Health Implications of Drinking Water Salinity in Coastal Areas of Bangladesh

Abstract

Coastal areas in South Asian countries are particularly vulnerable to elevated water salinity. Drinking water salinity has been found to be associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Our study aimed to find if excess drinking water salinity was associated with increased hospital visits with an array of health effects in coastal sub-districts of Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 157 participants from three coastal sub-districts. A face-to-face interview was conducted to collect salinity exposure and hospital visit data. Water samples were collected from both drinking and other household water sources for the measurement of salinity and total dissolved solids (TDS). CVD, diarrhea, and abdominal pain related hospital visits were found to be significantly associated with high water salinity and TDS. Households exposed to high salinity demonstrated a higher frequency of hospital visits than the low salinity-exposed households. People exposed to high salinity seemed to lack awareness regarding salinity-inducing health effects. Water salinity is a public health concern that will continue to rise due to climate change. Therefore, raising awareness about the health risks of water salinity is essential for the government to frame policies and mitigation strategies to control this emerging threat.

Water Pollution Index (WPI) and Incidence of Diarrhea Among Children Under Five Years Old in Coastal Area of Semarang City, Indonesia

“…Interestingly, the study also revealed that people who live in areas with low salinity (24%) have a higher awareness of the dangers of drinking water with high salinity levels [16]. Area with low salinity water have more awareness about health effect of excess salinity in water [17].…”

“…DEC is generally found in children aged 1-2 years compared to those aged <1 year or 3-5 years. Research conducted in Bangladesh in 2017 yielded 25% E.coli was found in well water and 77% in drinking water [14].…”

Groundwater quality assessment for domestic purposes in Mpherembe, northwest of Mzimba district, Rural Malawi

“…Further, most physio-chemical parameters such as EC and Magnesium hardness were signi cantly high in boreholes when compared to WHO (2008) guidelines on drinking water quality. High EC values in drinking water is an indicator of high salinity (Chakraborty et al, 2019). The presence of salinity in drinking water has signi cant health effects on people such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and cardiovascular diseases (Chakraborty et al, 2019).…”

“…High EC values in drinking water is an indicator of high salinity (Chakraborty et al, 2019). The presence of salinity in drinking water has signi cant health effects on people such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and cardiovascular diseases (Chakraborty et al, 2019). Thus, there is high probability that people in the area are prone to water related illnesses due to high concentration of salinity in their drinking water from the boreholes.…”

The Roses Ocean and Human Health Chair: A New Way to Engage the Public in Oceans and Human Health Challenges

“…For example, halotherapy, an alternative but controversial treatment involving breathing salty air, which has been proposed to treat respiratory conditions and allergies [51]; the use of sunlight therapy (heliotherapy) to treat certain medical conditions such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis [52]; and the potential health benefits of drinking sea water [53]. Given that some of these alternative therapies can have serious side effects [54,55], they have not been accepted by the Chair's experts (i.e., they were excluded from the medical praxis), creating frustration among a minority of citizen stakeholders. These examples show that participatory processes also have limits that must be carefully considered.…”