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Balasooriya BMJK, Rajapakse J, Gallage C. A review of drinking water quality issues in remote and indigenous communities in rich nations with special emphasis on Australia. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 903:166559. [PMID: 37633366 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166559] [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: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
This review paper examines the drinking water quality issues in remote and Indigenous communities, with a specific emphasis on Australia. Access to clean and safe drinking water is vital for the well-being of Indigenous communities worldwide, yet numerous challenges hinder their ability to obtain and maintain water security. This review focuses on the drinking water-related issues faced by Indigenous populations in countries such as the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. In the Australian context, remote and Indigenous communities encounter complex challenges related to water quality, including microbial and chemical contamination, exacerbated by climate change effects. Analysis of water quality trends in Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory reveals concerns regarding various pollutants with very high concentrations in the source water leading to levels exceeding recommended drinking water limits such as hardness, turbidity, fluoride, iron, and manganese levels after limited treatment facilities available in these communities. Inadequate water quality and quantity contribute to adverse health effects, particularly among Indigenous populations who may resort to sugary beverages. Addressing these challenges requires comprehensive approaches encompassing testing, funding, governance, appropriate and sustainable treatment technologies, and cultural considerations. Collaborative efforts, risk-based approaches, and improved infrastructure are essential to ensure equitable access to clean and safe drinking water for remote and Indigenous communities, ultimately improving health outcomes and promoting social equity.
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Affiliation(s)
- B M J Kalpana Balasooriya
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Brisbane QLD 4001, Australia
| | - Jay Rajapakse
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), 2 George Street, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia.
| | - Chaminda Gallage
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Brisbane QLD 4001, Australia.
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Uc-Castillo JL, Cervantes-Martínez A, Gutiérrez-Aguirre MA. Evaluation of arsenic effects on Paracyclops novenarius Reid, 1987: a cyclopoid copepod in central-north of Mexico. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:61674-61684. [PMID: 35107733 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-18959-9] [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: 07/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Description and morphological analysis of copepods inhabiting a water body with high arsenic concentrations (32.79 to 62.29 mg L-1) were performed to identify some effect on the development of individuals due to the arsenic concentrations. Detailed morphology of prosomal and urosomal appendages along the development of the specimens was considered. The results showed that the freshwater copepod Paracyclops novenarius Reid, 1987 inhabits this water body, and previously, it was recorded as Paracyclops chiltoni (Thomson GM, 1882) on this site. Moreover, this becomes the first record of P. novenarius in Mexico. Morphological analysis showed a normal and stable development along the different instars, different arsenic concentrations in the media, and different sampled dates between the analyzed specimens, suggesting that the high arsenic concentrations do not affect the morphology of P. novenarius, including all its development and adult instars, which differs from other copepods and other groups such as Cladocera and Rotifera, where morphological changes due to metals and metalloids have been observed but in low concentrations of these elements. The results of this study contribute to the existing reports of the genus Paracyclops (Claus 1893) in Mexico and could provide information for environmental impact assessments on aquatic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Luis Uc-Castillo
- Departamento de Ciencias Y Humanidades, Unidad Académica Cozumel, Universidad de Quintana Roo, Av. Andrés Quintana Roo, Calle 11 con calle 110 sur s/n, Cozumel, Quintana Roo, 77600, México.
