Community-Level Analysis of Drinking Water Data Highlights the Importance of Drinking Water Metrics for the State, Federal Environmental Health Justice Priorities in the United States. 2021

Uloma Igara Uche, and Sydney Evans, and Soren Rundquist, and Chris Campbell, and Olga V Naidenko
Environmental Working Group, 1250 I Street NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005, USA.

Research studies analyzing the geospatial distribution of air pollution and other types of environmental contamination documented the persistence of environmental health disparities between communities. Due to the shortage of publicly available data, only limited research has been published on the geospatial distribution of drinking water pollution. Here we present a framework for the joint consideration of community-level drinking water data and demographic data. Our analysis builds on a comprehensive data set of drinking water contaminant occurrence for the United States for 2014-2019 and the American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2015-2019) from the U.S. Census Bureau. Focusing on the U.S. states of California and Texas for which geospatial data on community water system service boundaries are publicly available, we examine cumulative cancer risk for water served by community water systems of different sizes relative to demographic characteristics for the populations served by these water systems. In both California and Texas, greater cumulative cancer risk was observed for water systems serving communities with a higher percentage of Hispanic/Latino and Black/African American community members. This investigation demonstrates that it is both practical and essential to incorporate and expand the drinking water data metrics in the analysis of environmental pollution and environmental health. The framework presented here can support the development of public policies to advance environmental health justice priorities on state and federal levels in the U.S.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D004782 Environmental Health The science of controlling or modifying those conditions, influences, or forces surrounding man which relate to promoting, establishing, and maintaining health. Environmental Health Science,Health, Environmental,Environmental Health Sciences,Environmental Healths,Health Science, Environmental,Health Sciences, Environmental,Healths, Environmental,Science, Environmental Health,Sciences, Environmental Health
D006630 Hispanic or Latino A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/1997/10/30/97-28653/revisions-to-the-standards-for-the-classification-of-federal-data-on-race-and-ethnicity). In the United States it is used for classification of federal government data on race and ethnicity. Race and ethnicity terms are self-identified social construct and may include terms outdated and offensive in MeSH to assist users who are interested in retrieving comprehensive search results for studies such as in longitudinal studies. Cuban Americans,Hispanic Americans,Latin Americans, US,Latinas,Latinos,Latinx,Puerto Ricans,Spanish Americans,Hispanics,American, Hispanic,American, US Latin,Cuban American,Hispanic American,Hispanic or Latinos,Latin American, US,Latina,Latino,Puerto Rican,Spanish American,US Latin American,US Latin Americans
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D014481 United States A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.
D014876 Water Pollution Contamination of bodies of water (such as LAKES; RIVERS; SEAS; and GROUNDWATER.) Thermal Water Pollution,Water Pollution, Thermal,Pollution, Thermal Water,Pollution, Water,Pollutions, Thermal Water,Pollutions, Water,Thermal Water Pollutions,Water Pollutions,Water Pollutions, Thermal
D060766 Drinking Water Water that is intended to be ingested. Bottled Water,Potable Water,Water, Bottled,Water, Drinking,Water, Potable
D019985 Benchmarking Method of measuring performance against established standards of best practice. Benchmarking, Health Care,Benchmarks,Best Practice Analysis,Metrics,Benchmark,Benchmarking, Healthcare,Analysis, Best Practice,Health Care Benchmarking,Healthcare Benchmarking

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