Subchronic Exposure to Regulated Trihalomethanes and Haloacetic Acids: Do We Need to Refine Our Exposure Assessment? A Full-Scale Case Study in a Canadian Municipality.

Regulated disinfection byproducts (e.g., trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids) in drinking water networks fluctuate spatially and temporally, depending on water sources and treatment practices with higher concentrations during the summer.

Domestic access to water in a decentralized truck-to-cistern system: a case study in the Northern Village of Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik (Canada).

Municipal water supply through truck-to-cistern systems is common in northern Canada. Household satisfaction and concerns about water services likely impact user preferences and practices. This case study explores household perspectives and challenges with regard to domestic access to water in a decentralized truck-to-cistern system.

A bibliometric analysis of global research on drinking water and health in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Heightened interest in drinking water research in recent decades has been aimed at narrowing the knowledge gaps surrounding water and health in a global pursuit to provide safely managed drinking water services to populations who continue to lack access. This study used bibliometrics and network analysis to produce a global overview of publications and groups that have contributed to research on drinking water and health in low- and lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs). The United States and the United Kingdom, which have historically dominated the field based on the production and impact of scientific literature, remain at the center of international collaborative research partnerships with emerging countries.

Assessment of rain event effects on source water quality degradation and subsequent water treatment operations.

Heavy rainfall events can lead to the runoff of large amounts of dissolved and particulate matter into surface water sources that may represents challenges for drinking water treatment, such as membrane fouling, increases in chemical demands, and formation of various disinfection by products (DBPs) after disinfection, such as trihalomethanes (THM) and haloacetic acids (HAA). In this study, a framework is defined for analyzing water quality data in relation to climatic variables (rainfalls). The effects of 22 different rain events were assessed on an organic matter proxy (UV absorbance), and on different key water quality parameters for the coagulation step in a drinking water treatment plant.

Testing specificity and sensitivity of wastewater-based epidemiology for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in four communities on Vancouver Island, Canada.

We report wastewater surveillance of the spread of SARS-CoV-2 based upon 24-h composite influent samples taken weekly from four wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada between January 3, 2021 and July 10, 2021. Samples were analyzed by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction targeting the N1 and N2 gene fragments of SARS-CoV-2 and a region of the replication associate protein of the pepper mottle mosaic virus (PMMoV) serving as endemic control. Only a small proportion of samples had quantifiable levels of N1 or N2.

Towards globally relevant, small-footprint dewatering solutions: Optimal conditioner dose for highly variable blackwater from non-sewered sanitation.

Globally, the sanitation needs of three billion people are met by non-sewered sanitation. Small-footprint treatment technologies are needed that are appropriate for dense urban areas. Blackwater (BW) (or fecal sludge), contains more than 95% liquid, and dewatering it without conditioning requires large footprints.

Comment on Khairul Zaman et al. Eco-Friendly Coagulant versus Industrially Used Coagulants: Identification of Their Coagulation Performance, Mechanism and Optimization in Water Treatment Process. 2021, , 9164.

In a recent contribution by Zaman and colleagues, a few issues were noted on the justification of their study, which performed a comparative assessment of chitosan as a proposed alternative to aluminum-based coagulants for drinking water treatment applications. We have provided further clarity around such issues, which apply to other studies on the same theme.

Assessment of Decontamination and Reuse of Disposable Filter Funnels Used in Microbiological Water Quality Tests.

To monitor safely managed drinking water services, an increasing number of countries have integrated water quality testing for into nationally-representative household surveys such as the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). However, plastic waste generated during such water quality testing programs, mostly through the use of pre-sterilized disposable materials, is non-negligible. The objective of this study was to evaluate several re-use protocols for disposable filter funnels used by the MICS water quality test kits.

Evaluation and application of chlorine decay models for humanitarian emergency water supply contexts.

Chlorine is a widely used water disinfectant in humanitarian emergency water supply. However, its effective application can be limited by the uncertainty in initial dose determination. The target free chlorine residual in water should achieve both health objectives and aesthetic considerations, but the varying field conditions and changing source water quality may affect the performance of chlorination strategies.

Household practices in accessing drinking water and post collection contamination: A seasonal cohort study in Malawi.

Lack of access to safe drinking water on premises remains widespread in low- and middle-income countries. Interventions to improve access to safe water at the point of collection are essential, but water safety at the point of consumption is also an important consideration. This research aimed to 1) improve understanding of household practices in collecting water with respect to seasonality, and 2) to further assess risk associated with post-collection contamination from the point of collection to the point of consumption.

Rapid Changes in Microbial Community Structures along a Meandering River.

Streams and rivers convey freshwater from lands to the oceans, transporting various organic particles, minerals, and living organisms. Microbial communities are key components of freshwater food webs and take up, utilize, and transform this material. However, there are still important gaps in our understanding of the dynamic of these organisms along the river channels.

Trends in access to water and sanitation in Malawi: progress and inequalities (1992-2017).

Billions of people globally gained access to improved drinking water sources and sanitation in the last decades, following effort towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Global progress remains a general indicator as it is unclear if access is equitable across groups of the population. Agenda 2030 calling for `leaving no one behind', there is a need to focus on the variations of access in different groups of the population, especially in the context of low- and middle-income countries including Malawi.

Evaluating self-reported measures and alternatives to monitor access to drinking water: A case study in Malawi.

Monitoring access to drinking water is complex, especially in settings where on premises water supply is not available. Although self-reported data are generally used to estimate coverage of access to drinking water, the relationship between self-reported time travelled and true time travelled is not well known in the context of water fetching. Further, water fetching is likely to impact the quantity and quality of water a household uses, but data and measures supporting this relationship are not well documented.

