China's drinking water sanitation from 2007 to 2018: A systematic review

Web of Science-Based Scientometric Assessment of the Importance of Filtered Water in Dentistry: Spatiotemporal Dynamics, Emerging Patterns, and Collaboration

Objective

The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of scientific production related to the use of filtered water in the field of dentistry. Material and Methods. A quantitative and descriptive observational study was carried out with a scientometric approach. Data were collected from the Web of Science (WOS) database during the period January 1991 to December 2023. A search strategy incorporating a combination of MeSH terms, including terms and thesauri related to "filtered water" and "dentistry", was used. R Studio version 4.3.2 and CiteSpace 6.2.R7 were used for data analysis.

Results

Over the 32-year study period, 227 scholarly papers from 134 different sources were reviewed. The literature in this field has shown an annual growth rate of 10.44%. During the year 2010, a steady movement in the number of publications and authors was observed, with considerable collaborative interaction. In the year 2020, a large interaction between publications and their citations was found. The "Citation Burst" graph identified three references that have experienced the largest "burst" of citations in an evaluated period. Lotka's law described the productivity of authors, finding that most authors have published only one paper, while a smaller number of authors have published two papers. Most authors contributed a small number of articles, while a few authors contributed a large amount of the existing literature.

Conclusion

A comprehensive overview of the scientific production related to the use of filtered water in dentistry over a span of 32 years is provided. The results highlight the growing interdisciplinarity and international collaboration in this field. Finally, the importance of filtered water in dentistry and its growing relevance in the scientific literature are emphasized.

Assessment of drinking water quality and health risk using water quality index and multiple computational models: a case study of Yangtze River in suburban areas of Wuhan, central China, from 2016 to 2021

Water quality, increasingly recognized for its significant impact on health, is garnering heightened attention. Previous studies were limited by the number of water quality indicators and the duration of analysis. This study assessed the drinking water quality and its associated health risk in suburban areas of Wuhan, a city in central China, from 2016 to 2021. We collected 368 finished water samples and 1090 tap water samples and tested these for 37 different indicators. The water quality was evaluated using the water quality index, with trends over time analyzed via the Mann-Kendall test. Furthermore, an artificial neural network model was employed for future water quality prediction. Our findings indicated that the water quality in rural Wuhan was generally good and had an improvement from 2016 to 2021. The qualification and excellent rates were 98.91% and 86.81% for finished water, and 97.89% and 78.07% for tap water, respectively. The drinking water quality was predicted to maintain satisfactory in 2022 and 2023. Additionally, principal component analysis revealed that the primary sanitary issues in the water were poor sensory properties, elevated metal contents, high levels of dissolved solids, and microbial contamination. These issues were likely attributable to domestic and industrial waste discharge and aging water pipelines. The health risks associated with the long-term consumption of this water have been steadily decreasing over the years, underscoring the effectiveness of Wuhan's ongoing water management efforts.

Universal health coverage in China part 2: addressing challenges and recommendations

This report analyses the underlying causes of China's achievements and gaps in universal health coverage over the past 2 decades and proposes policy recommendations for advancing universal health coverage by 2030. Although strong political commitment and targeted financial investment have produced positive outcomes in reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health and infectious diseases, a fragmented and hospital-centric delivery system, rising health-care costs, shallow benefit coverage of health insurance schemes, and little integration of health in all policies have restricted China's ability to effectively prevent and control chronic disease and provide adequate financial risk protection, especially for lower-income households. Here, we used a health system conceptual framework and we propose a set of feasible policy recommendations that draw from international experiences and first-hand knowledge of China's unique institutional landscape. Our six recommendations are: instituting a primary care-focused integrated delivery system that restructures provider incentives and accountability mechanisms to prioritise prevention; leveraging digital tools to support health behaviour change; modernising information campaigns; improving financial protection through insurance reforms; promoting a health in all policy; and developing a domestic monitoring framework with refined tracer indicators that reflects China's disease burden.

