Background

Little is known about the quality of drinking water in US correctional facilities (e.g. detention centers, prisons, jails, etc.). Our objective was to determine if incarcerated persons are at risk for chronic, elevated arsenic exposure relative to the non-incarcerated US population, particularly in the Southwestern US where public water and groundwater arsenic concentrations are high compared to the rest of the US.

Methods

We analyzed 230,158 arsenic monitoring records from 37,086 community water systems (CWSs) from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Third Six Year Review of Contaminant Occurrence dataset (covering 2006–2011). We compared six-year average arsenic concentrations and the odds of exceeding the EPA's 10 μg/L maximum contaminant level (MCL) for CWSs exclusively serving correctional facilities versus all other CWSs in the Southwestern US, where groundwater arsenic concentrations are high.

Results

Average six-year water arsenic concentrations were higher for Southwestern correctional facility CWSs (6.41 μg/L, 95% CI 3.48, 9.34) compared to all other Southwestern CWSs (3.11 μg/L, 95% CI 2.97, 3.24) and to other CWSs across the rest of the US (1.39 μg/L, 95% CI 1.35, 1.42). In the Southwest, 26.1% (N = 6) of correctional facility CWSs versus 5.8% (509) of other CWSs reported six-year arsenic averages exceeding 10 μg/L, corresponding to an odds ratio of 5.70 (95% confidence interval 2.24, 14.52). Correctional facility CWSs in the Southwest were also more likely to report six-year averages exceeding 5 μg/L (the MCL for New Jersey and New Hampshire, N = 8, odds ratio 2.77, 95% CI 1.17, 6.54).

Discussion

Persons incarcerated in the Southwestern US were at disproportionate risk of elevated drinking water arsenic exposure and related disease from 2006 to 2011. Strict enforcement of EPA regulations and additional technical and financial support for CWSs serving correctional facilities in the Southwest is necessary to protect the health and human rights of incarcerated persons.

中文翻译：

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美国惩教机构饮用水中的砷，2006 年至 2011 年。

背景

人们对美国惩教设施（例如看守所、监狱、看守所等）的饮用水质量知之甚少。我们的目标是确定与非监禁的美国人口相比，被监禁的人是否面临慢性、高砷暴露的风险，特别是在美国西南部，那里的公共水和地下水砷浓度比美国其他地区高。

方法

我们分析了环境保护署 (EPA) 第三次污染物发生六年审查数据集（涵盖 2006 年至 2011 年）中 37,086 个社区水系统 (CWS) 的 230,158 条砷监测记录。我们比较了专门为惩教设施服务的水源与美国西南部地下水砷浓度较高的所有其他水源的六年平均砷浓度以及超过 EPA 10 μg/L 最大污染物水平 (MCL) 的可能性。

结果

与所有其他西南部 CWS（3.11 μg/L，95% CI 2.97、3.24）和其他 CWS 相比，西南惩教设施 CWS 的六年平均水中砷浓度较高（6.41 μg/L，95% CI 3.48，9.34）美国其他地区（1.39 μg/L，95% CI 1.35，1.42）。在西南部，26.1% (N = 6) 的惩教设施 CWS 与 5.8% (509) 的其他 CWS 报告六年砷平均值超过 10 μg/L，对应比值比为 5.70（95% 置信区间 2.24， 14.52）。西南部的惩教设施 CWS 也更有可能报告六年平均值超过 5 μg/L（新泽西州和新罕布什尔州的 MCL，N = 8，比值比 2.77，95% CI 1.17，6.54）。

讨论

从 2006 年到 2011 年，美国西南部的被监禁者面临着饮用水砷暴露和相关疾病升高的极高风险。严格执行 EPA 法规以及为西南部惩教设施服务的 CWS 提供额外的技术和财政支持对于保护健康和安全是必要的。被监禁者的人权。