Water and health
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Belgium has highest levels of PFAS chemical pollution in Europe, study reveals
Est. 8minMajor mapping project reveals PFAS have been found at high levels at thousands of sites across Europe. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports.
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EU agency to start evaluation on ‘forever chemicals’ ban
Est. 5minThe European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published its much-awaited proposal aimed at restricting 10,000 synthetic substances hazardous to human health, with the evaluation process set to start in March.
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Commission: New wastewater rules will not jeopardise access to medicines
Est. 5minThe EU Commission rejected a warning from pharmaceutical companies that extended producer responsibility (EPR) under the proposed revision of the wastewater directive could jeopardise access to medicines.
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Study identifies primary source of community-acquired legionnaires’ disease risk
Est. 6minDespite being one of the most prevalent types of Legionnaires' disease, tracking the source of cases of community-acquired Legionnaires' disease (CALD) is notoriously difficult. An in-depth study in Berlin over three years found that the presence of a virulent type of Legionella pneumophila in household water was a significantly greater predictor for CALD than the overall concentration of all Legionella species.
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Report: Legionella found in over half of tourist facilities evaluated in Balearic Islands
Est. 4minSurveillance of Legionella in tourist facilities of a major European holiday destination found the pneumonia-causing bacteria present in over half of the evaluated areas.
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Forthcoming study to cast light on methods to detect pneumonia-causing bacteria
Est. 5minAn upcoming scientific study expected before May is assessing the available detection methods for pneumonia-causing Legionella bacteria in the light of the new monitoring requirements included in the recently revised EU's tap water rules.
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Wastewater reveals the secrets of Europeans’ drug use in 2021
Est. 3minFindings from a recent wastewater analysis reveal the rise in drug use amongst Europeans as the Commission wants to ban two increasingly used substances.
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Prevention, monitoring favored decrease of legionellosis cases: French agency
Est. 5minCases of Legionnaires' disease reported to the French health agency Santé Publique France decreased in 2020, confirming a downward trend evident over previous years.
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Dutch consider ‘hybrid’ approach to Legionella monitoring
Est. 5minA new recommendation to the Dutch government suggests a hybrid risk approach on Legionella bacteria monitoring in implementing the new EU's tap water rules at member state levels.
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European Parliament president knocked down by Legionnaires’ disease
Est. 5minWhat is legionellosis, the disease that took European Parliament's President David Sassoli out of the parliamentary game for more than two months? And how has the EU improved legislation to tackle the spread of the pneumonia-causing bacteria?
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Raised SARS-CoV-2 co-infection risk suggests other pathogens should not be overlooked
Est. 5minThe increasing number of immunocompromised people exposed to COVID-disease combined with the raised risk of co-infections of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and respiratory pathogens creates a double whammy that cannot be overlooked.
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In Spain, dozens of villages struggle for drinking water
Est. 4minAcross the country, nitrates and arsenic have made the water undrinkable for village's residents, who number 350 in winter and nearly 1,000 in summer. Groundwater resources are at risk from agricultural pollution, a lack of water quality controls and drought.
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Reopening hotels comes with risk if water systems are not being checked
Est. 5minAs the hospitality sector is ready to reopen its doors and welcome back customers, some public health risks may arise if water systems in hotels have not been properly managed during the lockdown, a health expert warned.
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EU to rely on wastewater surveillance to track COVID-19 variants
Est. 4minWastewater surveillance can be used to track the spread of new variants of the coronavirus among Europe's population, the EU's Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius told EURACTIV.
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Expert: Portugal’s new anti-Legionella regime fits with EU tap water rules
Est. 5minThe new Portuguese framework for the prevention and control of Legionnaires’ diseases is compatible with the flexibility allowed under the European Union’s overhauled tap water rules, a Portuguese health expert has told EURACTIV.com.
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Water is life, and at the heart of our agenda
Est. 6minWater is a critical global security matter and Slovenia intends to put it at the core of its EU presidency, which starts on 1 July, writes Dr Stanislav Raščan.
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Parliament seals historic first citizen-led EU law on tap water
Est. 4minThe European Parliament gave the final go-ahead to revised rules on Tuesday (15 December) that seek to update water quality parameters, in a bid to restore citizens’ trust in what comes out of the tap.
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Wastewater coronavirus testing shows promise as a means to detect outbreaks
Est. 5minIn the quest to control the pandemic, our best defense might be flowing underground. According to Science magazine, researchers in Paris spent several weeks this year sampling sewage for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In Germany,
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EU’s new drinking water law is in line with latest science, health expert says
Est. 5minAn EU agreement to monitor tap water for the presence of potentially lethal Legionella bacteria takes into consideration the emergence of newer, more effective testing methods, a national public health expert told EURACTIV.
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New tap water rules already flowing ahead of EU rubber stamp
Est. 5minWhile waiting for the go-ahead to the overhauled Drinking Water Directive (DWD), some EU member states, as well as the UK, have already started implementing methods for microbiological analysis of water quality suggested in the new rules.
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Sinkevicius: Dealing with PFAS chemicals in revised tap water rules was a ‘great move’
The inclusion of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into the EU's Drinking Water Directive was a step forward that showed the EU's commitment to address these chemicals, Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius told EURACTIV.
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Information is key to promote tap water use, health expert says
Est. 5minProviding tap water with the same level of information and transparency as bottled water will restore citizens trust and help fulfil one of the main objectives of the Drinking Water Directive (DWD), says Philippe Hartemann.
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Scientists and Commission clash over detecting Legionella risk
Est. 5minSome researchers and scientists firmly criticised the European Commission's approach on assessing the risk of Pneumonia-causing bacteria in the Drinking Water Directive (DWD) during an event organised at the European Parliament by EURACTIV.
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Tap water in the EU: Environmental and health considerations
Finland’s EU presidency and MEPs in the new European Parliament will have to address all relevant health concerns when it comes to drinking water rules if they want to pass the historic first citizen-led EU legislation in the next term.