTI
International, Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Andrea McWilliams
- RTI
International, Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Melanie Napier
- Environmental
Health Section, Division of Public Health, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Raleigh, North Carolina 27609, United States
| | - Frank Weber
- RTI
International, Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Laurie Stella
- RTI
International, Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Erica Wood
- RTI
International, Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | | | - Sarah Colley
- RTI
International, Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Jamie Cajka
- RTI
International, Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson
- Department
of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
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