Point-of-use filtration units as drinking water distribution system sentinels

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dc.citation.articleNumber55en_US
dc.citation.journalTitlenpj Clean Wateren_US
dc.citation.volumeNumber7en_US
dc.contributor.authorBai, Weiliangen_US
dc.contributor.authorXu, Ruizheen_US
dc.contributor.authorPodar, Mirceaen_US
dc.contributor.authorSwift, Cynthia M.en_US
dc.contributor.authorSaleh, Navid B.en_US
dc.contributor.authorLöffler, Frank E.en_US
dc.contributor.authorAlvarez, Pedro J. J.en_US
dc.contributor.authorKumar, Manishen_US
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-29T21:11:50Zen_US
dc.date.available2024-08-29T21:11:50Zen_US
dc.date.issued2024en_US
dc.description.abstractMunicipal drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs) and associated premise plumbing (PP) systems are vulnerable to proliferation of opportunistic pathogens, even when chemical disinfection residuals are present, thus presenting a public health risk. Monitoring the structure of microbial communities of drinking water is challenging because of limited continuous access to faucets, pipes, and storage tanks. We propose a scalable household sampling method, which uses spent activated carbon and reverse osmosis (RO) membrane point-of-use (POU) filters to evaluate mid- to long-term occurrence of microorganisms in PP systems that are relevant to consumer exposure. As a proof of concept, POU filter microbiomes were collected from four different locations and analyzed with 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The analyses revealed distinct microbial communities, with occasional detection of potential pathogens. The findings highlight the importance of local, and if possible, continuous monitoring within and across distribution systems. The continuous operation of POU filters offers an advantage in capturing species that may be missed by instantaneous sampling methods. We suggest that water utilities, public institutions, and regulatory agencies take advantage of end-of-life POU filters for microbial monitoring. This approach can be easily implemented to ensure drinking water safety, especially from microbes of emerging concerns; e.g., pathogenic Legionella and Mycobacterium species.en_US
dc.identifier.citationBai, W., Xu, R., Podar, M., Swift, C. M., Saleh, N. B., Löffler, F. E., Alvarez, P. J. J., & Kumar, M. (2024). Point-of-use filtration units as drinking water distribution system sentinels. Npj Clean Water, 7(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-024-00346-1en_US
dc.identifier.digitals41545-024-00346-1en_US
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-024-00346-1en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/117746en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherSpringer Natureen_US
dc.rightsExcept where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.  Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the terms of the license or beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en_US
dc.titlePoint-of-use filtration units as drinking water distribution system sentinelsen_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.type.dcmiTexten_US
dc.type.publicationpublisher versionen_US
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