Public health and pipe breaks in water distribution systems Analysis with internet search volume as a proxy》.pdf

w a t e r r e s e a r c h 5 3 ( 2 0 1 4 ) 2 6 e3 4 Available online at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.else /locate/watres Public health and pipe breaks in water distribution systems: Analysis with internet search volume as a proxy Julie E. Shortridge *, Seth D. Guikema Department of Geography Environmental Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, USA a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: Drinking water distribution infrastructure has been identified as a factor in waterborne Received 19 September 2013 disease outbreaks and improved understanding of the public health risks associated with Received in revised form distribution system failures has been identified as a priority area for research. Pipe breaks 1 December 2013 may pose a risk, as their occurrence and repair can result in low or negative pressure, Accepted 9 January 2014 potentially allowing contamination of drinking water from adjacent soils. However, Available online 21 January 2014 measuring this phenomenon is challenging because the most likely health impact is mild gastrointestinal (GI) illness, which is unlikely to result in a doctor or hospital visit. Here we Keywords: present a novel method that uses data mining techniques and internet search volume to Distribution network assess the relationship between pipe breaks and symptoms of GI illness in two U.S. cities. Pipe breaks Week