Water Technology Misuse, Flaws and Disasters: The Need for Reinvention
Description
In recent years, man-made disasters have denied millions of people access to safe drinking water. Large-scale water contamination has resulted in toxic water at kitchen faucets, economic impacts, illnesses, and fatalities. Often, technologies have been applied to help communities recover, but results have been frequently misstated. For more than 30 years, officials have also increasingly relied on new water pipe repair technologies to reduce water pipe leakage and improve water quality. Today, evidence indicates that certain water pipe repair technologies can cause toxic air inside homes, schools, day care centers, office buildings, the environment, and even contaminate drinking water supplies. Past incidents have resulted in persons seeking medical assistance and reporting symptoms such as nausea, headache, vomiting, difficulty breathing, and eye and nasal irritation. HAZMAT responses and building evacuations have also occurred. Technology misapplication and failure to design out critical flaws contribute to these incidents. A new approach to education and environmentally responsible innovation is needed. We must reinvent our approach to bringing water technologies to market – and understand how to use them responsibly.
Location
Stewart 218
Start Date
9-27-2017 11:00 AM
DOI
10.5703/1288284316618
Water Technology Misuse, Flaws and Disasters: The Need for Reinvention
Stewart 218
In recent years, man-made disasters have denied millions of people access to safe drinking water. Large-scale water contamination has resulted in toxic water at kitchen faucets, economic impacts, illnesses, and fatalities. Often, technologies have been applied to help communities recover, but results have been frequently misstated. For more than 30 years, officials have also increasingly relied on new water pipe repair technologies to reduce water pipe leakage and improve water quality. Today, evidence indicates that certain water pipe repair technologies can cause toxic air inside homes, schools, day care centers, office buildings, the environment, and even contaminate drinking water supplies. Past incidents have resulted in persons seeking medical assistance and reporting symptoms such as nausea, headache, vomiting, difficulty breathing, and eye and nasal irritation. HAZMAT responses and building evacuations have also occurred. Technology misapplication and failure to design out critical flaws contribute to these incidents. A new approach to education and environmentally responsible innovation is needed. We must reinvent our approach to bringing water technologies to market – and understand how to use them responsibly.
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