Comparative Analysis of Chemical, Physical and Biological Contaminants in Drinking Water in Various Developed Countries around the World

Abstract

Sustaining a reliable and contaminant-free drinking water is becoming an increasing challenge worldwide due to human activity, industrial waste, and agricultural overuse. Surface water is the main source of drinking water around the world. However, groundwater is also becoming increasingly popular, due to its clarity and minimal need for processing to reduce turbidity. Over the years, the demand and growth in the agricultural industry has also been the means of groundwater contamination. Due to the health burden that raw water can pose, water must be processed and purified prior to consumption. Raw water quality can be compromised by physical, chemical (heavy metals and disinfection by-products), and biological contaminants. Biological contaminants can significantly impact immunocompromised populations, while chemical contaminants can impact the growth and development of young children. Although obtaining a steady and high-quality water flow to the general population is an increasing challenge, developed countries have utilized state-of-the-art technologies and techniques to provide contaminantfree water to their citizens. This research aims to provide information about the regulatory parameters, characteristics, and sources of safe drinking water in the world as a model for future use in the developing world. In this, secondary data was used to compare and contrast drinking water quality among countries in the European Union,

Resistance of Blastocystis to chlorine and hydrogen peroxide

“…In instances of over chlorination (8.0-10.0 ppm), the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends implementation of dechlorination treatment to make it suitable for human consumption (Zaki et al 1996). In this respect, countries treat drinking water with chlorine up to 0.2-5.0 ppm, depending on local drinking water regulations (Karim et al 2020). In swimming pools, chlorine levels are regulated to be within the range of 0.3-5.0 ppm in several countries (Yang et al 2018).…”

“…Figure 1 shows the dose-response curves, and Table 2 summarizes the IC and MIC values for each Blastocystis isolate against chlorine after 24 h of treatment and recovery. After 24 h of treatment, all isolates showed IC 50 concentrations (≥ 7.4 ppm) higher than the chlorine concentrations used to disinfect water (up to 5 ppm) (Zaki et al 1996;Yang et al 2018; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2020; Karim et al 2020). With regard to disinfection, the IC 99 concentrations are the relevant ones, with values considerably higher (≥ 140 ppm) for all the isolates tested.…”

High resistance of Blastocystis to chlorine and hydrogen peroxide

“…In instances of over chlorination (8.0-10.0 ppm), the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends implementation of dechlorination treatment to make it suitable for human consumption (Zaki et al 1996). In this respect, countries treat drinking water with chlorine up to 0.2-5.0 ppm, depending on local drinking water regulations (Karim et al 2020). In swimming pools, chlorine levels are regulated to be within the range of 0.3-5.0 ppm in several countries (Yang et al 2018).…”

“…Table2summarises the IC and MLC values for each Blastocystis isolate against chlorine after 24 h of treatment and recovery. After 24 h of treatment, all isolates showed IC 50 concentrations (≥ 7.4 ppm) higher than the chlorine concentrations used to disinfect water (up to 5 ppm)(Zaki et al 1996;Yang et al 2018; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2020;Karim et al 2020). With regards to disinfection, the IC 99 concentrations are the relevant ones, with values considerably higher (≥ 140 ppm) for all the isolates tested.…”