142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

308025
Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Water and Public Health: Broadening the Dialogue

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 11:30 AM - 11:50 AM

Alice Fulmer, M.S. , Water Research Foundation, Denver, CO
Rula Deeb, Ph.D., BCEEM , GeoSyntec, Oakland, CA
Elisabeth Hawley, P.E. , ARCADIS U.S., Inc., Emeryville, CA
Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) include a variety of chemicals that have been detected in water supplies, are unregulated in the United States, and have real or perceived potential adverse effects. Examples include endocrine disrupting compounds and a variety of pharmaceutically-active compounds, among many others. Research regarding the relevance and human health effects of CECs in water is ongoing, yet improved analytical methods allow their detection at increasingly low levels. Such detections are frequently discussed in the media, which raises concern among the public. As a result, water utilities are often placed in the spotlight and questioned about detections of CECs in water supplies. To respond to these questions, utility representatives would benefit from partnerships with public health professionals who could help speak to the safety and quality of water supplies. Such collaborations would be mutually beneficial as well, as the public health community would also benefit from a better understanding of water supply systems and water quality.

An inter-disciplinary workshop was held in July 2013 to enhance communication and dialogue about the potential health risks of CECs in drinking water and facilitate collaboration among water utilities, public health agencies, researchers, and other organizations. This workshop led to cross-disciplinary interaction and information exchange among the diverse group of attendees. Workshop participants recognized the value of future collaborations between water quality and public health groups. They identified common ground between different organizations and discussed next steps to maintain dialogue and collaboration moving forward.

The proposed presentation would summarize the workshop proceedings, discussion topics, and key recommendations to foster communication and collaboration on CECs in water and public health. Some examples of the types of recommendations to be presented include cross-discipline participation and outreach, interagency collaborations, online resources and networking, local resources and networking, and focus groups and pilot studies. 

Learning Areas:

Communication and informatics
Environmental health sciences
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe and discuss key recommendations to foster communication and collaboration among public health professionals and water utilties on the issue of contaminants of emerging concern in water and public health

Keyword(s): Water & Health, Partnerships

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: For the past 12 years, I have served as project manager for multiple research projects on drinking water quality, many of them on contaminants of emerging concern. The Water Research Foundation is a non-profit organization funded primarily by water utilities and dedicated to advancing the science of water. I routinely work with these utilities to help them research and communicate about contaminants in water. I managed the project that produced the recommendations to be presented.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.