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Wastewater Reuse Health and Safety Issues

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Arid Lands Water Evaluation and Management

Part of the book series: Environmental Science and Engineering ((ENVSCIENCE))

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Abstract

The health hazards associated with wastewater are a function of concentration of contaminants in the wastewater, the duration and level of exposure, and the dose–response function for each hazard. An important issue when evaluating the potential health impacts (on humans, as well as on the general environment) of wastewater reuse is that the risk associated with contaminant exposure depends upon both the duration and intensity of exposure. A fundamental distinction is between acute and chronic exposure. An acute exposure is a one-time exposure to a substance or microorganism that is sufficient to cause a serious health impact. A one-time exposure to pathogenic microorganisms, such as consuming water that contains even small numbers of active Cryptosporidium cysts or Giardia oocysts or enteric viruses, may be sufficient to cause serious illness.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Schlumberger Water Services, 1567 Hayley Lane, Suite 202, Fort Myers, 33907, FL, USA

    Robert Maliva

  2. Water Desalination and Reuse Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia

    Thomas Missimer

Authors
  1. Robert Maliva
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  2. Thomas Missimer
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© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Maliva, R., Missimer, T. (2012). Wastewater Reuse Health and Safety Issues. In: Arid Lands Water Evaluation and Management. Environmental Science and Engineering(). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29104-3_30

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