Can Approaching Environmental Equality Related to Water Pollution as a Public Health approach to decrease rates of Water-Borne Illnesses in Undeveloped Countries

From a future Nurse perspective.

Kadeane Alder MooYoung03.01.2021

West Coast University.

Abstract.

Water pollution and environmental equality issues constitute a significant challenge to humanity. The paper examines whether approaching environmental equality related to water pollution as a public health approach will decrease the rates of waterborne illnesses in undeveloped countries. Great emphasis is placed on water pollution, particularly the aspects that have been seen to result in waterborne disease and the urgent need to improve sanitation in the developing countries. The paper also discusses the public health and the public health approach and the importance of water pollution. Articles were reviewed, as we sought to understand what environmental equality will have to do with water pollution and how environmental equality can be utilized as a public health approach that will be responsible in restoring the dignity of the systems and ensuring that the populations are safe.

Introduction.

Water quality is vital for the general well-being of the public. Despite the tremendous advancements and the improvements done in the previous years, to increase the access to good quality drinking water, the issue is still critical and a challenge in many developing and undeveloped countries. The World Health Organization estimates indicate that close to 10% of the global population do not have access to the improved and the safest drinking water sources. (UNICEF). The United Nations Sustainable development goals are to ensure universal access to water and sanitation by 2030. (United Nations Water and Sanitation, 2019).

On the other hand, environmental pollution is diverse. It may be termed as having several facets and the results in serious health risks and diseases that affect the entire human systems and organs. The water pollutants have their health risks, and the chances are that they result in waterborne diseases. Therefore, the paper seeks to shed light on how aware the responsible bodies are on the potential health risks caused by the pollution in the water. The situation can be further addressed to ensure the health of the population is promoted and that they are not vulnerable to the risks and the diseases that can be avoided.

The environment and the health of individuals are related in that, the environment or the interactions of the population and the environment affect the individual’s health. The environment plays a central role in ensuring the appropriate, extensive and comprehensive public health systems are in place. When the right emphasis is also placed on the ground, it translates to individuals living healthy lives. Water pollution exposes individuals and populations to harmful agents that cause diseases, and it also disrupts the essential ecosystems that sustain life.

Public health is defined as the science or the art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through organized efforts. The primary concern of public health is the health and the condition that affect the populations, taking a closer look at the associations and the interactions of people with the environment and how they may affect their health. The ultimate responsibilities and the principles of public health are to monitor the health of the population, to identify the health needs of the people and also to ensure they formulate, advocate and implement policies that champion for and promote good health and to again and to conduct a thorough evaluation of the health services being offered to the populations. Every individual, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, or age, is entitled to have safe drinking water and water for cooking and cleaning at home. They have the right to water because the water supports life and the good health of the populations. Studies have highlighted how important it is to have safe water and the detrimental effects of water pollution on people’s health. Environmental equality, therefore, comes to emphasize on the situations where there are notorious incidents which specific individuals, or industries do not responsibly take care of their waste and they dump it in the water bodies where individuals get the water they utilize in the households from. whenThe World Health Organization, in collaboration with the United Nations, have formulated the Sustainable Development goals and in the ideals, access to safe wais captured as a goal. Water quality can be improved pollution is eliminated , the dumping of hazardous materials in the waterbodies is eliminated, and ensuring the industries that release their untreated effluents into water bodies take responsibility and act according to the provision of the law which to responsibly take care of their waste products.

Public health approaches are of great importance because they focus on eliminating the major infectious diseases. The efforts are also often geared towards the improvement of sanitation through the elimination of pollution and the treatment of drinking water and the general improvement of the environment where a majority of individuals live, for the population to achieve a very healthy environment that will undoubtedly require the concerted efforts of the responsible bodies and the individuals themselves to achieve the safety as well as appropriate health. The paper evaluates the public health approach of focusing on environmental equality concerning water pollution as a strategy focused on reducing waterborne diseases and illness rates in undeveloped countries.

Scientific and Economic Perspectives of the Inquiry.

