title: Need for certification of household water treatment products: examples from Haiti.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate four household water treatment (HWT) products currently seeking approval for distribution in Haiti, through the application of a recently-developed national HWT product certification process.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four chemical treatment products were evaluated against the certification process validation stage by verifying international product certifications confirming treatment efficacy and reviewing laboratory efficacy data against WHO HWT microbiological performance targets; and against the approval stage by confirming product composition, evaluating treated water chemical content against national and international drinking water quality guidelines and reviewing packaging for dosing ability and usage directions in Creole.
  
  
  RESULTS
  None of the four evaluated products fulfilled validation or approval stage requirements. None was certified by an international agency as efficacious for drinking water treatment, and none had data demonstrating its ability to meet WHO HWT performance targets. All product sample compositions differed from labelled composition by >20%, and no packaging included complete usage directions in Creole.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Product manufacturers provided information that was inapplicable, did not demonstrate product efficacy, and was insufficient to ensure safe product use. Capacity building is needed with country regulatory agencies to objectively evaluate HWT products. Products should be internationally assessed against WHO performance targets and also locally approved, considering language, culture and usability, to ensure effective HWT.
authors.affiliation: Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: Jocelyne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pierre-Louis
authors.forename: Flaurine
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Joseph
authors.forename: Ginelove
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sylvain
authors.forename: Molly
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Patrick
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lantagne
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002568:Certification; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D005191:Family Characteristics; D006205:Haiti; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D014871:Water Microbiology; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*; D014881:Water Supply; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D060766:Drinking Water
keywords: agua potable; developing countries; drinking water; eau potable; household water treatment; pays en développement; países en vías de desarrollo; regulación; regulation; règlementation; traitement de l'eau; traitement de l'eau des ménages; tratamiento del agua; tratamiento del agua en los hogares; water treatment