Open AccessTapping Out: Influence of Organoleptic and Perceived Health Risks on Bottled Versus Municipal Tap Water Consumption Among Obese, Low Socioeconomic Status Pediatric Patients
Author(s) -
David N. Collier,
Aaron D. Robinson,
Siddhartha Mitra,
Natalie Taft,
Alice A. Raad,
Suzanne Hudson,
Jessica Webb Young,
Suzanne Lazorick
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
exposure and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.568
H-Index - 24
eISSN - 2451-9685
pISSN - 2451-9766
DOI - 10.1007/s12403-019-00302-2
Subject(s) - environmental health , tap water , bottled water , medicine , socioeconomic status , population , environmental science , environmental engineering
A variety of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), including some known to be obesogenic, can be found in household wastewater. Many are only partially treated by wastewater treatment and drinking water purification systems and can enter municipal drinking water supplies. We evaluated drinking water consumption habits in a cohort of obese pediatric patients to determine the percentage that might avoid exposure to EDCs from drinking municipal tap water. Obese (BMI ≥ 95 th percentile) children presenting to an obesity clinic serving a largely poor and rural population were studied. Self-reported race/ethnicity, insurance status and details concerning type and volume of water consumed were obtained from their medical records. Most homes were supplied with municipal, rather than private well water (90.6% vs. 9.4%, respectively). A majority (76.4%) of patients with municipal water as their water supply only drank bottled water. "Taste" and "Health Concerns" were the most commonly endorsed reasons for eschewing tap water. Bottled water consumption among low socioeconomic status patients may reduce their risk for exposure to EDCs in municipal tap water. Further studies are needed to confirm the generalizability of this observation.