Dataset Information

Impact of Hurricane Maria on Drinking Water Quality in Puerto Rico.

ABSTRACT: This study performed a comprehensive assessment of the impact of Hurricane Maria (HM) on drinking water quality in Puerto Rico (PR) by integrating targeted chemical analysis of both inorganic (18 trace elements) and organic trace pollutants (200 micropollutants) with high-throughput quantitative toxicogenomics and in vitro biomarkers-based toxicity assays. Average concentrations of 14 detected trace elements and 20 organic micropollutants showed elevation after HM. Arsenic, sucralose, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), atrazine-2-hydroxy, benzotriazole, acesulfame, and prometon were at significantly (p < 0.05) higher levels in the post-HM than in the pre-HM samples. Thirteen micropollutants, including four pesticides, were only detected in posthurricane samples. Spatial comparison showed higher pollutant and toxicity levels in the samples from northern PR (where eight Superfund sites are located) than in those from southern PR. Distinctive pathway-specific molecular toxicity fingerprints for water extracts before and after HM and at different locations revealed changes in toxicity nature that likely resulted from the impact of HM on drinking water composition. Correlation analysis and Maximum Cumulative Ratio assessment suggested that metals (i.e., arsenic) and PFOA were the top ranked pollutants that have the potential to cause increased risk after HM, providing a possible direction for future water resource management and epidemiological studies.

SUBMITTER: Lin Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7837318 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Impact of Hurricane Maria on Drinking Water Quality in Puerto Rico.

Lin Yishan Y Sevillano-Rivera Maria M Jiang Tao T Li Guangyu G Cotto Irmarie I Vosloo Solize S Carpenter Corey M G CMG Larese-Casanova Philip P Giese Roger W RW Helbling Damian E DE Padilla Ingrid Y IY Rosario-Pabón Zaira Z Vélez Vega Carmen C Cordero José F JF Alshawabkeh Akram N AN Pinto Ameet A Gu April Z AZ

Environmental science & technology 20200723 15

This study performed a comprehensive assessment of the impact of Hurricane Maria (HM) on drinking water quality in Puerto Rico (PR) by integrating targeted chemical analysis of both inorganic (18 trace elements) and organic trace pollutants (200 micropollutants) with high-throughput quantitative toxicogenomics and <i>in</i> <i>vitro</i> biomarkers-based toxicity assays. Average concentrations of 14 detected trace elements and 20 organic micropollutants showed elevation after HM. Arsenic, sucralo ...[more]

PMID: 32640159

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Project description:ImportanceAs public health emergencies become more prevalent, it is crucial to identify adverse physical and mental health conditions that may be triggered by natural disasters. There is a lack of data on whether Hurricane Maria in 2017 influenced the disease burden of adults in Puerto Rico.ObjectiveTo estimate the prevalence of chronic diseases and their associated risk factors among adults living in Puerto Rico before and after Hurricane Maria in 2017.Design, setting, and participantsThis cross-sectional study used data from 2 previous cross-sectional studies, including the pre-Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico Assessment on Diet, Lifestyles and Disease (PRADLAD) study, conducted in 2015, and the post-Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico Observational Study of Psychosocial, Environmental, and Chronic Disease Trends (PROSPECT), conducted in 2019. Participants included adults aged 30 to 75 years residing in Puerto Rico. Data were analyzed from April to October 2020.ExposuresSelf-reported data were obtained on sociodemographic, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors and medically diagnosed conditions using validated questionnaires. Anthropometrics were measured in triplicate.Main outcomes and measuresData were obtained using similar protocols in both studies. Characteristics were contrasted for all participants across studies and for 87 PRADLAD participants who returned to PROSPECT.ResultsA total of 825 participants from both cohorts were included, with 380 PRADLAD participants and 532 PROSPECT participants. In the 2019 PROSPECT study, the mean (SD) age was 53.7 (10.8) years, and 363 participants (68.2%) were assigned female at birth and 169 participants (31.8%) were assigned male at birth. In the 2019 cohort, 360 participants (67.7%) had college education or higher, 205 participants (38.5%) reported annual income greater than $20 001, and 263 participants (49.5%) were employed. Most sociodemographic variables were similar between studies, except for higher income and employment after the hurricane. In the main analysis, participants in 2019, compared with participants in 2015, had higher abdominal obesity (389 participants [73.2%] vs 233 participants [61.3%]), sedentarism (236 participants [44.4%] vs 136 participants [35.8%]), binge drinking (95 participants [17.9%] vs 46 participants [12.1%]), and social support (mean [SD] score, 26.9 [7.2] vs 24.7 [7.1]) but lower depressive symptoms (169 participants [31.7%] vs 200 participants [52.6%]) and perceived stress (mean [SD] score, 19.3 [9.5] vs 21.7 [7.7]). In 2019, compared with 2015, there were higher rates of hypertension (252 participants [47.3%] vs 149 participants [39.2%]), arthritis (172 participants [32.3%] vs 97 participants [25.6%]), high cholesterol (194 participants [36.4%] vs 90 participants [23.8%]), high triglycerides (123 participants [23.1%] vs 56 participants [14.7%]), eye disease (94 participants [17.6%] vs 48 participants [12.7%]), fatty liver disease (68 participants [12.8%] vs 29 participants [7.5%]), and osteoporosis (74 participants [13.9%] vs 20 participants [5.2%]). Secondary analysis for the 87 returning participants showed similar results.Conclusions and relevanceIn this cross-sectional study, a higher prevalence of unhealthy behaviors and chronic conditions was noted among adults in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, warranting long-term studies. Psychosocial factors were better, but still need attention. As natural disasters intensify, efforts should focus on continuous surveillance of health outcomes and promoting healthy behaviors, positive emotional health, and disease control, particularly in populations with higher risk for poor health.

