Priority risk factors related to drinking water from centralized water supply system that create negative trends in population health

Abstract

Our research object was long-term dynamics of parameters describing drinking water from centralized water supply systems and additional cases of health disorders among population in Russia directly caused by low-quality drinking water. Our research goal was to perform hygienic assessment of priority risk factors related to drinking water and potential health disorders that could be caused by them. Our research technique was hygienic analysis of drinking water parameters as per data taken from the federal statistical form No. 18 entitled «Data on sanitary situation in a RF region» over 2000–2019, the federal information fund of social and hygienic monitoring over 2012–2019, and calculation of associated health disorders as per MG 5.1.0095–14. Specific weight of centralized water supply sources that didn’t conform to sanitary-epidemiologic requirements decreased by 4.7 % over 2000–2019 and amounted to 14.9 %. Over the last 20 years there has been a descending trend in specific weight of water samples taken from centralized water supply sources that don’t conform to sanitary requirements as per sanitary-chemical parameters (by 2.7 %) and microbiological parameters (by 4.8%). Over 2000–2019, specific weight of water distribution networks not conforming to sanitary-epidemiologic requirements decreased by 10.7 % and amounted to 15.9 % in 2019. Over the last 20 years there has been an increase in quality of drinking water taken from centralized distribution networks. Specific weight of water samples from centralized distribution networks not conforming to sanitary requirements as per microbiological and sanitary-chemical parameters fell by 6.7 % and 7.9 % respectively. In 2012–2019 in the RF hygienic parameters of drinking water quality were the most violated as per contents of bromine, silicon, chlorine, iron, sodium, lithium, magnesium, manganese, chloroform, boron, strontium, sulfides, and hydrogen sulphide. Overall, in the RF in 2019 more than 1.66 million cases of digestive diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diseases of skin and subcutaneous tissue, and other health disorders were directly related to drinking water being contaminated with chemicals and microbiological agents; it was by 13.3 % lower than in 2012 regarding morbidity associated with drinking water quality. Priority risk factors were chlorine, chlorine organic compounds (COC), ammonia, iron, manganese, arsenic, nickel, copper, boron, magnesium, and other compounds.