Occupational Therapy - 2015

21 communities, and therefore lower socioeconomic re- gions across the world. China, India, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bangla- desh, United Republic of Tanzania, Sudan, and Kenya “are home to two thirds of the global population without an improved drinking water source”, with the sub-Saha- ran Africa region having the least access to clean wa- ter (WHO & Unicef, 2012, p. 9). These regions without clean water access still rely on unimproved water sourc- es like unshielded excavated wells, unshielded natural water sources transported by water carriers or trucks, as well as surface water sources “collected directly from rivers, lakes, ponds, irrigation channels and other sur- face sources” (WHO & Unicef, 2012, p. 6). Even with clean water sources available, many individuals have to go through great lengths to provide their families with clean water. For example, “how far you have to walk to fetch a pot of drinking water depends on where you live- Asia or Africa. To get drinking water, the walking distances vary from 2 to 6 km. It is a daily chore for villages in India and Africa” (Vidyasagar, 2007, p.57). Moreover, in underdeveloped and more rural regions of the world, carrying methods are far more physically de- manding and time consuming. In Burkina Faso, which is located in West Africa, “women carry loads of 20 kg on their head and walk 1 to 2.5 h daily 300 days a year” (Vidyasagar, 2007, p.57). Health Detriments of Untreated or Contaminated Wa- ter Separate from the physical toll of procuring clean wa- ter, the health effects of untreated water range from nu- merous illnesses to morbidities and fatalities. Globally, “millions of people are infected with neglected tropi- cal diseases (NTDs), many of which are water and/or hygiene-related, such as Guinea Worm Disease, Buruli Ulcer, Trachoma, and Schistosomiasis” (CDC, 2013a, Disease & death, para. 3). A predominant concern for developing countries is diarrhea attributed diseases. Sadly, “1.6 million people die every year from diarrhoe- al diseases (including cholera) attributable to lack of ac- cess to safe drinking water and basic sanitation and 90% of these are children under 5” (WHO, n.d., Drinking water, sanitation, health and disease, para. 2). Even developed countries are subject to water related illness from contaminated water. Unfortunate- ly, “millions of people are exposed to dangerous levels of biological contaminants and chemical pollutants in their drinking-water due to inadequate management of urban, industrial or agricultural wastewater” (WHO, 2013, p. 6). Even with the vigilant water treatment prac- tices in the United States (U.S.), waterborne disease out- breaks have occurred. In fact, the biggest outbreak in the U.S. to date was in the early 1990s in Milwaukee, Wisconsin when just under a half a million individu- als came down with diarrhea due to parasites found in their residential public water source (CDC, 2013b). However, not all contaminants causing illness in developed regions are because of improper water man- agement. Additionally, “dangerously high concentra- tions of chemical hazards, such as arsenic and fluoride, originating from natural sources affect millions and cause conditions such as cancer and fluorosis” (WHO, 2013, p. 6). As discussed, untreated and/or contami- nated water has serious physiological effects. However, established health detriments caused from unsafe water sources are not necessarily exhaustive, as “it is difficult to determine what causes diseases like cancer, it is impos- sible to know how many illnesses are the result of water pollution, or contaminants’ role in the health problems of specific individuals” (Duhigg, 2009, para. 12). Water treatment, safe water and sewage disposal, and adequate cleaning practices have the capacity to preclude nearly 10% of morbidity suffrage worldwide and over 6% of all fatalities (CDC, 2013a). As occupation engagement and health are interdependent for survival, disruption in physical health can have direct occupational conse- quences (Wilcock, 2006). Water Treatment at Point of Collection and Use Individuals all over the world procure safe water by very different means. Some gain access to improved wa- ter sources directly from a safe source. Others rely on household water treatment methods, determined based on their environmental affordances, such as the “chlo- rination method, flocculant/disinfectant powder, solar disinfection, ceramic filtration, and slow sand filtration” (CDC, 2014a, Water Treatment Options, para. 1). The chlorination method entails the stirring of chlorine in solution or capsule form, into water, and letting it sit for a half an hour, maintenance in the form of adequate water storage is required (Sobsey, Stauber, Casanova, Brown, & Elliott, 2008). To use flocculant-disinfectant powder to treat water, the powder in the packet added to the water, rids it of microbes, bacteria, and toxins, once mixed and allowed to process for ten minutes, the liquid poured into a clean container, filters through a piece of cloth. The Solar disinfection method entails the filling OCCUPATION: A Medium of Inquiry for Students, Faculty & Other Practitioners Advocating for Health through Occupational Studies November 2015, Volume 1, Number 1