Effect of Polydopamine/Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Modified Halloysite on the Microstructure and Permeability of a Polyamide Forward Osmosis Membrane

Mine water cannot be directly consumed by trapped people when a mine collapses, so it is difficult for people to carry out emergency rescues to ensure their safety. Therefore, a water bag made of a forward osmosis (FO) membrane has been designed that can efficiently filter coal mine water to meet the urgent needs of emergency rescue. Before interfacial polymerization (IP), sodium-dodecyl-sulfate-modified halloysite (SDS-HNT) was added to an MPD aqueous solution to prepare an SDS-HNT polyamide active layer, and then the prepared membrane was placed into a polydopamine (PDA) solution formed by the self-polymerization of dopamine and a PDA/SDS-HNT composite film was prepared. The results showed that the original ridge-valley structure of the polyamide membrane was transformed to a rod-, circular-, and blade-like structure by the addition of SDS-HNTs. Subsequently, a dense PDA nanoparticle layer was formed on the modified membrane. The polyamide/polysulfone forward osmosis membrane modified by co-doping of PDA and SDS-HNTs displayed both the best water flux and rejection rate, confirming the synergistic effect of compound modification. Therefore, the high-performance permeability of the polyamide membrane modified by SDS-HNTs and PDA provides great convenience for the emergency filtration of coal mine water, and also has potential applications in wastewater treatment and seawater desalination.

Bubbleless aerated-biological activated carbon as a superior process for drinking water treatment in rural areas

Drinking water supply in rural areas remains a substantial challenge due to complex natural, technical and economic conditions. To provide safe and affordable drinking water to all, as targeted in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (2030 Agenda), low-cost, efficient water treatment processes suitable for rural areas need to be developed. In this study, a bubbleless aeration BAC (termed ABAC) process is proposed and evaluated, involving the incorporation of a hollow fiber membrane (HFM) assembly within a slow-rate BAC filter, to provide dissolved oxygen (DO) throughout the BAC filter and an increased DOM removal efficiency. The results showed that after a 210-day period of operation, the ABAC increased the DOC removal by 54%, and decreased the disinfection byproduct formation potential (DBPFP) by 41%, compared to a comparable BAC filter without aeration (termed NBAC). The elevated DO (> 4 mg/L) not only reduced secreted extracellular polymer, but also modified the microbial community with a stronger degradation ability. The HFM-based aeration showed comparable performance to 3 mg/L pre-ozonation, and the DOC removal efficiency was four times greater than that of a conventional coagulation process. The proposed ABAC treatment, with its various advantages (e.g., high stability, avoidance of chemicals, ease of operation and maintenance), is well-suited to be integrated as a prefabricated device, for decentralized drinking water systems in rural areas.

Drinking Water in Rural China: Water Sources, Treatment, and Boiling Energy

Access to safe drinking water is a major public concern in China. A national survey of 57 029 households was conducted to fill major knowledge gaps on drinking water sources, end-of-use treatment methods, and energy used to boil water. Herein, we show that surface water and well water were frequently used by >147 million rural residents living in low-income inland and mountainous areas. Driven by socioeconomic development and government intervention, the level of access to tap water in rural China increased to 70% by 2017. Nevertheless, the rate was considerably lower than that in cities and unevenly distributed across the country. Approximately 90% of drinking water was boiled, an increase from 85% a decade ago. The contribution of electricity, mainly electric kettles, to the boiling of water was 69%. Similar to cooking, living conditions and heating requirements are the main influencing indicators of energy used to boil water. In addition to socioeconomic development, government intervention is a key factor driving the transition to safe water sources, universal access to tap water, and clean energy. Further improvement in drinking water safety in poor and remote rural areas remains challenging, and more intervention and more investment are needed.

