Impact of Hurricane Maria on Drinking Water Quality in Puerto Rico

Lin, Yiqing; Sevillano-Rivera, Maria C.; Jiang, Tao; Li, Guangyu; Cotto, Irmarie; Vosloo, Solize; Carpenter, Corey M. G.; Larese-Casanova, Philip; Giese, Roger W.; Helbling, Damian E.; Padilla, Ingrid Y.; Rosario-Pabón, Zaira; Vega, Carmen Vélez; Cordero, José F.; Alshawabkeh, Akram N.; Pinto, Ameet J.; Gu, April Z.

doi:10.1021/acs.est.0c01655

Cited by 39 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 91 publications

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“…Detections of Cu and, especially, Pb in drinking water are generally attributed to distribution-system and premise-plumbing materials ( Triantafyllidou and Edwards, 2012 ). In contrast, to the Lin et al (2020) findings, arsenic (As) was not detected (reporting limit: 2 μg L −1 ) in any TW sample in this study.…”

Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…1 ). Sample sites were selected to 1) emphasize the more populated northern half of the island, 2) substantially overlap with previous study locations (e.g., Lin et al, 2020 ), 3) provide equal coverage of residential and commercial settings, and 4) consistent with PR water-use statistics ( Molina-Rivera, 2014 ), focus on public-supply, predominantly PRASA with some coverage of the smaller NPCWS commonly found at elevation along the central cordillera. Cold-water taps were sampled at varying times throughout the day without pre-cleaning, screen removal, or flushing ( Romanok et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Compared to female participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), pregnant women in the PROTECT cohort exhibited lower exposure biomarkers for select classes of persistent organic pollutants, including per/polyfluoroalkyl substance(s) (PFAS), polybrominated diphenyl ether (s) (PBDE), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), and several persistent pesticides ( Watkins et al, 2019 ) but elevated exposure biomarkers for several phthalates ( Cantonwine et al, 2014 ; Ferguson et al, 2019 ), phenols ( Meeker et al, 2013 ), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ( Cathey et al, 2018 ), metals ( Ashrap et al, 2020 ), and triclosan/triclocarban ( Ashrap et al, 2018 ). The highest reported US rate of violation of Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) rules for regulated constituents (e.g., Natural Resources Defense Council, 2017 ; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2021c ), the presence of organic chemicals, including phthalates, in groundwater and tapwater (TW) ( Lin et al, 2020 ; Torres et al, 2018a ; Yu et al, 2015 ), adverse reproductive effects of in utero phthalate-mixture exposures in male and female mammalian models ( Hannas et al, 2013 ; Howdeshell et al, 2015 ; Repouskou et al, 2019 ), and elevated phthalate urinary biomarkers in the PROTECT cohort ( Cantonwine et al, 2014 ; Ferguson et al, 2019 ) support drinking water as a potentially important vector of human exposure to and effects of environmental contaminants in PR. A recent PROTECT assessment of 18 trace elements and 200 mostly unregulated organics ( Lin et al, 2020 ) indicated increased TW exposures and risks in PR after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and highlighted the need for broader characterization of potential TW inorganic and organic contaminants to further inform health risks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The highest reported US rate of violation of Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) rules for regulated constituents (e.g., Natural Resources Defense Council, 2017 ; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2021c ), the presence of organic chemicals, including phthalates, in groundwater and tapwater (TW) ( Lin et al, 2020 ; Torres et al, 2018a ; Yu et al, 2015 ), adverse reproductive effects of in utero phthalate-mixture exposures in male and female mammalian models ( Hannas et al, 2013 ; Howdeshell et al, 2015 ; Repouskou et al, 2019 ), and elevated phthalate urinary biomarkers in the PROTECT cohort ( Cantonwine et al, 2014 ; Ferguson et al, 2019 ) support drinking water as a potentially important vector of human exposure to and effects of environmental contaminants in PR. A recent PROTECT assessment of 18 trace elements and 200 mostly unregulated organics ( Lin et al, 2020 ) indicated increased TW exposures and risks in PR after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and highlighted the need for broader characterization of potential TW inorganic and organic contaminants to further inform health risks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pilot-scale expanded assessment of inorganic and organic tapwater exposures and predicted effects in Puerto Rico, USA

