Billions of People Use Drinking Water Contaminated With Feces — And Experts Have a Plan to Fix It
Fecal matter contaminated in drinking water is the biggest threat to water safety. The elixir of life, water, and its quality are not to be negotiated with. However, in most parts of the U.S. and the world, people are forced to consume drinking water from resources gravely contaminated by fecal matter, which may range from humans to animals and birds. In a breakthrough research study, scientists developed a new method to accurately measure the amount and source of fecal contamination in drinking water, as published in the journal Water Research.
Researchers from Chungnam National University and Gyeongsang National University determined the potential of using human viral DNA, called microbial source tracking (MST), to detect fecal contamination. Not that former methods of detection did not exist or were not efficient, this new technique simply overrides them all with its accuracy, even in minimal concentrations of contamination. It is worth noting that the MST detection method is not new but has existed for two decades now. However, the deployment of the human-specific crAss-like phage DNA markers is where the new research was focused.
Now, scientists can detect finer traces of fecal matter in water and segregate it from different sources, be it human or animal, or multiple sources. This new method is tried and tested as detailed in a 2024 study published in Science of the Total Environment, where the researchers investigated “abundance, sources, and potential causes of fecal contamination" across three marine and seven freshwater stations in Vaughn Bay, Washington. Following the test, the results indicated that humans and birds were the primary sources of contamination, in addition to stormwater runoffs, which only worsen the situation.
Regardless, the true potential of the MST detection was highlighted during the study and is now the recommended method for officials to test for fecal contamination anywhere across the world. According to the World Health Organization, 1.7 billion people used a drinking water source contaminated with feces in 2022. Feces breed microbial bacteria, which pose an immense risk to human health. These may include fecal coliforms, E. coli, Klebsiella, Salmonella, and Shigella, among others, as per the Environment, Health and Safety Department of Cornell University.
"Aging sewer infrastructure in the USA and elsewhere will require rapid methods to assess fecal contamination of water,” stated a 2020 study published in the journal Current Environmental Health Reports. Extreme weather events like flooding significantly increase the risk of water contaminated by double-fold as stormwater runoff flows into clean water resources. Hence, climate change, fecal matter contamination in water, and health safety are all tied together. While contamination of water may occur due to multiple microorganisms but testing for all pathogens can be time-consuming and complex.
Therefore, to streamline the testing methods for accurate results, coliform bacteria are used as a suitable indicator of contaminated water. There are three types of coliform bacteria– total coliform, fecal coliform, and E. coli, per the Washington State Department of Health. If any of these bacteria are found in water samples, then system operators are bound to find the contamination source and restore safe drinking water to avoid health risks. Esco Lifesciences Group detailed the significance of coliforms as water quality indicators on YouTube.