Health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and often not just the absence of disease or infirmity. From the definition of health, it is necessary for the essential strategies and interventions to be put in place and also to ensure they are appropriately implemented as the implementation will lead to the prevention of disease and its subsequent effects on the health of individuals. Focus on environmental equality can also be defined by focusing on the sustainability aspect of the of the issue. Environmental equality also emanates from the detailed focus and emphasis on the reduction of the specific inequalities in the world today. An appropriate example is the efforts being made all over the world to improve food security and by raising the incomes of the population and the environmental sustainability. Majority of the individuals in the undeveloped countries solely depend on agriculture for their food as well as their income and they may also tend to look for mechanisms that will ensure they get better yields from their crops. The farming practices may be harmful as the individuals may end up utilizing a lot of fertilizers that cause contamination to the soil as well as polluting the nearby water sources. The water resources will be polluted and may also be under the serious threats of extinction following the adverse effects of climate change. In that case the farming practices may not be sustainable if the issue of pollution by the pesticides and fertilizers is not addressed.

Waterborne diseases are often caused by the disease-causing pathogens and they may include: viruses, bacteria and certain parasites. The Pathogens that cause disease are often able to use or utilize a number of pathways to get to their host. The widespread problem of water pollution has been seen as one that has really affected the health of the individuals in undeveloped countries. Individuals understand how crucial and important is as it supports life but majority of the individuals in the developing countries pollute the water channeling the untreated wastewaters and the waste from industries back into the water bodies and in return they pollute the lakes, rivers as well as the oceans.

There is an evident difference between the problems on water availability, management and even the disposal of wastewater in industrialized and developing countries. Most high-income countries, they ensure they budget for the replacement and the servicing of the already laid down sanitation and water supply infrastructure, the tasks can be also termed as being good practice, as they ensure the worn-out pipes are replaced and that will ensure pollution is minimized as the pipes channeling wastewater may not be faulty because the repairs are done often. In developing countries on the other hand water pollution is sever because most of the sewage is often discharged of to the water bodies without being treated and hence as seen in many public health publications may developing countries focus on the improvement of sanitation as well as the access to safe drinking water. The efforts to ensure the population has access to safe drinking water and the appropriate sanitation in undeveloped countries are often curtailed by the increase of population in the urban areas of the undeveloped countries that are subject to living in places that are not connected with the public sewerage systems. Statistics and predictions indicate that a majority of the population, that is 67% will still be living in areas that do not have a sewerage system by the year 2030. Statistics demonstrate that 1.1 billion people in the world do not have access to safe water and the higher number of 2.6 billion individuals do not have access to adequate and proper sanitation and the rates are from developing countries, and there also is an evident imbalance that exists between the rural and the urban areas in terms of sanitation and safe drinking water. From data utilized to inform on the progress of the health goals globally, it is indicated that four people out of five may not be having access to safe drinking water and majority of them live in rural areas. Globally, 1.6million deaths recorded annually have attributed to be caused by the restriction to access safe water and the lack of appropriate sanitation systems, hence subjecting the people to a wide array of diseases. A number of them end up losing their lives in the undeveloped worlds. Majority of the individuals affected are children, and 50% of the childhood deaths in sub-Saharan Africa are often attributed to lack of sanitation and restricted access to safe drinking water. The diarrheal diseases in undeveloped countries are preventable. They are usually caused by unsafe water and the lack of sanitation and hygiene, leading to 6.1% of the deaths reported in these countries. The situation is also sad to be the deaths can be easily prevented only if the governments ensured that the populations had access to safe drinking water and the most appropriate sanitation methods and services. Unsafe water also leads to gastrointestinal diseases that affect the lives of people, and they spend a lot of time and waste their resources as they seek treatment for the conditions that could have been avoided. The main acute disease risk associated with drinking water in developing and transition countries is due to well-known viruses, bacteria, and protozoa, which spread via the faecal-oral route. (G.J. Madema, P. Payment, A. Dufour, W. Robertson, M. Waite, P. Hunter, R. Kirby and Y. Andersson, 2013). According to WHO records of infectious disease outbreaks in 132 countries, outbreaks of waterborne diseases are at the top of the list, with cholera as the next most frequent disease, followed by acute diarrhoea, legionellosis, and typhoid fever. (G.J. Madema, P. Payment, A. Dufour, W. Robertson, M. Waite, P. Hunter, R. Kirby and Y. Andersson, 2013). The reappearance of cholera in Africa after close to 100 years was met with a lot of speculations as a majority of the individuals could not understand why a condition they thought they had eliminated was making a coming back and taking the lives of people and other than that is the most frequent waterborne disease that causes outbreaks. Typhoid on the other hand caused by the Salmonella typhi have also been seen to cause challenges in the undeveloped countries. Also hepatitis A and E viruses, rotaviruses, and the parasitic protozoa Giardia lamblia are often found associated with inadequate water supply and hygiene (Ashbolt, 2004). A study in Bangladesh reported that 75% of diarrheal and 44% of the control children were infected with either Cryptosporidium parvum, Campylobacter jejuni, enterotoxigenic and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, Shigella spp., or Vibrio cholera. (Albert et al., 1999).

