Surface water flooding, groundwater contamination, and enteric disease in developed countries: A scoping review of connections and consequences

Gender-Related Differences in Flood Risk Perception and Behaviours among Private Groundwater Users in the Republic of Ireland

“…Study findings suggest that optimisation and implementation of hydrological interventions should present an increasingly wide a range of information and tailor information to particular audiences. For example, the fact that men were less likely to take action if previous testing had not reported contamination indicates a significant misunderstanding of flooding as a dynamic vector for contamination [1]. As such, male audiences should be educated around biological and environmental "contaminant pathways" and the inherently fluid (i.e., temporal) nature of these.…”

“…A recent global review reports that surface flooding may result in the contamination of groundwater systems via direct source ingress and/or preferential/bypass flows, thereby leading to waterborne enteric infections among private groundwater supply users [1]. Recent projections indicate significant global increases in the frequency and intensity of flooding events due to climate change [2][3][4], with the Republic of Ireland (RoI) forecast as one of the most severely affected countries in Europe relative to the mean population proportion residing in flood-prone areas [5].…”

“…However, evidence suggests that appropriate actions, such as well water testing, are not commonly undertaken post-flooding for a variety of reasons, including optimism bias regarding both the susceptibility to flooding and possible post-incident contamination, as well as a lack of information on the risks of flooding and appropriate mitigation responses [8]. Given the public health impacts of climate change exacerbation, evidence-based, appropriately framed strategies promoting an increased awareness of potential contamination mechanisms are necessary to motivate precautionary behavior [1].…”

“…More recently, there has been a return to wider river-basin concerns and implementation of risk-based models to manage flood risks [27]. However, whilst increasingly holistic risk-based models are being pursued, there has been limited consideration of the link between flooding, contamination and human health [1]. This is despite Irish private household wells being identified as the likely source of serious health issues such as verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) infections, for which the RoI has the highest incidence rates in Europe [28,29].…”

Mesoporous silica-protected silver nanoparticle disinfectant with controlled Ag+ ion release, efficient magnetic separation, and effective antibacterial activity

“…Water pollution is a critical issue, which has caused a serious water crisis worldwide. 1,2 Various types of water pollutants exist in the aqueous environment, including inorganics, organics, and microorganisms, which make water treatment a complicated process. 3 Among them, microbial contamination has received extensive attention due to the following reasons.…”