Quantifying public health risk in the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality: a burden of disease approach
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Series / Report no.
Open Access
Type
Report
Language
en
Date
2003-06-05
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Title
Quantifying public health risk in the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality: a burden of disease approach
Translated Title
Kwantificeren en vergelijken van volksgezondheidsrisico's van drinkwaterconsumptie in het kader van de WHO Richtlijnen voor Drinkwaterkwaliteit
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Abstract
In de komende 3e editie van de WHO Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality wordt een preventief raamwerk voor het beheersen van de kwaliteit van drinkwater voorgesteld dat gelijk is voor alle soorten verontreinigingen - microbiologisch, chemisch en radiologisch. Risico's die zijn verbonden aan water worden meestal uitgedrukt in specifieke gezondheidseffecten (zoals kanker, diarree etc.). Omdat verschillende contaminanten gezondheidsklachten veroorzaken die sterk verschillen in aard en ernst van b.v. milde diarree tot verlamming door fluorose en kindersterfte, is een gemeenschappelijke eenheid noodzakelijk om de effecten op de volksgezondheid van verschillende agentia en interventies te kunnen vergelijken. Dit rapport beoogt materiaal aan te dragen voor een discussie over de grondslagen en methoden van Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) als een gemeenschappelijke volksgezondheidsmaat en de bruikbaarheid ervan op het gebied van drinkwaterkwaliteit. De methode wordt geillustreerd aan de hand van enkele contaminanten in drinkwater waarvan de ziektelast eerder bestudeerd was, en voorlopige gegevens worden gepresenteerd voor enkele andere belangrijke contaminanten.<br>
The forthcoming 3rd edition of the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality proposes a preventive management framework for safe drinking water that is similar for all types of contaminants - microbial, chemical and radiological. Descriptions of the level of risk in relation to water are usually expressed in terms of specific health outcomes (such as cancer, diarrhoeal disease, etc.). A common unit for risk is essential here, since different contaminants cause health effects of widely varying severity and kinds, ranging, for example, from mild diarrhoea through crippling fluorosis to child death. This is the only way to enable comparison between the public health impact of various agents and intervention options. The purpose of this particular report is to provide a discussion paper on the concepts and methodology of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) as a common public health metric and its usefulness for drinking-water quality. The approach is illustrated for several drinking-water contaminants already examined using the burden of disease approach; preliminary data are given for several other key contaminants.<br>
The forthcoming 3rd edition of the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality proposes a preventive management framework for safe drinking water that is similar for all types of contaminants - microbial, chemical and radiological. Descriptions of the level of risk in relation to water are usually expressed in terms of specific health outcomes (such as cancer, diarrhoeal disease, etc.). A common unit for risk is essential here, since different contaminants cause health effects of widely varying severity and kinds, ranging, for example, from mild diarrhoea through crippling fluorosis to child death. This is the only way to enable comparison between the public health impact of various agents and intervention options. The purpose of this particular report is to provide a discussion paper on the concepts and methodology of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) as a common public health metric and its usefulness for drinking-water quality. The approach is illustrated for several drinking-water contaminants already examined using the burden of disease approach; preliminary data are given for several other key contaminants.<br>
Description
Publisher
Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu RIVM
Sponsors
WHO
VROM-DGM-BWL
VROM-DGM-BWL