On the other hand, the high-income countries often experience outbreaks of the diseases caused by the disease-causing E. coli, among other conditions. The multiplication and the spread of the conditions are often fueled by the favourable conditions that allow the microbes to thrive. The conditions are the warm water supplies and the subsequent air conditioning systems in hospitals and other larger buildings. Outbreaks of typhoid fever occur only sporadically. The primary route of infection is through the fecal-oral course and the polluted water that often cause disease is the water that has been contaminated by feces, to bar the contamination from occurring it is particularly important to ensure appropriate sewer systems are in place and the clean water and the sewage water do not mix. To reduce a load of pathogenic microbes and viruses into surface water from wastewater, an assortment of conventional treatment methods are available, and feasible options for low-income countries have recently been comprehensively summarized. Most of these methods rely on physical elimination of the pathogens by coagulation, sedimentation, and filtration, typically eliminating pathogens by 1–3 log units. Today, the disinfection of treated wastewater by UVC irradiation or chemicals (UVC, chlorination, ozone) is performed in some countries. Even disinfection of the raw wastewater is practised occasionally. One of the main ways of producing safe drinking water is by the removal and inactivation of pathogenic microbes through multiple barriers. These barriers include filtration by soil aquifer treatment, riverbank filtration, sand filtration, or membrane systems and disinfection steps, such as boiling, chemical disinfection, or UV light. Chlorination is still the most widely used technique for disinfecting drinking water because it is effective and economical. It maintains a residual disinfectant concentration during distribution as an additional security measure. The formation of chlorinated disinfection by-products is considered insignificant compared to the health benefits from the inactivation of pathogens. During the past decade, membrane-based processes became cost-effective for their municipal water treatment application and are increasingly used as polishing steps to remove microbes and viruses from pretreated water. Recent work suggests that gravity-driven low-flow ultrafiltration may become a valid option for producing drinking water directly from low-quality source water even for low-income countries. The efficacy of the above disinfection processes strongly depends on their implementation as centralized versus decentralized solutions. In densely populated urban areas, centralized drinking water production and distribution systems are economically favourable and, therefore, the usual case in industrialized countries. However, experiences from large cities in low-income countries also show that centralized systems often fail to supply safe drinking water to their customers. The reasons are manifold and include insufficient maintenance owing to lack of finances or expertise, as well as to pressure failure, illegal tapping, etc. Hence, in low-income countries, treatment at the household level is required not only in rural areas (for example, by solar disinfection) but also in cities with existing centralized systems. The impact of household-based methods in low-income countries for drinking water treatment on human health is currently debated. The reliability of such methods, however, is of primary importance because even occasional consumption of unsafe water results in an increased health risks, particularly for children.

Municipal wastewater contributes significantly to the micropollutant load into the aquatic environment. The main concerns are pharmaceutical compounds and personal care products. Approximately 3,000 pharmaceuticals are used in Europe and the United States today, including painkillers, antibiotics, beta-blockers, contraceptives, lipid regulators, antidepressants, and others. In Germany, ∼30 new pharmaceuticals are launched on the market every year with 8% of the worldwide research and development (R&D) expenditure. On the basis of the worldwide R&D expenditure of about US$83 billion in 2007, it can be extrapolated that on average more than 300 new pharmaceutical compounds are launched every year. The worldwide market of pharmaceuticals [100,000 tons per year was US$773 billion, with the highest per capita sales of US$676 in the United States. In most European countries, per capita sales vary between about US$200 (in the United Kingdom) and US$400 (in France) (. Pharmaceutical compounds are highly bioactive, and therefore, undesired effects in organisms cannot be excluded after their discharge into the aquatic environment, where, owing to their polarity, they tend to be quite mobile. Even though the presence of pharmaceuticals in wastewater and natural water could be expected from their large production and widespread use, only developments in analytical chemistry allowed the analysis of these compounds in the nanogram to microgram per liter range, which is typical for wastewater and aquatic systems (The observed concentrations of human pharmaceuticals in raw sewage of up to several micrograms per liter confirm that municipal wastewater is the main pathway for their discharge to the receiving water bodies. Currently, in wastewater systems, pharmaceuticals are removed unintentionally by sorption to sludge and by biodegradation of pharmaceuticals in wastewater often does not lead to their full mineralization but to the formation of metabolites. In the case of iopromide, an iodinated X-ray contrast medium, 12 metabolites were identified. Therefore, in terms of the (eco) toxicological effects of the discharged wastewater, not only the parent compounds but also their waste waterborne metabolites have to be considered. Fortunately, the more hydrophilic metabolites are expected to have a smaller (eco) toxicological potential than their system.

Tackling global water pollution requires an effective set of policies, technologies, and scientific advances on very different scales. The legacy of persistent priority pollutants, such as PCBs, calls for a general phase-out and a regulatory effort on the global scale. Volatile chemicals, such as halogenated compounds or mercury, which are not subject to biodegradation but accumulate in the food chain, should be restricted in their use to applications in strictly closed systems. Human food production systems require rigorous protection against compounds with a potential for bioaccumulation; thus water as the key commodity for agriculture needs the same attention. In addition, the precautionary principle has to be applied in designing potential substitutes for such priority pollutants to make sure that today’s solution will not become tomorrow’s problem. Global agriculture faces the challenge to increase production yields and at the same time safeguard the environment and protect the food chain against contamination. Improving water quality in agricultural areas requires more integrated approaches to farming. “Precision agriculture” is based on local characteristics such as soil type, topography, irrigation and drainage systems, and makes sure that the optimal crop management practices are implemented in the right place at the right time, thereby reducing the risk of emitting nutrients and pesticides into surface water. Geologic contaminants act as diffuse sources of toxic elements at regional scales, inflicting chronic diseases on large populations on all continents. As the main geochemical drivers are known, geochemical modelling based on hydrogeochemical data and spatial analysis helps identify the people at risk and implement advanced treatment technologies for central water distribution systems. In many parts of the developing world, however, rural populations depend on contaminated groundwater wells. For these settings, identifying alternative water resources or implementing simple, reliable household-centred water treatment technologies requires extraordinary effort. Cleaning up large-scale water pollution from mining activities and groundwater contamination from waste sites requires science-based decisions that consider the specific hydrological conditions, the microbial and geochemical transformation pathways, and possible remediation technologies to choose the most effective strategies. Such waste management strategies need to be superseded in the long run by proactive strategies based on lifecycle assessments and cradle-to-grave stewardship for toxic compounds. Global water cycles should no longer be used as transport pathways for pollutants; it is responsible for economic actors to keep toxic compounds within controlled, closed loops. Finally, the many point sources of water pollution from urban water systems need increased attention and investments over the next decades. To reach the MDGs to provide improved sanitation and safe drinking water for about 2 billion people, concerted efforts to develop and implement cost-effective sanitation systems in the growing megacities in areas with water stress are of the highest priority. Developing the techniques and social networks to improve household-centred sanitation in rural areas requires an effort of similar magnitude.

The Economic issues involved with water pollution in undeveloped countries.

The heavily polluted water has been known to reduce the economic growth of a country to close to a third of its total economic production as by the World Bank Report and hence the bid to call for substantial action to address the human-environmental harm. As we all know, clean water drives the economy of any particular country and whenever the quality of water deteriorates then the economic growth of that particular country will most likely be stalled and the results of the stalled economy will certainly be, the health conditions in the country will keep on worsening, the production of food will be very low and reduced to unacceptable limits, and the poverty levels also increase in countries where water pollution and contamination is on the rise.

Water pollution may also affect the economy of the country in that, in areas where the Biological Oxygen Demand an indication of organic pollution in the water body cause the development and the economy of the downstream populations to drop because the aquatic life is destroyed and they may not get the appropriate amount of water to be used for irrigation hence reducing production rates of the crops and ultimately affection food production in the country. From the above account, it is clear that there is a definite relationship between the environmental quality, the health of the individual, and economic production. Water pollution is caused by nitrogen, which is the leading contributor to low water quality. The children who consume the polluted water or the water contaminated by nitrates will have their brain development affected and their growth, which will subsequently reduce their health and their earning potential in the future.

Cultural and the ethical perspective of Environmental equality as an approach to address water pollution.

Concerns about the world’s current environmental crisis have culminated in most controversial ecological, ethical theories. The definition of ethics is often known as the connection between the conduct of individuals concerning the injustice and the justice, the good and the evil, and the right and the wrong. In 2006 the World Water Day was commemorated with the theme, Water and Culture which to a greater extent shed light on the fact there are so many ways of using, viewing and the celebration of water according to the different communities. Water has been seen to be at the heart of so many communities globally, and it is often viewed as the source of life. Other communities respect the water, indicating that water can be used to purify and cleanse.

Ethics that relate to water.

Ethics in water often come to the limelight or are better highlighted when discussing the water’s resource management is concerned. Control is critical and essential because it covers all the issues related to water management, from access to use and pollution. The ethical issues concerning water involve ethical considerations when it comes to the management of the water. It is a complex issue, and it consists of the connection of a variety of factors from the source of water, to the utilization of the precious resource. The principle ethic of water includes human dignity. Water is esteemed and is often thought to be the source of life and life on its own. There is no life without water, and it is often seen that an individual that has been denied water has been denied life. It is also essential to involve the poor’s participation in water planning and this vital resource management. Where the community is engaged, then the needs of the population at hand is considered, and those institutions that may cross the line and contaminate the water can be stopped. They may take full responsibility for their actions. Participation also ensures that the causes of gender inequalities and poverty are identified and addressed to ensure that every aspect that pertains to water is managed.

It is also essential for the existence of solidarity among the communities. The communities that are committed to ensuring they take care of their water sources will lead to them having access to clean water that they can utilize for their domestic uses. Solidarity will also ensure that the government and the local authorities take responsibility for their roles, for example, ensuring the population has access to clean water and adequate sanitation. Human equality is another principle that should be considered. Every individual should be provided with the most necessities of life including water, and inequitable basis and those individuals caught breaking the law, like polluting the water sources should be made to pay for their acts because the acts are detrimental to health and it also destroys the aquatic life that the population depends on for food and livelihood.

Conclusion.

In conclusion, water is a common good in all communities. To serve its purpose entirely, it is essential for the responsible bodies to manage the water properly and respect the dignity of the people by ensuring every individual gets what they should get and that is safe water to drink and appropriate sanitation. It is also essential to understand the importance of stewardship and the protection of the vital resource. To ensure that the need of every individual is well taken care of.

Water pollution leads to water containing pathogenic organisms that are responsible for ill health. Hence, it is essential to have particular measures to establish whether it is safe to drink the water. When the public health approach, environmental equality is considered, the appropriate action to prevent water pollution will be put in place. The quality of water and is essential to public health. The efforts in the country should, therefore, be considered to ensure the population is healthy and that they get equal treatment at all times.

Water prevention approaches that also prevent environmental injustices from occurring are of great importance. Therefore, it is the responsibility of every individual to ensure they do not overuse the pesticides and fertilizers in their farms as they contaminate the water sources and eventually affect the health of the individuals. Environmental injustice can also be protected by the enforcement of the laws in place. The majority of the environmental laws that ensure dumping are not done, and the water bodies are kept free from pollution should be enforced. The result will be to achieve the desired water quality and reduce the diseases affecting the population.

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