| | - Adrián Cervantes-Martínez
- Departamento de Ciencias Y Humanidades, Unidad Académica Cozumel, Universidad de Quintana Roo, Av. Andrés Quintana Roo, Calle 11 con calle 110 sur s/n, Cozumel, Quintana Roo, 77600, México
| | - Martha Angélica Gutiérrez-Aguirre
- Departamento de Ciencias Y Humanidades, Unidad Académica Cozumel, Universidad de Quintana Roo, Av. Andrés Quintana Roo, Calle 11 con calle 110 sur s/n, Cozumel, Quintana Roo, 77600, México
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Lopez-Carmen VA, Erickson TB, Escobar Z, Jensen A, Cronin AE, Nolen LT, Moreno M, Stewart AM. United States and United Nations pesticide policies: Environmental violence against the Yaqui indigenous nation. LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH. AMERICAS 2022; 10:100255. [PMID: 36777691 PMCID: PMC9903935 DOI: 10.1016/j.lana.2022.100255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Indigenous Peoples suffer environmental violence related to pesticide exposure, including imported pesticides that are banned in the exporting countries (including the U.S.) due to their known detrimental health impacts and used in or near their traditional territories. The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) is a U.S. statue that allows "pesticides that are not approved - or registered - for use in the U.S." to be manufactured in the U.S. and exported elsewhere. The UN Rotterdam Convention also allows the global exportation of "banned pesticides." The ongoing exportation of banned pesticides leads to disproportionately high rates of morbidity and mortality, most notably in Indigenous women and children. In this paper, we present evidence describing the documented harms of banned pesticides with a focus on the Yaqui Nation in Sonora, Mexico, give background on the problematic laws allowing these harms, and highlight concrete solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor A. Lopez-Carmen
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Cambridge, MA, USA,UN Global Indigenous Youth Caucus, Manhattan, NY, USA,Corresponding author at: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Timothy B. Erickson
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Cambridge, MA, USA,Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Medical Toxicology, Mass General Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zara Escobar
- George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | | | | | - Marcos Moreno
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Amanda M. Stewart
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
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Vega-Millán CB, Dévora-Figueroa AG, Burgess JL, Beamer PI, Furlong M, Lantz RC, Meza-Figueroa D, O Rourke MK, García-Rico L, Meza-Escalante ER, Balderas-Cortés JJ, Meza-Montenegro MM. Inflammation biomarkers associated with arsenic exposure by drinking water and respiratory outcomes in indigenous children from three Yaqui villages in southern Sonora, México. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:34355-34366. [PMID: 33650048 PMCID: PMC7919633 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-13070-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Environmental arsenic exposure in adults and children has been associated with a reduction in the expression of club cell secretory protein (CC16) and an increase in the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), both biomarkers of lung inflammation and negative respiratory outcomes. The objectives of this study were to determine if the levels of serum CC16 and MMP-9 and subsequent respiratory infections in children are associated with the ingestion of arsenic by drinking water. This cross-sectional study included 216 children from three Yaqui villages, Potam, Vicam, and Cocorit, with levels of arsenic in their ground water of 70.01 ± 21.85, 23.3 ± 9.99, and 11.8 ± 4.42 μg/L respectively. Total arsenic in water and urine samples was determined by inductively coupled plasma/optical emission spectrometry. Serum was analyzed for CC16 and MMP-9 using ELISA. The children had an average urinary arsenic of 79.39 μg/L and 46.8 % had levels above of the national concern value of 50 μg/L. Increased arsenic concentrations in drinking water and average daily arsenic intake by water were associated with decreased serum CC16 levels (β = - 0.12, 95% CI - 0.20, - 0.04 and β = - 0.10, 95% CI - 0.18, - 0.03), and increased serum MMP-9 levels (β = 0.35, 95% CI 0.22, 0.48 and β = 0.29, 95% CI 0.18, 0.40) at significant levels (P < 0.05). However, no association was found between levels of these serum biomarkers and urinary arsenic concentrations. In these children, reduced serum CC16 levels were significantly associated with increased risk of respiratory infections (OR = 0.34, 95% CI 0.13, 0.90). In conclusion, altered levels of serum CC16 and MMP-9 in the children may be due to the toxic effects of arsenic exposure through drinking water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian B Vega-Millán
- Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Especialidad en Biotecnología, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, 5 de Febrero 818 Sur, 85000, Cd. Obregón, Sonora, México
| | - Ana G Dévora-Figueroa
- Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Especialidad en Biotecnología, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, 5 de Febrero 818 Sur, 85000, Cd. Obregón, Sonora, México
| | - Jefferey L Burgess
- Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Paloma I Beamer
- Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Melissa Furlong
- Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - R Clark Lantz
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Diana Meza-Figueroa
- Departamento de Geología, División de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Sonora, Rosales y Encinas, 83000, Hermosillo, Sonora, México
| | - Mary Kay O Rourke
- Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Leticia García-Rico
- Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C., Carretera Gustavo Astiazarán 46, 83304, Hermosillo, Sonora, México
| | - Edna R Meza-Escalante
- Departamento de Recursos Naturales, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, 5 de Febrero 818 Sur, 85000, Cd. Obregón, Sonora, México
| | - José J Balderas-Cortés
- Departamento de Recursos Naturales, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, 5 de Febrero 818 Sur, 85000, Cd. Obregón, Sonora, México
| | - Maria M Meza-Montenegro
- Departamento de Recursos Naturales, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, 5 de Febrero 818 Sur, 85000, Cd. Obregón, Sonora, México.
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