Rural children's exposure to well water contaminants: implications in light of the American Academy of Pediatrics' recent policy statement

Julie Postma; Philip W Butterfield; Tamara Odom-Maryon; Wade Hill; Patricia G Butterfield

doi:10.1111/j.1745-7599.2011.00609.x

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Rural children's exposure to well water contaminants: implications in light of the American Academy of Pediatrics' recent policy statement

Journal article

Open access

Rural children's exposure to well water contaminants: implications in light of the American Academy of Pediatrics' recent policy statement

Julie Postma, Philip W Butterfield, Tamara Odom-Maryon, Wade Hill and Patricia G Butterfield

Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Vol.23(5), pp.258-265

05/2011

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-7599.2011.00609.x

Handle:

https://hdl.handle.net/2376/106979

PMCID: PMC3190600

PMID: 21518074

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https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-7599.2011.00609.xView

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Abstract

United States

Humans

Middle Aged

Water Pollution - adverse effects

Child, Preschool

Infant

Male

Water Supply - statistics & numerical data

Organizational Policy

Socioeconomic Factors

Washington

Young Adult

Societies, Medical

Child Welfare - statistics & numerical data

Public Health Practice

Adult

Female

Surveys and Questionnaires

Child

Infant, Newborn

Societies, Nursing

Rural Population - statistics & numerical data

Environmental Health

Poverty

Risk Reduction Behavior

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice

Environmental Exposure - adverse effects

Health Surveys

Pediatrics - statistics & numerical data

Adolescent

Water Microbiology

Implementing the recent American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) policy for annual well water testing will impact pediatric healthcare providers, who will be called upon for advice regarding testing, interpretation, and mitigation. We report findings from a study of low-income rural families' participation in household well water testing. We collected data from 188 rural low-income households inclusive of 320 children under the age of seven. Participating families lived in one of two western U.S. counties and received water from a well with <15 connections. Household water samples and questionnaire data were collected for analysis. Twenty-seven percent of households tested positive for at least one contaminant, including total coliforms (18%), arsenic (6%), synthetic organic chemicals (6%), nitrates (2%), fluoride (2%), and E. coli (<1%). Eighty-nine percent of households testing positive for total coliforms were positive at re-test. Respondents expressed greatest concern for biological contamination and took multiple precautionary actions, although only 31% had ever tested their water for contaminants. Higher levels of education, income, and age, as well as homeowner status, were significantly associated with previous testing. Recommendations for communicating abnormal results, mitigating risks, and overcoming logistical challenges are presented.

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Title: Rural children's exposure to well water contaminants: implications in light of the American Academy of Pediatrics' recent policy statement
Creators: Julie Postma - Washington State University College of Nursing, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Spokane, Washington 99210-1495, USA. jpostma@wsu.edu
Philip W Butterfield
Tamara Odom-Maryon
Wade Hill
Patricia G Butterfield
Publication Details: Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Vol.23(5), pp.258-265
Academic Unit: Nursing, College of; Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
Publisher: United States
Grant note: R01 NR009239-04 / NINR NIH HHS R01 NR009239-03 / NINR NIH HHS R01NR009239 / NINR NIH HHS K01 NR009984 / NINR NIH HHS R01 NR009239-02 / NINR NIH HHS R01 NR009239 / NINR NIH HHS R01 NR009239-01A1 / NINR NIH HHS
Identifiers: 99900547095501842
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article