Stephanie DeFlorio-Barker

Disclaimer: Early release articles are not considered as final versions. Any changes will be reflected in the online version in the month the article is officially released. Estimate of Burden and Direct Healthcare Cost of Infectious Waterborne Disease in the United States Suggested citation for this article To the Editors: We read with interest an article by S.A. Collier et al. (1) estimating the economic burden of waterborne illnesses in the United States.

Introduction Water infrastructure in the United States is aging, and many, older cities in the United States have infrastructure that needs to be upgraded. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the majority of the nation’s sewage collection infrastructure is between 30 and 100 y old, putting it at risk for leaks, blockages, and malfunctions due to deterioration (U.S. EPA 2000).

Introduction Smoke from wildland fires has become one of the leading sources of short-term exposure to poor air quality in the United States (U.S. EPA 2018). Older adults are thought to be susceptible to the effects of poor air quality, not only due to the physiological processes associated with older age, but also due to a higher prevalence of preexisting conditions that may be exacerbated by these exposures (Sacks et al. 2011).