Cristina M Villanueva1,2,3,4, Berta Grau-Pujol5,6,7, Iro Evlampidou8,9,10, Valdemiro Escola6, Fernando Goñi-Irigoyen9,11,12, Jochen Kuckelkorn13, Tamara Grummt13, Lourdes Arjona8,9,10,14, Beatriz Lazaro15, Arsenio Etxeandia15, Enrique Ulibarrena11, Ariel Nhacolo6, Jose Muñoz5,6. 1. ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain. cristina.villanueva@isglobal.org. 2. CIBER epidemiología y salud pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain. cristina.villanueva@isglobal.org. 3. Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain. cristina.villanueva@isglobal.org. 4. IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain. cristina.villanueva@isglobal.org. 5. ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. 6. Centro de Investigação em Saúde da Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique. 7. Fundación Mundo Sano, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 8. ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain. 9. CIBER epidemiología y salud pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain. 10. Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain. 11. Health Department of Basque Government, Public Health Laboratory (Gipuzkoa), San Sebastian, Spain. 12. Biodonostia Health Research Institute, San Sebastian, Spain. 13. Toxicology of Drinking Water and Swimming Pool Water, German Environment Agency, Bad Elster, Germany. 14. IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain. 15. Health Department of Basque Government, Public Health Laboratory (Bizkaia), Derio, Spain.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The chemical quality of drinking water is widely unknown in low-income countries. OBJECTIVE: We conducted an exploratory study in Manhiça district (Mozambique) to evaluate drinking water quality using chemical analyses and cell-based assays. METHODS: We measured nitrate, fluoride, metals, pesticides, disinfection by-products, and industrial organochlorinated chemicals, and conducted the bioassays Ames test for mutagenicity, micronuclei assay (MN-FACS), ER-CALUX, and antiAR-CALUX in 20 water samples from protected and unprotected sources. RESULTS: Nitrate was present in all samples (median 7.5 mg/L). Manganese, cobalt, chromium, aluminium, and barium were present in 90-100% of the samples, with median values of 32, 0.6, 2.0, 61, 250 μg/l, respectively. Manganese was above 50 μg/l (EU guideline) in eight samples. Arsenic, lead, nickel, iron, and selenium median values were below the quantification limit. Antimony, cadmium, copper, mercury, zinc and silver were not present. Trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, haloacetonitriles and haloketones were present in 5-28% samples at levels ≤4.6 μg/l. DDT, dieldrin, diuron, and pirimiphos-methyl were quantified in 2, 3, 3, and 1 sample, respectively (range 12-60 ng/L). Fluoride was present in one sample (0.11 mg/l). Trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene were not present. Samples were negative in the in vitro assays. SIGNIFICANCE: Results suggest low exposure to chemicals, mutagenicity, genotoxicity and endocrine disruption through drinking water in Manhiça population. High concentration of manganese in some samples warrants confirmatory studies, given the potential link to impaired neurodevelopment.
BACKGROUND: The chemical quality of drinking water is widely unknown in low-income countries. OBJECTIVE: We conducted an exploratory study in Manhiça district (Mozambique) to evaluate drinking water quality using chemical analyses and cell-based assays. METHODS: We measured nitrate, fluoride, metals, pesticides, disinfection by-products, and industrial organochlorinated chemicals, and conducted the bioassays Ames test for mutagenicity, micronuclei assay (MN-FACS), ER-CALUX, and antiAR-CALUX in 20 water samples from protected and unprotected sources. RESULTS:Nitrate was present in all samples (median 7.5 mg/L). Manganese, cobalt, chromium, aluminium, and barium were present in 90-100% of the samples, with median values of 32, 0.6, 2.0, 61, 250 μg/l, respectively. Manganese was above 50 μg/l (EU guideline) in eight samples. Arsenic, lead, nickel, iron, and selenium median values were below the quantification limit. Antimony, cadmium, copper, mercury, zinc and silver were not present. Trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, haloacetonitriles and haloketones were present in 5-28% samples at levels ≤4.6 μg/l. DDT, dieldrin, diuron, and pirimiphos-methyl were quantified in 2, 3, 3, and 1 sample, respectively (range 12-60 ng/L). Fluoride was present in one sample (0.11 mg/l). Trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene were not present. Samples were negative in the in vitro assays. SIGNIFICANCE: Results suggest low exposure to chemicals, mutagenicity, genotoxicity and endocrine disruption through drinking water in Manhiça population. High concentration of manganese in some samples warrants confirmatory studies, given the potential link to impaired neurodevelopment.
Entities:
Keywords:
Cell-based assays; Chemicals; Drinking water; Low-middle income countries; Mozambique