Characterizing spatial dependence of boron, arsenic, and other trace elements for Permian groundwater in Northern Anhui plain coal mining area, China, using spatial autocorrelation index and geostatistics

Anthropogenic and geological factors play an essential role in the variability of groundwater quality, resulting in a weak spatial dependence of groundwater trace elements. Thus, it is an essential study to investigate the factors affecting groundwater quality and its spatial abundance of trace elements (including As, B, and other metalloids). In this study, samples are obtained from a Permian sandstone fracture aquifer in a coal mining area. A multivariate statistical analysis, hydrogeochemistry modeling, and spatial autocorrelation analysis were used to analyze the data. The results showed that Moran index was positive for all trace elements, which had good spatial autocorrelation. The Local indicators of spatial association (LISA) indicated that trace elements were clustered. The hydrogeochemical modeling results indicated that the precipitation and stability of iron-phase minerals, such as rhodochrosite and arsenic (As) absorption on the surface of iron-phase minerals in the aquifer, may limit concentrations in the southern region. The spatial autocorrelations of both As and Boron (B) were positive (high-high) in the western areas, indicating that As contamination occurred from both natural geological causes and human coal mining activities. In contrast, B contamination was mainly linked to the influence of human agricultural or industrial activities. Over 96% of the groundwater concentrations of As (10 μg/L) and B (300 μg/L) in the study area exceeded World Health Organization (WHO) limits. Overall, the results of this work could help decision-makers involved in regional water quality management visualize disperse zones where specific anthropogenic and geological processes may threaten groundwater quality.

Spatiotemporal distribution of opportunistic pathogens and microbial community in centralized rural drinking water: One year survey in China

Centralized water supply in rural areas, supported by small waterworks (small-central mode) and by municipal water treatment plants (urban-extension mode), is an important guarantee to implement the Rural Revitalization Strategy Plan (2018-2022) in China. Opportunistic pathogens (OPs) could not be evaluated by the national drinking water sanitation standards in China (GB 5749-2022), posing potential microbial risks in rural drinking water. In this study, the spatiotemporal distribution of OPs, microbial community and the associated functional composition under two central water supply modes were investigated by molecular approaches. The results indicated that OPs were widely presented in the rural drinking water regardless of water supply modes, and were more abundant than those in the urban tap water. The insufficient residual chlorine and higher turbidity triggered more microbial proliferation, posing a seasonal variation of OPs gene copy numbers and bacterial community compositions. In warm seasons of summer and autumn, the gene copies of E. coli, M. avium, Pseudomonas spp. and the amoeba host Acanthamoeba spp. achieved up to 4.92, 3.94, 6.75 and 3.74 log₁₀ (gene copies/mL), respectively. Potential functional prediction indicated higher relative abundance of pathogenic genes and infectious risks associated with the rural drinking water under small-central water supply mode. This one-year survey of the spatiotemporal distribution of OPs and microbial community provided scientific insights into microbial safety of rural drinking water, prompting attention on small-central water supply mode against OPs risks.

Quality assessment and prediction of municipal drinking water using water quality index and artificial neural network: A case study of Wuhan, central China, from 2013 to 2019

The sanitary security of drinking water is closely related to human health, but its quality assessment mainly focused on limited types of indicators and relatively restricted time span. The current study was aimed to evaluate the long-term spatial-temporal distribution of municipal drinking water quality and explore the origin of water contamination based on multiple water indicators of 137 finished water samples and 863 tap water samples from Wuhan city, China. Water quality indexes (WQIs) were calculated to integrate the measured indicators. WQIs of the finished water samples ranged from 0.24 to 0.92, with the qualification rate and excellent rate of 100 % and 96.4 %, respectively, while those of the tap water samples ranged from 0.09 to 3.20, with the qualification rate of 99.9 %, and excellent rate of 95.5 %. Artificial neural network model was constructed based on the time series of WQIs from 2013 to 2019 to predict the water quality thereafter. The predicted WQIs of finished and tap water in 2020 and 2021 qualified on the whole, with the excellent rate of 87.5 % and 92.9 %, respectively. Except for three samples exceeding the limits of free chlorine residual, chloroform and fluoride, respectively, the majority of indicators reached the threshold values for drinking. Our study suggested that municipal drinking water quality in Wuhan was generally stable and in line with the national hygiene standards. Moreover, principal component analysis illustrated that the main potential sources of drinking water contamination were inorganic salts and organic matters, followed by pollution from distribution systems, the use of aluminum-containing coagulants and turbidity involved in water treatment, which need more attention.

