Review of epidemiological studies on health effects from exposure to recreational water

Prüss, Annette

doi:10.1093/ije/27.1.1

Cited by 430 publications

(273 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Fecal contamination of water is considered a human health risk, and there has always been a great deal of concern regarding the level of coliform bacterial counts in water. To establish a relationship between the concentrations of fecal indicators and the risk of illness upon using contaminated waters, many epidemiological studies have been conducted in the past (for a review see Prüss, 1998) and are still being carried out (McBride, et al, 1998, Van Asperen, et al, 1998, Zamxaka, et al, 2004. However, even though there is a growing body of knowledge regarding fecal contamination in the tropics, most investigations in this field were carried out in temperate climate regions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbiological water quality of the Mfoundi River watershed at Yaoundé, Cameroon, as inferred from indicator bacteria of fecal contamination

Djuikom

Njiné

Nola

et al. 2006

Environ Monit Assess

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Microbiological water quality of the Mfoundi River watershed at Yaoundé, Cameroon, as inferred from indicator bacteria of fecal contamination Djuikom, E.; Njine, T.; Nola, M.; Sikati, V.; Jugnia, L.-B. Abstract. Using the membrane filtration technique to count total coliform (TC), fecal coliform (FC) and fecal streptococci (FS), the microbiological water quality of the Mfoundi River and four of its representative tributaries at Yaoundé, Cameroon, was assessed for human use and contact. Sampling was conducted so as to examine the potential origin of fecal contamination and how rainfall affects the measured concentrations of indicators organisms. Our results revealed that waters were not safe for human use or primary contact according to the standards for water quality established by the Word Health Organization (WHO). Indeed, these waters exhibited high concentrations of TC (Mean ± SD = 5.6 × 10 8 ± 2.5 × 10 6 CFU/100 ml), FC (Mean ± SD = 6.8 × 10 5 ± 2.4 × 10 3 CFU/100 ml) and FS (Mean ± SD = 7.3 × 10 5 ± 2.1 × 10 3 CFU/100 ml) that varied with the sampling sites and points. FC/FS ratio suggested that this contamination was more from warm-blooded animals than humans and correlation analysis points to the role of rainfall as a contributing factor, which enhanced the bacterial numbers detected. We conclude that there is a great potential risk of infection for users of waters from the Mfoundi River and its tributaries at Yaoundé.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbiological water quality of the Mfoundi River watershed at Yaoundé, Cameroon, as inferred from indicator bacteria of fecal contamination

Djuikom

Njiné

Nola

et al. 2006

Environ Monit Assess

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“…Knowledge, risk perception and behaviours S53 events (Craun, Calderon, & Craun, 2005;Prü ss, 1998). A lack of awareness by the general public about healthy swimming behaviours has been also proved to increase the risk of acquiring recreational water illness and contaminating recreational water (CDC, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, risk perception and behaviours in swimming pool users of Palermo city, Sicily

Amodio¹,

Costantino²,

Asciutto³

et al. 2012

European Journal of Sport Science

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To assess knowledge, risk perception and behaviours of a sample of swimming pool users in Palermo. A total of 498 subjects were interviewed by self-administered anonymous questionnaire including socio-demographic questions, knowledge/risk perception and behaviours. Overall, 289 subjects (58%) had a mean of 1.991.2 healthy behaviours. Age older than 30 years (OR 00.46; 95% CI00.26Á0.81), female sex (OR 00.52; 95% CI 00.35Á0.76) and a high knowledge score (OR 00.15; 95% CI 00.03Á0.69) were significantly associated with having healthy behaviours in both univariate and multivariate analysis. Unhealthy behaviours can be frequently found in swimming pool bathers and, particularly, in some target groups. Public health prevention strategies should be implemented to improve public awareness and information on a safe use of recreational water environments.

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“…Dose-Response. Of all the illnesses considered in the literature, GI is most commonly associated with exposure to polluted water (10)(11)(12)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26). To estimate the risk of GI from swimming in contaminated marine waters in southern CA, we utilized two dose-response models (11,12) (Table 1) developed in epidemiology studies conducted elsewhere (in marine waters of the East U.S. coast and United Kingdom) (18,27).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional Public Health Cost Estimates of Contaminated Coastal Waters: A Case Study of Gastroenteritis at Southern California Beaches

Given

Pendleton

Boehm

2006

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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We present estimates of annual public health impacts, both illnesses and cost of illness, attributable to excess gastrointestinal illnesses caused by swimming in contaminated coastal waters at beaches in southern California. Beachspecific enterococci densities are used as inputs to two epidemiological dose-response models to predict the risk of gastrointestinal illness at 28 beaches spanning 160 km of coastline in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. We use attendance data along with the health cost of gastrointestinal illness to estimate the number of illnesses among swimmers and their likely economic impact. We estimate that between 627,800 and 1,479,200 excess gastrointestinal illnesses occur at beaches in Los Angeles and Orange Counties each year. Using a conservative health cost of gastroenteritis, this corresponds to an annual economic loss of $21 or $51 million depending upon the underlying epidemiological model used (in year 2000 dollars). Results demonstrate that improving coastal water quality could result in a reduction of gastrointestinal illnesses locally and a concurrent savings in expenditures on related health care costs.

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Review of epidemiological studies on health effects from exposure to recreational water

Abstract: The review strongly suggests a causal dose-related relationship between gastrointestinal symptoms and recreational water quality measured by bacterial indicator counts.

Cited by 430 publications

References 23 publications

Microbiological water quality of the Mfoundi River watershed at Yaoundé, Cameroon, as inferred from indicator bacteria of fecal contamination

Microbiological water quality of the Mfoundi River watershed at Yaoundé, Cameroon, as inferred from indicator bacteria of fecal contamination

Knowledge, risk perception and behaviours in swimming pool users of Palermo city, Sicily

Regional Public Health Cost Estimates of Contaminated Coastal Waters: A Case Study of Gastroenteritis at Southern California Beaches

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