Bacterial and Viral Pathogens in Groundwater in Bangladesh
Project Summary
Over the past three decades, Bangladesh has experienced a nearly universal switch of human consumption from surface water to groundwater in order to improve health. This switch has not proven successful for two reasons: at least a third of the population pumping groundwater from existing tube wells in the country is exposed to toxic levels of arsenic, and diarrheal morbidity remains a severe problem for all age groups in rural Bangladesh. This study determines whether or not households that switched from shallow high-arsenic wells to shallow low-arsenic wells may have increased their exposure to certain microbial pathogens (cholera, E. coli, rotavirus, and shigella).
This study answers two research questions:
1) Has poor sanitation in densely populated villages resulted in widespread contamination of shallow aquifers?
2) Has the transition from surface water to tube wells exposed the population to toxic levels of arsenic resulting in spatial and temporal patterns in the distribution of certain types of diarrheal diseases?
Project Team Members
Michael Emch
Veronica Escamilla
Marc Serre
Yasuyuki Akita
Larry Band
Publications
van Geen, A; Ahmed, KM; Akita, A; Alam, MJ; Culligan, PJ; Feighery, J; Ferguson, A; Emch, M; Escamilla, V; Knappett, P; Layton, AC; Mailloux, BJ; McKay, LD; Mey, JL; Serre, ML; Streatfield, PK; Wu, J; Yunus, M. (submitted) Seasonal contamination of shallow tubewells in Bangladesh with the fecal indicator E. coli: impacts of population density and hydrogeology.
Wu, J; Yunus, M; Streatfield, PK; van Geen, A; Escamilla, V; Akita, J; Serre, M; Emch, M. (submitted) Impact of tubewell access and depth on childhood diarrhea in Matlab, Bangladesh.
Wu, J; van Geen, A; Matin, KMM; Akita, Y; Alam MJ; Culligan, PJ; Escamilla, V; Feighery, J; Ferguson, AS; Knappett, P; Mailloux, BJ; McKay, L; Serre, M; Streatfield, PK; Yunus, M; Emch, M. (R&R) Increase in diarrheal disease associated with arsenic mitigation in Bangladesh. PLoS One.
Wu, J; Yunus, M; Streatfield, PK; van Geen, A; Escamilla, V; Akita, J; Serre, M; Emch, M. (R&R) Impact of Tubewell Access and Depth on Childhood Diarrhea in Matlab, Bangladesh. Environmental Health.
Knappett, PSK; Escamilla, V; Layton, A; McKay, LD; Emch, M; Williams, DE; Huq, MR; Alam, MJ; Farhana, L; Mailloux, BJ; Ferguson, A; Sayler, GS; Ahmed, KM; van Geen, A. (in press) Impact of population and latrines on fecal contamination of ponds in rural Bangladesh. Science of the Total Environment.
Escamilla, V; Wagner, B; Yunus, M; Streatfield, PK; van Geen, A; Emch, M. (2011) Effect of deep tubewells on childhood diarrhea in Bangladesh. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 89: 521–527. link to article
van Geen, A; Ahmed, K; Akita, Y; Alam, MD; Culligan, P; Feighery, J; Ferguson, A; Emch, M; Escamilla, V; Knappett, P; Layton, A; Mailloux, B; Mckay, L; Mey, J; Serre, M; Streatfield, P; Yunus, M. (2011) Fecal contamination of shallow tubewells in Bangladesh inversely related to arsenic. Environmental Science & Technology 45(4): 1199–1205. link to article
Presentations
Carrel, M; Escamilla, V; Messina, J; Giebultowicz, S; Winston, J; Yunus, M; Streatfield, PK; Emch, M. “Greater Tubewell Density Decreases Diarrheal Disease Risk in Rural Bangladesh: A Zero-inflated and Geographically Weighted Analysis.” Association of American Geographers, Seattle, Washington. 4/12/11.
van Geen, A; Ahmed, K; Akita, Y; Alam, M; Culligan, P; Feighery, J; Ferguson, AS; Emch, M; Escamilla, V; Knappett, P; Layton, A; Mailloux, BJ; McKay, LD; Mey, JL; Serre, ML; Streatfield, PK; Wu, J; Yunus, M. "Could Arsenic Mitigation Lead to Increased Diarrheal Disease in Bangladesh?" American Geophysical Union Annual Meetings, San Francisco, California. 12/13/10.