Drinking natural water unchangeably is associated with reduced all-cause mortality in elderly people: A longitudinal prospective study from China

Objective

Because of rapid economic growth and followed urban expansion in China, many people drinking natural water had to change their water sources to tap water. We aimed to test the unknown association that whether continued use of natural water for drinking is different from switching to tap water in all-cause mortality risks in elderly people.

Methods

In total, based on Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, 26,688 elderly participants drinking natural water from childhood to young-old were included in the final analyses. Associations between whether changing drinking water sources or not and all-cause mortality risk were then estimated by Cox regression models with the use of multiple propensity score methods, and the primary analysis used propensity score matching, with other propensity score methods confirming the robustness of the results.

Results

Baseline characteristics were fairly well balanced by the three post-randomization methods. During a median follow-up period of 3.00 (IQR: 1.52, 5.73) years, 21,379 deaths were recorded. The primary analysis showed people using natural water unchangeably was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality than those switching to tap water in later life (HR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.91-0.97, p < 0.001). Other propensity score methods, as well as Cox regression analysis without using propensity score methods, showed similar results.

Conclusions

Among elderly people depending on natural water for drinking from their childhood to young-old in China, continued use of natural water was associated with a lower all-cause mortality risk than conversion to tap water later. Further studies in different countries and populations are needed to verify our conclusions.

Unraveling dissolved organic matter in drinking water through integrated ozonation/ceramic membrane and biological activated carbon process using FT-ICR MS

The performance of an integrated process comprising coagulation, ozonation, and catalytic ceramic membrane filtration (CMF) followed by treatment with biological active carbon (BAC) was evaluated in a pilot-scale (96 m³/d) experiment to understand the biostability and quality of the finished water. The fate of dissolved organic matter (DOM) at the molecular level was explored using Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). Biostable finished water with an assimilable organic carbon (AOC) concentration of 30.2-45.4 µg/L was obtained by the integrated process, and the high hydraulic retention time (HRT) (≥ 45 min) of the BAC filter was necessary to provide biostable finished water. The coagulation/O₃/CMF unit efficiently transformed nitrogen-containing polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) with aromaticity and large molecular weight (Mw) (500-1000 Da) into CHO-type highly unsaturated phenolic compounds (HuPh) with less aromaticity and medium Mw (300-500 Da), which were effectively removed by subsequent BAC filtering. The main reaction was oxygen addition, followed by deamination and dealkylation of the coagulation/O₃/CMF unit and decarboxylation of the BAC filter. Principal component analysis revealed that N-containing and large-Mw PAH are potential AOC precursors, and the chemical characteristics of CHO-type and medium-Mw HuPh make them AOC candidates (correlation coefficients > 0.96). This study provides insights into the management of drinking water biostability and its suitability for the practical application of the integrated coagulation/O₃/CMF-BAC process in drinking water treatment plants.

Associations of Boiled Water and Lifespan Water Sources With Mortality: A Cohort Study of 33,467 Older Adults

Background:

There were few studies to report whether drinking water sources and habits affected health outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to examine how boiled water and lifespan water sources affected the risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality in the elderly.

Methods

This study was a 20-year cohort study. All participants aged ≥60 years were eligible. Exposures of interest included lifespan drinking water sources and habits, which were collected using a validated questionnaire. Drinking water sources included wells, surface water, spring, and tap water in childhood, around the age of 60 years, and at present. Drinking habits included boiled and un-boiled water. The main end events included CVD and all-cause mortality.

