Abstract Safe drinking water remains inaccessible for about 1.1 billion people in the world, and the hourly toll from biological contamination of drinking water is 400 deaths of children (below age 5). This paper reviews the general guidelines for drinking water quality and the scale of the...

Three billion people cook using traditional fires, and exposure to smoke from cooking remains a persistent and significant environmental health risk factor: household air pollution is estimated to cause 3-4 million premature deaths per year. "Improved cookstoves" could reduce the health risks...