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Public Health Water Quality Data
Public Health & Epidemiology
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About
This dataset provides crucial water quality metrics, aiming to assess the potability of various water bodies for human consumption. Access to safe drinking water is essential for health, recognised as a fundamental human right and a vital component of effective public health policy at national, regional, and local levels. Investments in water supply and sanitation can lead to economic benefits by reducing adverse health effects and healthcare costs, outweighing intervention expenses.
Columns
- pH value: An important parameter evaluating the acid–base balance of water, indicating its acidic or alkaline condition. WHO recommends a maximum permissible pH limit of 6.5 to 8.5.
- Hardness: Primarily caused by dissolved calcium and magnesium salts. These salts are dissolved from geological deposits through which water travels. Hardness was originally defined by water's capacity to precipitate soap.
- Solids (Total dissolved solids - TDS): Measures the concentration of dissolved inorganic and some organic minerals or salts (e.g., potassium, calcium, sodium, bicarbonates, chlorides, magnesium, sulfates). High TDS indicates high mineralisation, affecting taste and diluted colour in appearance. Desirable limit for drinking water is 500 mg/L, with a maximum of 1000 mg/L.
- Chloramines: Major disinfectants commonly formed when ammonia is added to chlorine to treat drinking water. Levels up to 4 milligrams per litre (mg/L or 4 parts per million (ppm)) are considered safe.
- Sulfate: Naturally occurring substances found in minerals, soil, rocks, ambient air, groundwater, plants, and food. Concentrations vary, with typical freshwater levels ranging from 3 to 30 mg/L, though much higher concentrations can occur.
- Conductivity: Measures the ionic process of a solution that enables it to transmit current. Pure water is not a good conductor, but increased ion concentration enhances electrical conductivity. WHO standards suggest EC should not exceed 400 μS/cm.
- Organic_carbon (Total Organic Carbon - TOC): Measures the total amount of carbon in organic compounds in pure water, originating from decaying natural organic matter and synthetic sources. According to US EPA, < 2 mg/L as TOC is suggested for treated/drinking water, and < 4 mg/L in source water used for treatment.
- Trihalomethanes (THMs): Chemicals which may be found in water treated with chlorine. Their concentration varies based on organic material levels, the amount of chlorine required, and water temperature. THM levels up to 80 ppm are considered safe.
- Turbidity: Depends on the quantity of solid matter present in the suspended state. It is a measure of light emitting properties of water and is used to indicate the quality of waste discharge with respect to colloidal matter. WHO recommended value is 5.00 NTU.
- Potability: A binary indicator (1 for Potable, 0 for Not potable) indicating if water is safe for human consumption.
Distribution
The dataset is provided in a CSV file format, named
water_potability.csv. It contains water quality metrics for 3276 different water bodies and has a file size of 525.19 kB. The dataset consists of 10 columns.Usage
This dataset is ideal for applications and analyses focused on public health and environmental science. It can be used for assessing drinking water safety, developing predictive models for water potability, and understanding the factors influencing water quality. Potential use cases include supporting policy decisions for health protection, identifying regions with water quality issues, and evaluating the economic benefits of water supply interventions through reduced adverse health effects and healthcare costs.
Coverage
The dataset's scope pertains to water quality metrics for drinking water potability. While specific geographic regions are not extensively detailed, the context mentions its relevance at national, regional, and local levels. For instance, the mean turbidity value for Wondo Genet Campus is noted. There is no specific time range mentioned for data collection, but the expected update frequency is annually. The data broadly applies to water intended for human consumption within public water systems.
License
CC0: Public Domain
Who Can Use It
This dataset is suitable for a variety of users, including:
- Public health officials: To monitor and assess the safety of drinking water supplies.
- Environmental scientists: For research into water quality parameters and their impact on ecosystems.
- Data scientists and machine learning practitioners: To build and train models for predicting water potability.
- Water treatment facilities: To understand and manage the chemical and physical properties of water.
- Researchers: Studying the correlation between water quality and health outcomes.
Dataset Name Suggestions
- Drinking Water Potability Assessment
- Water Quality Metrics Dataset
- Safe Drinking Water Analysis
- Water Potability Indicators
- Public Health Water Quality Data
Attributes
Original Data Source: Public Health Water Quality Data
QUALITY