Tag: water pollution

Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Linked to Arsenic in Water

Photo by Anandan Anandan on Unsplash

Long term exposure to arsenic in water may increase cardiovascular disease and especially heart disease risk even at exposure levels below the US regulatory limit (10µg/L) according to a new study in Environmental Health Perspectives. This is the first study to describe exposure-response relationships at concentrations below the current regulatory limit and substantiates that prolonged exposure to arsenic in water contributes to the development of ischaemic heart disease.

The researchers, from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, compared various time windows of exposure, finding that the previous decade of water arsenic exposure up to the time of a cardiovascular disease event contributed the greatest risk.

“Our findings shed light on critical time windows of arsenic exposure that contribute to heart disease and inform the ongoing arsenic risk assessment by the EPA. It further reinforces the importance of considering non-cancer outcomes, and specifically cardiovascular disease, which is the number one cause of death in the US and globally,” said Danielle Medgyesi, a doctoral Fellow in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia Mailman School. “This study offers resounding proof of the need for regulatory standards in protecting health and provides evidence in support of reducing the current limit to further eliminate significant risk.”

According to the American Heart Association and other leading health agencies, there is substantial evidence that arsenic exposure increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. This includes evidence of risk at high arsenic levels (> 100µg/L) in drinking water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reduced the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for arsenic in community water supplies (CWS) from 50µg/L to 10µg/L beginning in 2006. Even so, drinking water remains an important source of arsenic exposure among CWS users. The natural occurrence of arsenic in groundwater is commonly observed in regions of New England, the upper Midwest, and the West, including California.

To evaluate the relationship between long-term arsenic exposure from CWS and cardiovascular disease, the researchers used statewide healthcare administrative and mortality records collected for the California Teachers Study cohort from enrollment through follow-up (1995-2018), identifying fatal and nonfatal cases of ischemic heart disease and cardiovascular disease. Working closely with collaborators at the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), the team gathered water arsenic data from CWS for three decades (1990-2020).

The analysis included 98 250 participants, 6119 ischaemic heart disease cases and 9,936 CVD cases. Excluded were those 85 years of age or older and those with a history of CVD at enrolment. Similar to the proportion of California’s population that relies on CWS (over 90%), most participants resided in areas served by a CWS (92%). Leveraging the extensive years of arsenic data available, the team compared time windows of relatively short-term (3-years) to long-term (10-years to cumulative) average arsenic exposure. The study found decade-long arsenic exposure up to the time of a cardiovascular disease event was associated with the greatest risk, consistent with a study in Chile finding peak mortality of acute myocardial infarction around a decade after a period of very high arsenic exposure. This provides new insights into relevant exposure windows that are critical to the development of ischemic heart disease.

Nearly half (48%) of participants were exposed to an average arsenic concentration below California’s non-cancer public health goal < 1 µg/L. In comparison to this low-exposure group, those exposed to 1 to < 5 µg/L had modestly higher risk of ischaemic heart disease, with increases of 5 to 6%. Risk jumped to 20% among those in the exposure ranges of 5 to < 10 µg/L (or one-half to below the current regulatory limit), and more than doubled to 42% for those exposed to levels at and above the current EPA limit ≥ 10µg/L. The relationship was consistently stronger for ischemic heart disease compared to cardiovascular disease, and no evidence of risk for stroke was found, largely consistent with previous research and the conclusions of the current EPA risk assessment.

These results highlight the serious health consequences not only when community water systems do not meet the current EPA standard but also at levels below the current standard. The study found a substantial 20% risk at arsenic exposures ranging from 5 to < 10 µg/L which affected about 3.2% of participants, suggesting that stronger regulations would provide significant benefits to the population. In line with prior research, the study also found higher arsenic concentrations, including concentrations above the current standard, disproportionally affect Hispanic and Latina populations and residents of lower socioeconomic status neighbourhoods.

