La calidad sanitaria del agua de consumo

Abstract

The purpose of drinking water legislation is to guarantee the quality and safety of water intended for human consumption. In the European Union, Directive 98/83/EC updated the essential and binding quality criteria and standards, incorporated into Spanish national legislation by Royal Decree 140/2003. This article reviews the main characteristics of the aforementioned drinking water legislation and its impact on the improvement of water quality against empirical data from Catalonia. Analytical data reported in the Spanish national information system (SINAC) indicate that water quality in Catalonia has improved in recent years (from 88% of analytical reports in 2004 finding drinking water to be suitable for human consumption, compared to 95% in 2014). The improvement is fundamentally attributed to parameters concerning the organoleptic characteristics of water and parameters related to the monitoring of the drinking water treatment process. Two management experiences concerning compliance with quality standards for trihalomethanes and lead in Barcelona's water supply are also discussed. Finally, this paper presents some challenges that, in the opinion of the authors, still need to be incorporated into drinking water legislation. It is necessary to update Annex I of Directive 98/83/EC to integrate current scientific knowledge, as well as to improve consumer access to water quality data. Furthermore, a need to define common criteria for some non-resolved topics, such as products and materials in contact with drinking water and domestic conditioning equipment, has also been identified.

Human exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and other emerging contaminants in drinking water

“…The public water supply is a mixture of sources, mainly surface water from the Llobregat and Ter rivers, followed by groundwater from local aquifers and desalinated water. These distinct sources differ in their raw water quality (Gómez-Gutierrez et al, 2012;Guardiola et al, 1991;Quintana et al, 2019), and the city receives a varying proportion of the different sources. The Llobregat water course is particularly characterised by intensive industrial activity and densely populated areas, thus receiving urban and industrial effluents that contribute to chemical contamination.…”

The Effect of Stool Transplantation on Weight Control in Obese Rats

“…The model used to induce obesity was the cafeteria (CAF) diet. 9 Thus, the animals were provided with normal diet ad libitum and a daily selection of grocery foods selected from a list of 16 items (►Table 1), adapted from Almeida et al, 2008. 10 The feed was changed daily for the animals not to get used to the same food and consequently reject it.…”

Disputas por el oro azul: gobernanza hídrica y salud pública

“…En tales circunstancias, la adecuada gestión y el tratamiento del agua para consumo humano es uno de los pilares de la SP, pues previene enfermedades y las condiciones insalubres del agua, por presencia de residuos industriales o ciertas especies químicas que afecten al ecosistema y la salud del individuo (37). Por ende, es crucial considerar elementos claves como la transparencia y la información pública sobre la gestión de la calidad del agua de consumo (36). En esa lógica, no hay discusión alguna sobre el vínculo estrecho entre salud y la propiedad aceptable de agua que asegure una calidad de vida sostenible y el bienestar humano.…”