Using waste water to irrigate vegetable crops, which is common across developing countries, could lead to deadly health risks including diarrhoeal illnesses, research shows.
The study focused on the Beijing region and found the risk to children eating vegetables grown with waste water exceeded the acceptable level set by the World Health Organisation.
The use of waste water in irrigation is common in developing countries and diarrhoeal diseases are the second leading cause of death worldwide.
Researcher Andrew Hamilton said the findings are important to identify causes of diarrhoeal illnesses while vaccination programs are still being rolled out.
Read more at The University of Melbourne