“Our results are novel and encourage a renewed discussion of current policy and regulatory standards,” said Tiffany Sanchez, senior author. “However, this also implies that much more research is needed to understand the risks associated with arsenic levels that CWS users currently experience. We believe that the data and methods developed in this study can be used to bolster and inform future studies and can be extended to evaluate other drinking water exposures and health outcomes.”

Source: Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health

Sanitech Celebrates 50 Years with a Commitment to Community and Future Growth

Robert Erasmus, Managing Director of Sanitech

Sanitech, a leader in integrated hygiene and sanitation solutions, recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Reflecting on the company’s journey from a small plumbing business to a comprehensive sanitation provider, Sanitech’s Managing Director, Robert Erasmus, shares insights into the company’s history, recent initiatives, and future aspirations.

The Sanitech name was registered in 1974 by Grant Murray in KwaZulu-Natal. Initially, it was a small plumbing business, but Murray quickly identified a market for portable sanitation services. Over the years, Sanitech expanded, albeit on a limited scale, by partnering with various agents. The significant transformation began in the 1990s and early 2000s when private equity ownership enabled national growth. In 2007, the business continued to expand following the acquisition of Sanitech, which marked the beginning of global support for WACO International.

Erasmus joined Sanitech in 2008, marking a pivotal moment. “My role was to transform Sanitech into a corporate entity aligned with WACO International’s standards in health, safety, policies, and procedures,” Erasmus explains. Under his leadership, Sanitech expanded from eight locations to 24 and diversified its services beyond portable toilets to include integrated hygiene services, water and waste treatment, and pest control. Today, Sanitech employs over 3,000 people, a substantial increase from 350 in 2008.

Instead of a traditional celebration event for its 50th anniversary, Sanitech chose to invest in Corporate Social Investment (CSI) projects. Sanitech sponsored 50 Khusela sanitation units across various regions in South Africa. These units were installed in disadvantaged  schools in areas such as Witbank, Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth, and Cape Town, providing proper sanitation facilities and meals for the day. “It was a school-focused initiative, ensuring that learners have access to clean and safe sanitation, which is crucial for their health and education.”

Looking ahead, Erasmus envisions Sanitech continuing its trajectory of growth and innovation. “We aim to expand our product and service offerings in the hygiene and sanitation sector, especially as we face new challenges like the potential water crisis. Sub-Saharan Africa presents significant opportunities, and we’ve already established a presence in Mozambique,” he notes. Sanitech plans to enhance its contributions to clients’ Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) requirements by expanding its hygiene, cleaning, and pest control services.

Reflecting on the impact of their CSI projects, Erasmus shares a poignant experience: “Visiting the school in Palm Ridge where we installed new sanitation units was eye-opening. The conditions these young learners face are challenging, yet their discipline and resilience are incredible. It was a humbling reminder of the importance of our work.”

River Pollution from Pharmaceutical Production is Widespread

Pills and tablets
Photo by Myriam Zilles on Unsplash

Pharmaceutical ingredients from both prescription and over-the-counter drugs find their way into the environment during their production, use and disposal. They readily contaminate bodies of surface water such as rivers and lakes. Results from a recent study published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry indicate that pharmaceutical pollution is a problem that is affecting the world’s rivers. 

Approximately 43.5% of the 1052 locations that were assessed in the study across 104 countries had concerning concentrations of pharmaceutical ingredients. Twenty-three pharmaceutical ingredients occurred at concentrations that exceeded ‘safe’ concentrations, including substances from drug classes including antidepressants, antimicrobials, antihistamines, benzodiazepines, and painkillers.   

“This is the first truly global assessment of the impacts of single pharmaceuticals and mixtures of pharmaceuticals in riverine systems,” said corresponding author Alejandra Bouzas-Monroy, a PhD student at the University of York. “Our findings show that a very high proportion of rivers around the world are at threat from pharmaceutical pollution. We should therefore be doing much more to reduce the emissions of these substances into the environment.”  

Source: EurekAlert!