Abstract
Poor water quality has been reported along with a variety of negative health outcomes in the Saharawi refugee camps in Algeria. We assessed the concentration of elements in drinking water and urine in refugee women and children. Twenty-four samples of distributed public drinking water were collected, along with urine samples from 77 women and 296 children. Using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, we analyzed water and urine for 31 and 10 elements, respectively. In addition, the water samples were analyzed for five anions by ion-exchange chromatography. Data were described according to two areas: zone 1 with purified water and water with naturally better quality, and zone 2 with only partially purified water. Most elements in drinking water had significantly higher concentration in zone 2 compared with zone 1. Sodium, chloride, nitrite, and nitrate were the parameters that exceeded the WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality. Among both women and children, urinary concentration of vanadium, arsenic, selenium, lead, iodine, and uranium exceeded reference values, and most of the elements were significantly higher in zone 2 compared to zone 1. Even though water purification in the Saharawi refugee camps has increased during the last years, some elements are still exceeding the WHO guidelines for drinking water quality. Moreover, urinary exposure of some elements exceeded reference values from the literature. Further effort should be made to improve the water quality among the Saharawi refugees.
Highlights
Essential for life, water can be a source of harmful substances
Organization (WHO) states that safe drinking water is defined as water that does not represent any significant risk to health over a lifetime of consumption [4]
We explored whether the trace element concentration in urine relevant for thyroid hormone synthesis may be related to thyroid disturbances among the women and children
Summary
Essential for life, water can be a source of harmful substances. Food, water, and air are the major sources of exposure to potential toxic chemical substances, of which water and food are considered the most important sources when work-related exposure is unaccounted [1]. The sustainable development goals (SDG 6A) draws attention to the importance of supply of clean and safe drinking water [2]. Access to clean drinking water is a human right [3], and The World Health. The WHO has established guideline values for the upper acceptable level of elements and anions in drinking water [4]. E.g., urine, serum, or hair, may be used to assess the level of exposure to elements [5,6]. Biomonitoring may serve several purposes: to identify unknown chemical exposures, monitor temporal trends or changes in exposure, and assess levels of exposure throughout different populations and geographical areas [8]. Biological monitoring data relies on reference values to be able to interpret the level of exposure. There are few comparable values for non-occupational exposure [9]
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