Project description:ImportanceOn September 20, 2017, one of the most destructive hurricanes in US history made landfall in Puerto Rico. Anecdotal reports suggest that many persons with kidney failure left Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria; however, empirical estimates of migration and health outcomes for this population are scarce.ObjectiveTo assess the changes in migration and mortality among patients with kidney failure in need of dialysis treatment in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.Design, setting, and participantsThis cross-sectional study used an interrupted time-series design of 6-month mortality rates and migration of 11 652 patients who received hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis care in Puerto Rico before Hurricane Maria (before October 1, 2017) and/or during and after Hurricane Maria (on/after October 1, 2017). Data analyses were performed from February 12, 2019, to June 16, 2022..Main outcomes and measuresNumber of unique persons dialyzed in Puerto Rico per quarter; receipt of dialysis treatment outside Puerto Rico per quarter; and 6-month mortality rate per person-quarter for all persons undergoing dialysis.ExposuresHurricane Maria.ResultsThe entire study sample comprised 11 652 unique persons (mean [SD] age, 59 [14.7] years; 7157 [61.6%] men and 4465 [38.4%] women; 10 675 [91.9%] Hispanic individuals). There were 9022 patients with kidney failure and dialysis treatment before and 5397 patients after Hurricane Maria. Before the hurricane, the mean quarterly number of unique persons dialyzed in Puerto Rico was 2834 per quarter (95% CI, 2771-2897); afterwards it dropped to 261 (95% CI, -348 to -175; relative change, 9.2%). The percentage of persons who had 1 or more dialysis sessions outside of Puerto Rico in the next quarter following a previous dialysis in Puerto Rico was 7.1% before Hurricane Maria (95% CI, 4.8 to 9.3). There was a significant increase of 5.8 percentage points immediately after the hurricane (95% CI, 2.7 to 9.0). The 6-month mortality rate per person-quarter was 0.08 (95% CI, 0.08 to 0.09), and there was a nonsignificant increase in level of mortality rates and a nonsignificant decreasing trend in mortality rates.Conclusions and relevanceThe findings of this cross-sectional study suggest there was a significant increase in the number of people receiving dialysis outside of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. However, no significant differences in mortality rates before and after the hurricane were found, which may reflect disaster emergency preparedness among dialysis facilities and the population with kidney failure, as well as efforts from other stakeholders.

Dataset Information

Impact of Hurricane Maria on Drinking Water Quality in Puerto Rico.

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Impact of Hurricane Maria on Drinking Water Quality in Puerto Rico.

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