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Consumer Perceptions and Attitudes towards EDCs and PPCPs in Drinking Water
FUNDER:
PARTNERS:
King's College London (KCL)
Aqua Vitae
RESEARCHERS:
Gabriella Rundblad (project manager and UK primary investigator)
Lisa Ragain (US primary investigator)
Chris Tang (UK research assistant)
Mary Myzer (UK research assistant)
Roseanna Cooke (UK research assistant)
Jennifer Trevino Breedlove (US research assistant)
Olivia Knapton (UK administrator)
COLLABORATORS:
Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments
DC Water
Fairfax County Water Authority
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
Philadelphia Water Department
Portland Water Bureau
Drinking Water Inspectorate
Anglian Water
PROJECT DATES:
February 2011 - January 2013
PROJECT SUMMARY:
US and UK drinking water utilities are charged with providing safe drinking water to their customers, under the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Water Act 2003 and the Water Industry Act 1999, respectively. Advances in research have yielded new and more precise analytical methods that allow water utilities to detect minute traces of emerging contaminants, such as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in treated water. Recent reviews show that there is no significant risk to health associated with intake of EDCs or PPCPs via US or UK drinking water. However, there is also international evidence of hot-spots where the surface, ground, and drinking water is contaminated by pharmaceuticals, such as ciprofloxacin and cetirizine, and where public health may be compromised. Currently, neither the US nor the UK regulate EDCs or PPCPs, nor are any rules forthcoming in the foreseeable future, and the WHO does not provide any guidance either on this issue.
Members of the general public are getting more and more information about EDCs and PPCPs in drinking water from sources that range from investigative reports from the Associated Press, to the release of surveys by the United States Geological Survey or the Drinking Water Inspectorate. Not surprisingly, media has tended to exploit the uncertainties inherent in EDCs and PPCPs to create news items – items that have and continue to raise public concern.
This project aims to advance the understanding of consumer and utility beliefs, perceptions and attitudes about endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in drinking water. We will also establish the impact that other factors, such as media reports and water aesthetics have on perceptions.
If you are a subscriber to the Water Research Foundation, you can find the Scope of Work here.
STAGES:
The first stage involves an exhaustive literature review.
The second stage comprises analyses of media and outreach materials in the US and the UK.
The third stage consists of focus groups with consumers and with various professionals.
The fourth stage includes two consumer surveys. The first survey, investigating perceptions of drinking water, is currently being distributed in the UK and the US. If you wish to participate in this survey, please contact us.
The fifth stage will involve the construction of outreach material.
NEWSLETTERS:
If you would like some more information about our project, please contact Gabriella Rundblad, gabriella.rundblad@kcl.ac.uk, 020 7848 3136.