Dataset Information

Potable Water Reuse: What Are the Microbiological Risks?

ABSTRACT: PURPOSE OF REVIEW:With the increasing interest in recycling water for potable reuse purposes, it is important to understand the microbial risks associated with potable reuse. This review focuses on potable reuse systems that use high-level treatment and de facto reuse scenarios that include a quantifiable wastewater effluent component. RECENT FINDINGS:In this article, we summarize the published human health studies related to potable reuse, including both epidemiology studies and quantitative microbial risk assessments (QMRA). Overall, there have been relatively few health-based studies evaluating the microbial risks associated with potable reuse. Several microbial risk assessments focused on risks associated with unplanned (or de facto) reuse, while others evaluated planned potable reuse, such as indirect potable reuse (IPR) or direct potable reuse (DPR). The reported QMRA-based risks for planned potable reuse varied substantially, indicating there is a need for risk assessors to use consistent input parameters and transparent assumptions, so that risk results are easily translated across studies. However, the current results overall indicate that predicted risks associated with planned potable reuse scenarios may be lower than those for de facto reuse scenarios. Overall, there is a clear need to carefully consider water treatment train choices when wastewater is a component of the drinking water supply (whether de facto, IPR, or DPR). More data from full-scale water treatment facilities would be helpful to quantify levels of viruses in raw sewage and reductions across unit treatment processes for both culturable and molecular detection methods.

SUBMITTER: Nappier SP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6779056 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Potable Water Reuse: What Are the Microbiological Risks?

Nappier Sharon P SP Soller Jeffrey A JA Eftim Sorina E SE

Current environmental health reports 20180601 2

<h4>Purpose of review</h4>With the increasing interest in recycling water for potable reuse purposes, it is important to understand the microbial risks associated with potable reuse. This review focuses on potable reuse systems that use high-level treatment and de facto reuse scenarios that include a quantifiable wastewater effluent component.<h4>Recent findings</h4>In this article, we summarize the published human health studies related to potable reuse, including both epidemiology studies and ...[more]

PMID: 29721701

Similar Datasets

Project description:In the search for sustainable drinking water, many countries are weighing up the benefits of advanced treatment technologies as a proactive measure to assist with the transformation of treated wastewater into a source of water used for the production of potable water. We investigated the biological effects along a pilot plant with an advanced water treatment process, using zebrafish embryos at different stages of development. The study took an innovative approach, comparing phenotypic observations with whole genome responses. This enabled us to keep an open mind about which chemicals might be influencing the biological activity. There was no evidence of acute toxicity at any stage of treatment, but distinctive abnormalities – skeletal, cardiovascular and pigmentation – occurred in a small proportion of embryos along the treatment process, and in a tap water, that were not detected in the aquarium water control. Reverse osmosis (RO) reduced the concentration of measured chemical contaminants in the water the most, whilst eliminating the occurrence of abnormalities detected in the fish. In contrast, advanced oxidation appeared to reverse the benefits of RO treatment by increasing the frequency of teratogenic and sub-lethal abnormalities seen in embryos. Genomic analysis found alterations to the retinoid system, which was consistent with the teratogenic abnormalities observed. In addition, we found evidence of changes to metabolic pathways, including tryptophan metabolism associated with the production of melatonin required for the control of normal circadian rhythms. Although we cannot extrapolate these preliminary findings in zebrafish embryos to human or environmental health, we show that underexplored forms of biological activity (that existing Test Guidelines are not designed to capture) occur in treated wastewater effluent, and/or may be created depending on the type of advanced treatment process used. Although the identity of the culprit chemicals are unknown at this time, our innovative approach highlights the need for more research into the effects of chemicals on the retinoid system (and metabolism).

Project description:The data presented in this article were collected using a large-scale public survey distributed through the mail to a random sample of 4000 water utility residential account holders in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. The survey collected data on a variety of water-related topics, including water scarcity, climate change, water use at home, perceptions of water sources and water quality, conservation habits, level of acceptance of two potable water reuse scenarios, and level of trust in a variety of entities. The survey also collected demographic data from respondents. Account holders received one of four survey versions, three of which provided different sets of educational material to test different motivations for accepting potable water reuse, and one provided no educational material. The survey was designed and administered using the Tailored Design Method, which involved focus groups, individual debriefing sessions, and a pre-test with members of the sample population to refine the survey instrument, and included a system of five contacts mailed out over a period of several months to maximize response rate. Mail-in and electronic response options were available, and the response rate was 46% (n = 1831). The data were compiled using Survey Monkey and organized using Microsoft Excel and RStudio. The data set featured in this article provides raw survey data plus additional variables created by grouping and consolidating answer options in the raw data. This is the first and most comprehensive set of data known to the authors on public perceptions of water resources and reuse in an arid inland community, and the authors have published open access papers based on this data set, which are linked to this paper. Water managers, planners, engineers, and utilities may be interested in using the data as a point of comparison for their own study on community knowledge of water resources and acceptance of water reuse or in examining the data for relationships not yet explored in the literature.

Dataset Information

Potable Water Reuse: What Are the Microbiological Risks?

Publications

Potable Water Reuse: What Are the Microbiological Risks?

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets