Posts

Call to Action for Safe Water

Image
  Hello Class, thank you for staying for the journey and learning about safe water in Lubbock County and the importance of this vital health right.  One of the leading issues in safe water is water systems and hazardous substances that are not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Public water systems that serve minority communities and small and rural water systems face unsafe levels of hazardous chemicals due to aging water infrastructure and lack of funds (Mcdonald et al., 2018). The EPA has no oversight over private water systems such as private wells that millions of Americans drink from and contain high levels of harmful chemicals such as arsenic that are unsafe for human consumption and increase the risk of disability and death (Greco et al., 2019). There is evidence that there are chemicals unregulated by the EPA that increase the risk of harm to the human body such as aluminum and there are no regulated levels that are enforced in public water systems (Krupi
4 comments
Read more

Programs that Protect Americans' Health from Unsafe Water

Image
  In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) l ocated at  2500 Century Pkwy NE, Atlanta, GA 30345   started the Safe Water program to improve the country’s access to safe drinking water. Their goal is to provide safe drinking water in communities across the country by identifying hazards and inspecting public water sources such as waterparks, public swimming pools, and wastewater systems. They have also made it their mission to respond to and prevent Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks and address drinking water system problems. In 2019, they helped 37 states improve their Legionnaires’ disease prevention and outbreak response (CDC, 2022). The CDC program has enhanced case surveillance and reporting of Legionnaires’ disease and improved environmental assessment and response. Holsinger et al. (2022) describes the increase in Legionnaires’ disease cases and how the disease often goes underdiagnosed due to its similarities to other bacterial infections. This program is impo
2 comments
Read more

Unsafe Drinking Water in Texas

Image
Part 1: Safe water for everyone is one of the most important basic human life needs. It is a right that everyone should have for their well-being and health. States are in charge of funding public water systems, and it is of the utmost importance that every system is not in violation of unsafe water. Unfortunately, when states do not act quickly, this is how situations like Flint, Michigan’s lead water occur. Nothing was done about the aging and corroded pipes in the water supply, and 6,000 to 12,000 children were poisoned with the leached lead (Arquhar, 2019). This has happened repeatedly since the federal government put states in charge and instead of the government setting the standards based on the Clean Water Act and Safe Water Act and providing the money. (Arquhar, 2019). Figure 1 demonstrates how in the 1970’s the federal government had a more active role in investing in water infrastructure and how over time this has changed, and the state and local governments are investing
3 comments
Read more

What to Know About Your Water - Lubbock County

Image
  Unsafe water is dangerous for human health as it is the cause of millions of deaths and illnesses (Landrigan et al., 2018). Water is contaminated through chemicals or hazardous substances that then make it unsafe for consumption. Lubbock county has a history of water violations and unsafe water. Some examples include issues with chemically derived contents such as aluminum, nitrate, arsenic, and fluoride. Certain substances are within regulation, the standards are usually higher than what health experts advise. Other substances are not regulated yet evidence shows they are harmful to human health. For example, studies show that aluminum in drinking water causes numerous health problems such as Alzheimer's disease, weak bones and damage to the nervous system through diffused aluminum ions in the blood plasma. (Krupińska, 2020). The World Health Organization (2017) recommends aluminum levels lower than 0.2 mg/dm3, but 0.1 mg/dm3 is ideal and feasible. The city of Lubbock's (202
2 comments
Read more