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Feb. 9, 2024

Water & Health

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Health Chatter
Water & Health
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Stan and Clarence chat with Dave Hokanson, Sandeep Burman, Alycia Overbo, and Chad Kolstad from the Minnesota Department of Health about water in relation to public health.

Listen along as the the MDH team shares their wealth of knowledge on water.

Join the conversation at healthchatterpodcast.com

Brought to you in support of Hue-MAN, who is Creating Healthy Communities through Innovative Partnerships.

More about their work can be found at http://huemanpartnership.org/

 

Research

  • Clean Water 101 
  • Quick facts 
        1. Clean water is vital to health, communities, and ecosystems 
        2. Clean Water Act (1972)  → establishes basic structure for regulating pollutants in waters within the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters 
          1. Reorganized and expanded version of the 1948 Federal Water Pollution Control Act 
        3. More research is needed to continue understanding the relationship between human health and water/clean water/bottled water 
        4. Climate change will continue to impact water quality and quantity by increasing/decreasing precipitation and increasing the temperatures of lakes and other waterways 
          1. Public health issues related to water and climate change include mold, damage to crops/agriculture, surface water contamination, sewage overflows, waterborne disease outbreaks, runoff/sediment, mold, etc. 
  • Bottled water 
        1. Safety/standards of bottled water are regulated the FDA
        2. There is currently no standardized label required for bottled water
        3. Contaminated bottled water can be harmful to health 
          1. Outbreaks associated with bottled water are rare, but they do happen 
        4. Concerns about microplastics in plastic water bottles 
          1. A recent study found that bottled water sold in stores contain 10-100x more pieces of plastics than previously thought/estimated 
          2. Minuscule plastic particles can invade individual human cells and tissues in major organs potentially interrupting cellular processes 
          3. Chemicals from plastics can end up in the liver, kidney, or brain and even make their way to the placental boundary/end up in an unborn child 
  • Water in Minnesota 
        1. MN has over 6,600 public water systems 
          1. Combination of community (i.e. groundwater that provides water to people in their homes) and non-community systems (water systems that provide water to “transient” populations)
        2. St. Cloud and Pipestone received special recognition for their water infrastructure projects 
          1. EPA said the projects demonstrate the highest levels of innovation and excellence in capturing nutrients, generating renewable energy, and reducing nutrients and chloride in lakes, rivers, and streams 
        3. MDH’s role 
          1. MDH publishes annual reports on the status of drinking water in Minnesota 
          2. MDH also publishes Drinking Water by the Numbers, the 2019 Nitrate Report, and the 2016 Environmental Health Public Drinking Water Resampling Analysis
          3. MDH also provides water-related guidelines for schools, businesses, restaurants, consumers/general public, health care professionals, beaches/pools, etc. 
  • Drinking Water Protection
        1. Prevention 
        2. Treatment 
          1. Home water treatment (MDH)
        3. Monitoring 
  • Lead & Water 
  • Why is it a concern?
        1. Flint water crisis (2014) → drinking water source switched from Detroit’s system to the Flint river to save the city money; inadequate testing and treatment led to discolored, bad-smelling, low quality drinking water which led to rashes, itchy skin, hair loss, and lead poisoning in children 
        2. Led can get into tap water through service lines, pipes, and/or corrosion 
        3. Led is especially dangerous and harmful for children and pregnant women
          1. Damage to nervous system, learning disabilities, impaired hearing, etc. 
  • Reduce exposure/prevention 
        1. EPA determines what levels of contaminants (such as led) are safe to consume 
        2. CDC recommends that public health action be taken when led levels in a child’s blood exceed 3.5 micrograms per deciliter 
  • Solutions 
        1. Water treatment 
        2. Removal/replacement of lead service lines 
        3. Efforts in education 
        4. Health communication
  • Water & War 
      1. War over water as a resources
      2. Access to clean drinking water after conflict 
      3. Example → water being used as a weapon during the war in Israel 
  • Water and Health Equity 
    1. BIPOC communities have disproportionately lower access to clean/safe water
      1. Structural disparities related to quality issues, affordability, flooding, etc. 
    2. Certain rural and urban communities also face challenges related to clean and safe water 
    3. EPA’s Advancing Water Equity and Access for all Commitment to invest $500 million to assist communities in closing the water gap (Biden/Harris administration, 2023)
    4. Importance of communities being involved in the decision-making processes regarding their water sources, etc. 

Sources