Bradley

Padilla

Romanok

et al. 2021

Science of The Total Environment

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A pilot-scale expanded target assessment of mixtures of inorganic and organic contaminants in point-of-consumption drinking water (tapwater, TW) was conducted in Puerto Rico (PR) to continue to inform TW exposures and corresponding estimations of cumulative human-health risks across the US. In August 2018, a spatial synoptic pilot assessment of than 524 organic and 37 inorganic chemicals was conducted in 14 locations (7 home; 7 commercial) across PR. A follow-up 3-day temporal assessment of TW variability was conducted in December 2018 at two of the synoptic locations (1 home, 1 commercial) and included daily pre- and post-flush samples. Concentrations of regulated and unregulated TW contaminants were used to calculate cumulative in vitro bioactivity ratios and Hazard Indices (HI) based on existing human-health benchmarks. Synoptic results confirmed that human exposures to inorganic and organic contaminant mixtures, which are rarely monitored together in drinking water at the point of consumption, occurred across PR and consisted of elevated concentrations of inorganic contaminants (e.g., lead, copper), disinfection byproducts (DBP), and to a lesser extent per/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and phthalates. Exceedances of human-health benchmarks in every synoptic TW sample support further investigation of the potential cumulative risk to vulnerable populations in PR and emphasize the importance of continued broad characterization of drinking-water exposures at the tap with analytical capabilities that better represent the complexity of both inorganic and organic contaminant mixtures known to occur in ambient source waters. Such health-based monitoring data are essential to support public engagement in source water sustainability and treatment and to inform consumer point-of-use treatment decision making in PR and throughout the US.

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Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pilot-scale expanded assessment of inorganic and organic tapwater exposures and predicted effects in Puerto Rico, USA

Bradley

Padilla

Romanok

et al. 2021

Science of The Total Environment

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“…This analysis of the on-the-ground health issues reflects a confluence of vulnerabilities affecting hurricane-impacted residents and serves to provide the narrative for the increased mortality and morbidity attributed to the hurricane. 7,8 Displaced populations with poor access to safe water, 9 sanitation, and shelter 10 are known to be at risk for communicable diseases, in particular vulnerable individuals such as the elderly and children. [10][11][12] The data highlight these consequences on children, who disproportionately suffered from infections compared to other age groups.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Care Needs in the Aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico: A Perspective from Federal Medical Shelter Manatí

Ghosh

Mecklenburg

Ibrahim

et al. 2021

Prehosp. Disaster med.

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Introduction: On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 hurricane, swept across Puerto Rico (PR), wreaking devastation to PR’s power, water, and health care infrastructure. To address the imminent humanitarian crisis, the US government mobilized Federal Medical Shelters (FMS) to serve the needs of hurricane victims. This study’s objective was to provide a description of the patients seeking emergency care at FMS and the changes in their needs over time. Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study included all patients presenting to the FMS Manatí from October 6, two weeks after Hurricane Maria’s landfall, to November 2, 2017. Categories were created to catalogue the nature of new acute medical issues by patients presenting to the Shelter. Descriptive, graphical analyses were performed to assess changes to presenting complaints over time, and by age groups defined as infant (age ≤1 years), child (1 year < age ≤10 years), adolescent (10 years < age ≤ 25 years), and adult (age > 25 years). Results: Over the 30-day period, 5,268 patients were seen in the FMS seeking medical care (average 188.1 patients per day), spending less than five hours in the facility. The distribution of patients’ age was bimodal: the first peak at one year and the second at age 50. The most common patient complaint was infection (38.8%), then musculoskeletal (MSK) complaints (11.8%) and management of chronic medical conditions (11.8%). The proportion of patients presenting with chronic disease complaints declined over the course of the period of observation (21.4% on Day 4 to 8.0% on Day 30) while the proportion of patients presenting with infection increased (31.0% on Day 4 to 48.6% on Day 30). Infection complaints were highest in all age groups, but most in infxants (80.2%), while MSK and chronic disease complaints were highest in adults (14.9% and 14.9%, respectively). Conclusion: Infection treatment and chronic disease management were important medical needs facing patients seeking care at FMS Manatí after Hurricane Maria. These findings suggest that basic needs related to sanitation and shelter remained important weeks after the hurricane, and a focus on access to medications, infection control, and injury prevention/management after a disaster needs to be prioritized during disaster response.

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Psychology in Puerto Rico

López

Estrada

2021

International and Cultural Psychology

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Impact of Hurricane Maria on Drinking Water Quality in Puerto Rico

Cited by 39 publications

References 91 publications

Pilot-scale expanded assessment of inorganic and organic tapwater exposures and predicted effects in Puerto Rico, USA

Pilot-scale expanded assessment of inorganic and organic tapwater exposures and predicted effects in Puerto Rico, USA

Health Care Needs in the Aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico: A Perspective from Federal Medical Shelter Manatí

Psychology in Puerto Rico

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