Water quality in Latin America : balancing the microbial and chemical risks in drinking water disinfection

The Regional Symposium on Water Quality's specific objectives were to use the knowledge and experience of the participants to (1) review information about the chemical disinfection by-products (DBP) risks in drinking water and compare these potential risks to the microbial risk to which the population would be exposed, without drinking water disinfection; (2) recommend strategies and technologies, that are appropriate for Latin America, to ensure that drinking water is microbiologically safe and, at the same time, reduce DBP formation where feasible; (3) formulate recommendations for developing a national policy, programmes, and standards to ensure that drinking water quality is both safe and affordable. Topics on the agenda: multiple barriers; the Pan-American Health Organization's perspective on public health programmes; the worldwide threat of water-borne pathogens; the incidence of waterborne diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean; epidemiological research on the adverse effects associated with the by-products of chlorination; water disinfection technologies; and selection of disinfection systems.