Results

There were 33,467 participants in this study. Compared to tap water, drinking well and surface water around the age of 60 years were associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 1.092, 95% CI: 1.051–1.134, P < 0.001; and HR: 1.136, 95% CI: 1.081–1.194, P < 0.001, respectively). However, only drinking spring around aged 60 years and drinking well at present were associated with a lower CVD mortality (HR: 0.651, 95% CI: 0.452–0.939, P = 0.022; and HR: 0.757, 95% CI: 0.665–0.863, P < 0.001, respectively). Boiled water was not associated with mortality.

Conclusions

Drinking water from well and surface water around the age of 60 years were associated with increased all-cause mortality. Drinking water from spring around the age of 60 years and well at present was associated with a decreased CVD mortality. However, boiled water was not associated with mortality.

Chinese Consensus Report on Family-Based Helicobacter pylori Infection Control and Management (2021 Edition)

OBJECTIVE

Helicobacter pylori infection is mostly a family-based infectious disease. To facilitate its prevention and management, a national consensus meeting was held to review current evidence and propose strategies for population-wide and family-based H. pylori infection control and management to reduce the related disease burden.

METHODS

Fifty-seven experts from 41 major universities and institutions in 20 provinces/regions of mainland China were invited to review evidence and modify statements using Delphi process and grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation system. The consensus level was defined as ≥80% for agreement on the proposed statements.

RESULTS

Experts discussed and modified the original 23 statements on family-based H. pylori infection transmission, control and management, and reached consensus on 16 statements. The final report consists of three parts: (1) H. pylori infection and transmission among family members, (2) prevention and management of H. pylori infection in children and elderly people within households, and (3) strategies for prevention and management of H. pylori infection for family members. In addition to the 'test-and-treat' and 'screen-and-treat' strategies, this consensus also introduced a novel third 'family-based H. pylori infection control and management' strategy to prevent its intrafamilial transmission and development of related diseases.

CONCLUSION

H. pylori is transmissible from person to person, and among family members. A family-based H. pylori prevention and eradication strategy would be a suitable approach to prevent its intra-familial transmission and related diseases. The notion and practice would be beneficial not only for Chinese residents but also valuable as a reference for other highly infected areas.

2D MOFs-based Materials for the Application of Water Pollutants Removing: Fundamentals and Prospects

Water quality can have serious impacts on human health. One crucial issue of water pollution seriously affects our safety due to the continually emerging of discovered anthropogenic pollutants. The water treatment technologies are persistent improvement to adapt such new contaminants, which accelerates the evolution of materials science to explore solving the problems. Metal-organic Frameworks (MOFs) as the significant porous and multi-dimensional networks has been concerned for toxic pollutant elimination, especially probed the applications of outstanding layered 2D skeletons MOFs-based materials. The emphases of this review highlight the 2D MOFs-based materials used in water remediation and treatment strategies including adsorption and catalysis methods. Further, the prospects and challenges of 2D MOFs-based materials for water treatments applications would be surveyed meticulously for the future research and development.

Epidemiologic trends of hepatitis A in different age groups and regions of China from 1990 to 2018: observational population-based study

This study characterises changes in the incidence and mortality of hepatitis A in different age groups and provinces of China from 1990 to 2018, and evaluates the effect of the nation-wide expanded programme on immunisation (EPI). A mathematical model was used to estimate the relative change in incidence and mortality in different provinces and age groups. Interrupted time series regression was applied to evaluate the impacts of the inclusion of vaccination in the EPI during 2007–2018. The geographic clustering of hepatitis A incidence was assessed using global Moran's I and changing trends over time were estimated using joinpoint regression analysis. Both the incidence (odds ratio (OR) for overall relative change: 0.86; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.85–0.87; P < 0.0001) and the mortality rate (OR for overall relative change: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.83–0.85; P < 0.0001) decreased. Most age groups had significant declines in reported incidence over time. The incidence and mortality of hepatitis A significantly reduced after inclusion of hepatitis A vaccine in EPI, showing that the EPI strategy had a continuous effect on the decreasing trend of hepatitis A burden. Increasing the coverage rate of the vaccine and improving hygiene conditions are the key measures for the control of hepatitis A in China.