Emch, M. "Fecal Contamination in Tubewell Water of Matlab, Bangladesh: Sources and Health Impact on Diarrheal Disease." Water and Health: Where Science Meets Policy, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 10/15/10.
Escamilla, V; Wagner, B; Emch, M. "Are Deep Tubewells Safe Alternatives to Shallow Tubewells in Rural Bangladesh: Effects of Well-Switching on Childhood Diarrheal Disease." Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Washington, DC. 4/10.
van Geen, L; Escamilla, V. "Fecal Contamination of Tubewell Water in Bangladesh." Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases Meeting, Atlantic City, New Jersey. 3/10.
Emch, M; Escamilla, V. "A Population-Environment Approach to Understanding Groundwater Risk of Bacterial and Viral Pathogens in Bangladesh." International Medical Geography Symposium, Hamilton, Ontario. 7/09.
Emch, M; Mailloux, B. “Does Arsenic Mitigation in Bangladesh Raise Exposure to Microbial and Viral Pathogens?" Ecology of Infectious Diseases Annual Meetings, National Institutes of Health, Park City, Utah. 4/1/09.
Escamilla, V; Emch, M; van Geen, A; Akita, Y; Serre, M; Band, L. "Effects of Neighborhood Water and Sanitation on Diarrheal Disease Incidence in Rural Bangladesh." Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevanda. 3/09.
Akita, Y; Leber, J; Knappett, P; Feighery, J; Band, L; Emch, M; Mailloux, B; Culligan, P; Layton, A; McKay, L; van Geen, A; Serre, M. “Spatial Analysis of the Distribution of Bacterial Pathogen Indicators Across Shallow Aquifers in Bangladesh.” International Society for Environmental Epidemiology/ International Society of Exposure Analysis, Pasadena, California. 10/18/08.
Akita, Y; Escamilla, V; Emch, ME; Serre, ML. "Space/Time Analysis of Cholera and Shigella Incidence Rates Across a Region of Bangladesh." International Society for Environmental Epidemiology & International Society of Exposure Analysis, 2008 Joint Annual Conference, Pasadena, California. 10/08.
Serre, ML; Akita, Y; Escamilla, V; Emch, M; Kolovos, A. "Spatial Analysis of Arsenic Exposure and Diarrheal Disease Risk in Bangladesh Related to Population Pressures on Groundwater Resources." European Geophysical Union General Assembly, Vienna, Austria. 4/08.
Emch, ME; van Geen, A. “Does Arsenic Mitigation in Bangladesh Raise Exposure to Bacterial and Viral Pathogens?” NIH/NSF, Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease PI Meeting, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 12/4/07.
Suckling, K; Emch, ME. “Factors Affecting Groundwater Arsenic Contamination in Bangladesh.” 5th Biennial Iowa GIS Conference, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa. 10/04/01.
Emch, ME. “Local-Level Anthropogenic and Environmental Risk Factors for Groundwater Arsenic Contamination in Bangladesh.” Association of American Geographers, New York, New York. 03/01/01.
Funding
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, RO1/ EID, “Does Arsenic Mitigation in Bangladesh Raise Exposure to Rotavirus and E. Coli?” Emch, M.E. (PI); Band, L.; Serre, M., with Columbia University (van Geen, PI). $349,888-UNC Portion, 2007-10.
Collaborating Institutions
International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh
Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
University of Tennessee Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology Research Group
