Disinfection By-Products and Human Health (eBook)

Disinfection By-Products and Human Health is based on contributions from speakers who participated in May 2011 workshops on Disinfection By-Products (DBPs) and Human Health at Ozwater 11 in Adelaide, Australia or at an AWA sponsored workshop at the Curtin Water Quality Research Centre, Perth, Australia. The contributions are prepared to facilitate communication with practitioners, rather than researchers, making use of overview illustrations rather than dense text or data tables. Each chapter concludes with up to 5 key findings that are take-home messages for practitioners. Disinfection By-Products and Human Health is aimed specifically at drinking water professionals (engineers, chemists and public health professionals) working on the front lines of drinking water issues where they must encounter actual day-to-day issues of risk management concerning DBPs in relation to all the other regulatory and water quality issues they must manage. Although a topic this complex is certainly not amenable to simplistic explanations, this book aims to provide drinking water professionals with a pragmatic assessment of the current evidence and emerging issues concerning DBPs and public health. Disinfection By-Products and Human Health is an essential, practical and accessible guide for drinking water professionals, engineers, chemists and public health professionals. Editors: Steve E. Hrudey, Professor Emeritus, Analytical & Environmental Toxicology, University of Alberta, Canada, Jeffrey W.A. Charrois, Director and Associate Professor, Curtin Water Quality Research Centre, Curtin University of Technology, Australia, Steve Hrudey is professor emeritus in analytical and environmental toxicology in the University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. He spent 13 years as a cabinet-appointed member of the Alberta Environmental Appeals Board, the last four as chair, and was the first non-lawyer to hold this position. During this period, he served on 36 public hearing panels, 19 as chair of the panel. In addition he has testified before senate committees in Canada and the Legislative Council in Western Australia. Hrudey has served on a number of high-profile expert panels, including the Research Advisory Panel to the Walkerton Inquiry (2000-2002), the Expert Panel on Safe Drinking Water for First Nations (2006), the Technical Advisory Committee to the B.C. Minister of Health on turbidity and microbial risk in drinking water (2007-2008, as chair), the Expert Advisory Panel on Water Quality for Washington, D.C., to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (2009-2011) and chair of the Royal Society of Canada Expert Panel on Environmental and Health Impacts of Canada's Oil Sands Industry (2009-2010). He has also co-authored or edited nine books, including the widely acclaimed book inspired by the Walkerton tragedy: Safe Drinking Water - Lessons from Recent Outbreaks in Affluent Nations (IWA Publishing, 2004). He has written 26 book chapters, 19 expert panel reports, 163 refereed journal articles, 15 science discussions, six media op-eds and 73 conference proceeding papers. Hrudey is the 2012 winner of the American Water Works Association A.P. Black Research Award for contributions to water science and water supply. This book is sponsored by Australian Water Association (AWA)