Dataset Information

Pharmaceuticals in tap water: human health risk assessment and proposed monitoring framework in China.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pharmaceuticals are known to contaminate tap water worldwide, but the relevant human health risks have not been assessed in China.

Objectives

We monitored 32 pharmaceuticals in Chinese tap water and evaluated the life-long human health risks of exposure in order to provide information for future prioritization and risk management.

Methods

We analyzed samples (n = 113) from 13 cities and compared detected concentrations with existing or newly-derived safety levels for assessing risk quotients (RQs) at different life stages, excluding the prenatal stage.

Results

We detected 17 pharmaceuticals in 89% of samples, with most detectable concentrations (92%) at < 50 ng/L. Caffeine (median-maximum, nanograms per liter: 24.4-564), metronidazole (1.8-19.3), salicylic acid (16.6-41.2), clofibric acid (1.2-3.3), carbamazepine (1.3-6.7), and dimetridazole (6.9-14.7) were found in ? 20% of samples. Cities within the Yangtze River region and Guangzhou were regarded as contamination hot spots because of elevated levels and frequent positive detections. Of the 17 pharmaceuticals detected, 13 showed very low risk levels, but 4 (i.e., dimetridazole, thiamphenicol, sulfamethazine, and clarithromycin) were found to have at least one life-stage RQ ? 0.01, especially for the infant and child life stages, and should be considered of high priority for management. We propose an indicator-based monitoring framework for providing information for source identification, water treatment effectiveness, and water safety management in China.

Conclusion

Chinese tap water is an additional route of human exposure to pharmaceuticals, particularly for dimetridazole, although the risk to human health is low based on current toxicity data. Pharmaceutical detection and application of the proposed monitoring framework can be used for water source protection and risk management in China and elsewhere.

SUBMITTER: Leung HW

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3702003 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Pharmaceuticals in tap water: human health risk assessment and proposed monitoring framework in China.

Leung Ho Wing HW Jin Ling L Wei Si S Tsui Mirabelle Mei Po MM Zhou Bingsheng B Jiao Liping L Cheung Pak Chuen PC Chun Yiu Kan YK Murphy Margaret Burkhardt MB Lam Paul Kwan Sing PK

Environmental health perspectives 20130510 7

<h4>Background</h4>Pharmaceuticals are known to contaminate tap water worldwide, but the relevant human health risks have not been assessed in China.<h4>Objectives</h4>We monitored 32 pharmaceuticals in Chinese tap water and evaluated the life-long human health risks of exposure in order to provide information for future prioritization and risk management.<h4>Methods</h4>We analyzed samples (n = 113) from 13 cities and compared detected concentrations with existing or newly-derived safety levels ...[more]

PMID: 23665928

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Project description:BackgroundAlong with the proliferation of health information technologies (HITs), there is a growing need to understand the potential privacy risks associated with using such tools. Although privacy policies are designed to inform consumers, such policies have consistently been found to be confusing and lack transparency.ObjectiveThis study aims to present consumer preferences for accessing privacy information; develop and apply a privacy policy risk assessment tool to assess whether existing HITs meet the recommended privacy policy standards; and propose guidelines to assist health professionals and service providers with understanding the privacy risks associated with HITs, so that they can confidently promote their safe use as a part of care.MethodsIn phase 1, participatory design workshops were conducted with young people who were attending a participating headspace center, their supportive others, and health professionals and service providers from the centers. The findings were knowledge translated to determine participant preferences for the presentation and availability of privacy information and the functionality required to support its delivery. Phase 2 included the development of the 23-item privacy policy risk assessment tool, which incorporated material from international privacy literature and standards. This tool was then used to assess the privacy policies of 34 apps and e-tools. In phase 3, privacy guidelines, which were derived from learnings from a collaborative consultation process with key stakeholders, were developed to assist health professionals and service providers with understanding the privacy risks associated with incorporating HITs as a part of clinical care.ResultsWhen considering the use of HITs, the participatory design workshop participants indicated that they wanted privacy information to be easily accessible, transparent, and user-friendly to enable them to clearly understand what personal and health information will be collected and how these data will be shared and stored. The privacy policy review revealed consistently poor readability and transparency, which limited the utility of these documents as a source of information. Therefore, to enable informed consent, the privacy guidelines provided ensure that health professionals and consumers are fully aware of the potential for privacy risks in using HITs to support health and well-being.ConclusionsA lack of transparency in privacy policies has the potential to undermine consumers' ability to trust that the necessary measures are in place to secure and protect the privacy of their personal and health information, thus precluding their willingness to engage with HITs. The application of the privacy guidelines will improve the confidence of health professionals and service providers in the privacy of consumer data, thus enabling them to recommend HITs to provide or support care.

Dataset Information

Pharmaceuticals in tap water: human health risk assessment and proposed monitoring framework in China.

Background

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Pharmaceuticals in tap water: human health risk assessment and proposed monitoring framework in China.

Similar Datasets

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