![]() Potential contaminants from premise plumbing and storage, including lead and PFAS, represent additional risks requiring further investigation and public engagement. Our results are intended to support decision-making by public health authorities and water service providers in Guatemala and other urban areas throughout Latin America, while also empowering individual residents to understand their water quality and make simple improvements at the tap.įuture water quality research could expand testing at the tap to include additional households and areas, a wider range of microbiological and chemical contaminants, and other factors that can affect water quality (such as variation in hydrogeology near source water intakes, the type of water treatment, the age of water infrastructure, and household water use). The results provide a broad picture of the challenges and complexities faced by all water providers in rapidly growing metropolitan areas of Guatemala City, Latin America, and around the world. Overall, our study demonstrates that tap water quality in Guatemala City is affected by many complex factors, including source water (arsenic), the water treatment process (aluminum), household plumbing (lead), and water storage (PFAS). ![]() To our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating PFAS in drinking water supplies in Central America. Guatemala does not currently have enforceable limits for PFAS in drinking water. PFAS were detected in some households, possibly related to leaching from plastic water storage tanks. PFAS are organic human-made compounds used in products globally to make items water-resistant and stain-repellent. ![]() ![]() Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) Arsenic is known as a naturally occurring groundwater contaminant throughout Central America, often due to volcanic activity in the region.
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