title: Home Water Treatment Habits and Effectiveness in a Rural Arizona Community.
abstract: Drinking water quality in the United States (US) is among the safest in the world. However, many residents, often in rural areas, rely on unregulated private wells or small municipal utilities for water needs. These utilities may violate the Safe Drinking Water Act contaminant guidelines, often because they lack the required financial resources. Residents may use alternative water sources or install a home water treatment system. Despite increased home water treatment adoption, few studies have examined their use and effectiveness in the US. Our study addresses this knowledge gap by examining home water treatment in a rural Arizona community. Water samples were analyzed for metal(loid)s, and home treatment and demographic data were recorded in 31 homes. Approximately 42% of homes treated their water. Independent of source water quality, residents with higher income (OR = 1.25; 95%CI (1.00 - 1.64)) and education levels (OR = 1.49; 95%CI (1.12 - 2.12)) were more likely to treat their water. Some contaminant concentrations were effectively reduced with treatment, while some were not. We conclude that increased educational outreach on contaminant testing and treatment, especially to rural areas with endemic water contamination, would result in a greater public health impact while reducing rural health disparities.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, The University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lothrop
authors.affiliation: Superfund Research Program, The University of Arizona, 1110 E. South Campus Dr., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, The University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verhougstraete
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, The University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA.
authors.forename: Anastasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sugeng
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, The University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA ; Institute of Occupational Medicine, Research Avenue North, Riccarton, Edinburgh, EH14 4AP.
authors.forename: Miranda M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Loh
authors.affiliation: Superfund Research Program, The University of Arizona, 1110 E. South Campus Dr., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA ; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, P.O. 210207, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Klimecki
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, The University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA ; Superfund Research Program, The University of Arizona, 1110 E. South Campus Dr., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
authors.forename: Paloma I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Beamer
keywords: Safe Drinking Water Act; arsenic; drinking water; reverse osmosis; rural health