Occurrence and fate of ozonation disinfection by-products in two Canadian drinking water systems.

The occurrence and the fate of 18 ozonation by-products (OBPs) (17 different aldehydes and bromate) were studied over one year in two Canadian drinking water systems. This is the first and only study reporting the occurrence of all these non-halogenated aldehydes (NON-HALs) and haloacetaldehydes (HALs) simultaneously, based on the multi-point monitoring of water in full-scale conditions from source to distribution network. In general, the application of both post-ozonation and liquid chlorine contributed to the formation of OBPs (aldehydes and bromate).

Ultraviolet absorbance monitoring for removal of DBP-precursor in waters with variable quality: Enhanced coagulation revisited.

Enhanced coagulation can be an effective way to reduce disinfection by-product (DBP) precursor concentrations. Where turbidity is not extremely high, the natural organic matter concentration evaluated by total or dissolved organic carbon concentration or UV absorbance is known to be the most important factor for determining the adequate coagulant dose. Yet, treatment plant operators are often faced with difficult decisions when it comes to coagulant dosages: Should coagulation efforts and coagulant doses be consistent year-round when water quality changes seasonally? Should the coagulant dose be increased when DBP standards are not met, or has the maximum removal of DBP precursors been reached? The objective and novelty of this study is to revisit the concept of enhanced coagulation and to determine optimal coagulation guidelines based not just on the removal of common indicators such as DOC but on the removal of actual DBP precursors.

Reply to Comment on "Enumeration of in Probiotic Products. 2019, 7. 437".

We thank Wassenaar and colleagues for their Comment on our recent paper [1] and appreciate the opportunity to address it [...

Dominant decomposition pathways in pit latrines: a commentary.

In a recent article an assessment of decomposition within pit latrines measured with regard to chemical oxygen demand (COD) reductions was reported on. Some fundamental concerns were raised with regard to a key assumption of the study. The alternative perspective that is presented here does not support the study's conclusion that anaerobic processes are the dominant decomposition pathway in pit latrines.

Annual Protist Community Dynamics in a Freshwater Ecosystem Undergoing Contrasted Climatic Conditions: The Saint-Charles River (Canada).

Protists are key stone components of aquatic ecosystems, sustaining primary productivity and aquatic food webs. However, their diversity, ecology and structuring factors shaping their temporal distribution remain strongly misunderstood in freshwaters. Using high-throughput sequencing on water samples collected over 16 different months (including two summer and two winter periods), combined with geochemical measurements and climate monitoring, we comprehensively determined the pico- and nanoeukaryotic community composition and dynamics in a Canadian river undergoing prolonged ice-cover winters.

Enumeration of in Probiotic Products.

Probiotic products typically take the form of oral supplements or food-based products containing microorganisms, typically bacteria. The number of bacteria present in a dose of probiotic can be several orders of magnitude lower than the label claims, and in some cases, undetectable. The objective of this study was to assess probiotic products containing to verify manufacturer claims, which have not yet been independently assessed, regarding the number of viable per suggested dose.

Drinking water accessibility and quantity in low and middle-income countries: A systematic review.

Background: Increasing the quantity of water available for consumption and hygiene is recognized to be among the most efficient interventions to reduce the risk of water-related infectious diseases in low and middle-income countries. Such impacts are often associated with water supply accessibility (e.g.

Passive phosphorus capture in biofiltration context: nitrate impact on the performance.

Research on the development of a passive phosphorus entrapment process characterized by biofilters with active wood-based media impregnated with iron hydroxide has been conducted. Phosphorus removal was done by sorption which includes adsorption, exchange of ions and precipitation. Experiments were performed in order to investigate the effect of nitrate, generally present at the end of secondary treatment, on the phosphorus removal performance.

Multi-wavelength models expand the validity of DBP-differential absorbance relationships in drinking water.

Differential UV absorbance (ΔA) is an important indicator that could allow operators and utility managers to routinely monitor disinfection by-product (DBP) concentrations, even in real-time applications, without the limitations of regulatory sampling and analyses. While determination coefficients between differential UV absorbance at a single wavelength (often 272 nm) and chlorination DBP concentrations are usually very high (R > 0,90), the fitting parameters of these relationships vary from one water source to another, or vary within the same water source depending on the time of year. The objectives of this study are to apply multiple regression models to a rich database of ΔA and DBPs (trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs)) that was generated from lab experiments using multiple waters with low bromide concentrations, in order to identify wavelengths that improve the applicability of DBP-ΔA relationships, as well as develop a widely applicable multi-wavelength DBP-ΔA relationship.

Relationships between DBP concentrations and differential UV absorbance in full-scale conditions.

Differential UV spectroscopy, defined as the difference in UV absorbance spectra before and after chlorination, has shown great potential to predict disinfection by-product (DBP) concentrations at laboratory scale. However, so far, no results have been reported on the full scale application of differential UV spectroscopy in drinking water treatment facilities. The objectives of this study are to determine if relationships can be developed between differential UV absorbance and DBP concentrations, for both regulated and unregulated DBPs, in a full-scale facility and to determine if these relationships vary throughout the year with variations in raw water quality and treatment conditions.

Cross-country analysis of faecal sludge dewatering.

Dewatering of faecal sludge (FS) is indispensable for adequate FS management. However, comprehensive knowledge is lacking on FS dewatering performance. This study compared the dewatering performance of FS from different countries and onsite sanitation technologies, to assess influential characteristics on dewatering, and to compare dewatering performance of FS with wastewater sludge.