Over 50% of the world fears drinking water harm

By Dr. Priyom Bose, Ph.D.Reviewed by Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc.Aug 29 2024

Study: Self-reported anticipated harm from drinking water across 141 countries. Image Credit: nikkytok / Shutterstock

A recent Nature Communications study investigates the prevalence and factors contributing to anticipated harm from drinking water.

The public perception of water safety

Despite the rise in global drinking water crises, the associated health and social consequences are poorly characterized. Water quality data are available for less than half of the global population, and available indicators do not capture all drinking water risks.

Alarmingly, even safely managed drinking water sources are not free from contaminants. They may contain several contaminants, including polyfluoroalkyl substances and microplastics. Water may even become contaminated during storage and transportation.  

Individuals who believe that they are exposed to harmful drinking water experience higher levels of psychological stress and, as a result, are at an increased risk of depression. These individuals are less likely to pay for public water. They will often substitute sugar-sweetened beverages for water and only drink bottled water, both of which have negative consequences on the individual and their environment.

Recording self-reported experiences can help detect heterogeneities based on gender, age, urbanicity, and other factors, which could support the development of policies that address consumer concerns. Despite this value, data on perceived water safety have not been collected systematically.

About the study

Using data provided by individuals 15 and older, the researchers assessed self-reported harm attributed to drinking water in the previous year and anticipated harm in the forthcoming two years. The aim of the current study was to identify concerns that people experience and possible factors that may contribute to cross-country variations in the perceived harm from drinking water.

A total of 154,195 participants, 82,568 of whom were women and 71,627 men, from 142 countries were recruited. Study participants were asked about harm from drinking water they or someone else had experienced, either in the past or anticipated in the future. Data on individual—and country-level variables were collected, and sensitivity analyses were performed to ensure the reliability of estimates.

Study findings

Approximately 14% of participants either personally experienced or knew someone who experienced harm from drinking water in the previous two years. The range of self-reported harm ranged from 0.9% in Singapore to 54.3% in Zambia.

About 52% of study participants anticipated that they were likely to experience serious harm from drinking water in the next two years, which ranged from 8% in Sweden to 78.3% in Lebanon.

No association was observed between national water availability and anticipated drinking water harm. Countries with the highest coverage were more likely to report lower anticipated harm; however, some heterogeneity was observed. For example, Finland and Greece, despite having similar access to basic drinking water, differed in their anticipated harm, as about 59% of respondents in Greece anticipated harm from their drinking water, as compared to 9.1% in Finland.

Countries that reported higher percentages of domestic and manufacturing wastewater treatment nationally reported lower anticipated drinking water harm. No statistically significant association was observed between the proportion of the population drinking water contaminated with Escherichia coli and anticipated drinking water harm.

Over 50% of the variation in anticipated harm was attributed to the prevalence of experienced harm to self or others; however, this relationship was non-linear. Self-reported anticipated drinking water harm was positively associated with the percentage of deaths due to unsafe water.

A lower percentage of people from richer countries reported anticipated harm from drinking water. Likewise, individuals residing in nations with lower corruption reported lower anticipated harm from drinking water, which explained a large share of variations in the prevalence of anticipated harm.

Women, urban residents, college-educated individuals, and individuals reporting insufficient income were more likely to anticipate harm from drinking water in the next two years as compared to men, rural residents, individuals with less than high school education, and people with sufficient income, respectively. These associations were heterogeneous across countries and were influenced by national income levels.

Conclusions

The prevalence of anticipated harm from drinking water harm is high across geographies, diverse populations, and water service levels. Despite the widespread prevalence of this perception of harm from drinking water, the lack of attention on this public health issue can have various adverse implications for health and well-being.

There is clear need to consider users' perspectives to promote water security and ensure the safety, use, and sustainability of water services."