Drinking water
Water safe for consumption
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We include updates on Hazard analysis and critical control points, Monochloramine, Mission Bhagiratha, Mineral spring, LifeStraw, WASH, Maximum contaminant level, Wilderness-acquired diarrhea, Solar humidification, Multiple-effect humidification, Johad, Biosand filter, LifeSaver bottle, Flushing hydrant, Disinfection by-product, Injection well ... and more.
| 2025 |
Water fluoridation
JAMA systematic review and meta-analysis of 74 studies across 12 countries provided further evidence of fluoride's neurotoxicity, showing IQ reductions even at low fluoride exposure levels.
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| 2024 |
WASH
Projected end of the REACH research program, which focuses on developing climate tools to support water management and climate resilience in targeted countries.
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| 2024 |
Water fluoridation
National Toxicology Program published a systematic review of 72 human studies, finding consistent association between increased fluoride exposure and lower IQ in children, particularly during prenatal and early childhood periods.
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| October 19 2024 |
Boil-water advisory
Asheville Water Services Recovery announced the end of the boil-water advisory after determining water quality did not meet Safe Drinking Water Act standards.
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| October 15 2024 |
Boil-water advisory
Boil-water advisory issued in Asheville, North Carolina following Hurricane Helene due to loss of pressure in distribution system pipes and elevated water particle levels.
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| 2023 |
WASH
WHO published a comprehensive summary of WASH service impact, detailing the specific health outcomes and regional disparities in WASH-related mortality rates.
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| 2023 |
WASH
Data from centralized sewage treatment plants in the United States revealed methane emissions were approximately twice the 2019 IPCC estimates, measuring 10.9 ± 7.0 MMT CO2-eq/yr compared to the previous 4.3-6.1 MMT estimate.
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| 2023 |
Water fluoridation
Study identified significant IQ reductions at maternal urinary fluoride concentrations as low as 0.45 mg/L, raising concerns about current fluoride safety standards.
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| 2020 |
WASH
Global methane emissions from non-sewered sanitation systems (NSSS) were estimated at 377 Mt CO2e/year, representing 4.7% of global anthropogenic methane emissions, with India and China being major contributors due to their large populations and NSSS utilization.
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| 2020 |
WASH
Planned milestones for NTDs including: eradication of yaws, elimination of trachoma and lymphatic filariasis as public health problems, and intensified control of dengue, schistosomiasis, and soil-transmitted helminthiases.
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| 2020 |
WASH
Wastewater treatment plants were estimated to consume 3% of global electricity consumption.
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| 2020 |
Injection well
The Supreme Court of the United States rules in County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund that injection wells may be the 'functional equivalent of a direct discharge' under the Clean Water Act, instructing the EPA to establish new regulations for permitting.
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| 2020 |
Water fluoridation
Study in the Journal of Political Economy found water fluoridation significantly improved dental health and labor market outcomes.
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| 2019 |
WASH
IPCC released initial estimates of methane emissions from sewage treatment plants.
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| 2019 |
WASH
435 million people were reported to be using unimproved water sources for drinking water, with 144 million still using surface water like lakes and streams.
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| 2019 |
WASH
A World Bank study revealed a growth in the proportion of female water professionals in recent years, indicating progress in gender representation in water-related occupations.
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| 2019 |
WASH
WHO analysis revealed that lack of safe WASH services could have prevented the loss of at least 1.4 million lives and 74 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from four health outcomes, representing 2.5% of all global deaths and 2.9% of all DALYs.
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| 2019 |
WASH
World Health Organization estimated that one in four healthcare facilities globally lack basic water services, impacting approximately 2.0 billion people, and one in five facilities have no sanitation service, affecting about 1.5 billion people.
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| 2019 |
WASH
Data revealed significant disparities in basic water coverage across 24 countries, with the richest wealth quintile having at least twice the water access compared to the poorest quintile.
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| 2019 |
WASH
The Empowerment in WASH Index (EWI) was developed to help WASH practitioners measure and monitor gender outcomes, empowerment, and inclusivity in WASH interventions.
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| 2019 |
Water fluoridation
Canadian study found a dose-dependent relationship between maternal urinary fluoride levels and child IQ, identifying a 4.5-point decrease in IQ for every 1 mg/L increase in maternal fluoride levels during pregnancy.
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| 2019 |
LifeStraw
LifeStraw launched the Home water filter pitcher, which won both the IDEA design award and the Red Dot design award.
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| October 2018 |
Biofactories
Chilean foundation Recyclápolis awarded the Recyclápolis Environmental National Award to Biofactoría Gran Santiago's biomethanation plant, a collaborative project implemented by Chilean companies Metrogás and Aguas Andinas.
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| September 2018 |
Biofactories
Aguas Andinas' biofactory project received the Momentum for Change recognition from the United Nations during its Climate Change conference, acknowledging its contribution to strategies preventing climate change.
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| 2017 |
WASH
844 million people were reported to lack even a basic drinking water service globally.
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| 2017 |
Biofactories
In its inaugural year, Biofactoría Gran Santiago demonstrated significant resource generation: 51,792,240 kWh of electrical energy, 160,337 BTU of biogas, 111,842 tonnes of agricultural fertilizer, and 603 million cubic meters of clean water returned to natural sources.
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| 2017 |
Biofactories
Aguas Andinas created the first biofactory complex, Biofactoría Gran Santiago, by integrating La Farfana and Mapocho-Trebal wastewater treatment plants and La Florida water treatment plant into a circular economy approach.
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| 2016 |
WASH
A World Health Organization report analyzed WASH-attributable disease burden, finding that 3.3% of global deaths and 4.6% of global DALYs could have been prevented, with 1.9 million deaths and 123 million DALYs potentially avoidable through adequate WASH services.
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| 2015 |
WASH
World Health Organization (WHO) developed a global strategy and action plan to integrate Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) with other public health interventions to accelerate elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
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| 2015 |
WASH
Target set for eradication of dracunculiasis as part of the NTD roadmap milestones.
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| 2015 |
WASH
Several large Asian countries (China, India, Indonesia) began significantly improving their 'safely managed sanitation services', increasing coverage by more than 10 percentage points by 2020.
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| 2015 |
WASH
REACH global research program begins, developing context-specific climate tools for water management in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh, aimed at improving climate resilience through 2024.
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| 2015 |
Water fluoridation
Cochrane systematic review estimated 35% cavity reduction in baby teeth and 26% in permanent teeth through water fluoridation.
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| 2014 |
WASH
Global water sector total energy usage was estimated at 1400 TWh, with 60% used as electricity (mostly for groundwater irrigation pumping) and 40% as thermal energy.
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| 2012 |
WASH
Researchers estimated global wastewater treatment contributions to nitrous oxide and methane emissions, finding that centralized facilities contribute approximately 3% of global nitrous oxide emissions and 7% of anthropogenic methane emissions.
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| 2011 |
Water fluoridation
European Commission systematic review based its efficacy on the York review's conclusions.
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| 2010 |
Injection well
Maui County finally obtains water quality certification from the Hawaii Department of Health, following years of non-compliance with the 2001 consent decree.
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| 2010 |
Water fluoridation
Incident in Asheboro, North Carolina where 60 gallons of fluoride were accidentally released into water supply in 90 minutes, instead of the intended 24-hour period.
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles LifeStraw, Biofactories, Water fluoridation, Tap water, Water testing, Injection well, Boil-water advisory & WASH, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.