Evaluation of the Impact of the Plastic BioSand Filter on Health and Drinking Water Quality in Rural Tamale, Ghana

Christine E. Stauber, Byron Kominek, Kaida R. Liang, Mumuni K. Osman and Mark D. Sobsey
Additional contact information
Christine E. Stauber: Institute of Public Health, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 3995, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA
Byron Kominek: Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7431, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7431, USA
Kaida R. Liang: Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7431, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7431, USA
Mumuni K. Osman: Cowater International Inc., NORST, P.O. Box 1476, Tamale, Ghana
Mark D. Sobsey: Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7431, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7431, USA

IJERPH, 2012, vol. 9, issue 11, 1-18

Abstract: A randomized controlled trial of the plastic BioSand filter (BSF) was performed in rural communities in Tamale (Ghana) to assess reductions in diarrheal disease and improvements in household drinking water quality. Few studies of household water filters have been performed in this region, where high drinking water turbidity can be a challenge for other household water treatment technologies. During the study, the longitudinal prevalence ratio for diarrhea comparing households that received the plastic BSF to households that did not receive it was 0.40 (95% confidence interval: 0.05, 0.80), suggesting an overall diarrheal disease reduction of 60%. The plastic BSF achieved a geometric mean reduction of 97% and 67% for E. coli and turbidity, respectively. These results suggest the plastic BSF significantly improved drinking water quality and reduced diarrheal disease during the short trial in rural Tamale, Ghana. The results are similar to other trials of household drinking water treatment technologies.

Keywords: water quality; E. coli; diarrheal disease; water treatment; water filtration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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