HEALTH AND SANITATION: INTERNATIONAL
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by the spread of the bubonic plague that would kill over a third of the population.
Our story picks up again in the early 20th century in the United States, a country that was going through sizable growing pains. Having successfully avoided much of the horror of World War I, America was the only superpower to come through the war relatively unscathed. But all was certainly not well in a very literal sense. In the year 1918, a disease had begun to spread among the soldiers huddling in the poor conditions of the trenches. It wouldn’ t be long before one of these unlucky individuals would bring the virus home to their local towns and municipalities. Before all was said and done, the pandemic that would become known as the Spanish flu would have mortality rates anywhere between 50 million and 100 million, or three to five per cent of the world’ s inhabitants. While the Spanish flu had many causes, it became very clear that poor sanitary conditions among large populations in close proximity could result in devastating effects and untold tragedy. With this event fresh in collective memory, it became imperative to pursue solutions to this issue to avoid another catastrophe of this scale.
In 1926, a group of plumbing inspectors in Los Angeles began to note an alarming wave of disease that correlated with improper sanitation being used in the city’ s infrastructure. After much research and observation, they noted that plumbing codes varied widely from area to area. Oftentimes, the methods and equipment would conflict and this was contributing to an extremely disorganised industry, rife with inefficiency. It was at this point that these inspectors decided to make a real change and create a uniform, universal code that laid out an industry standard that would guarantee a safe and effective system. This massive undertaking, as created by these original 39 inspectors, would come to be known as the Uniform Plumbing Code. believe to be the most important mission of IAPMO going into the future. While plumbing may never be as fashionable as something like finance, one would be wise to remember that the humble plumber has even been admired by royalty. When Queen Victoria’ s son, Prince Edward, came down with a near fatal case of typhoid, it was a crafty plumber who discovered and fixed the broken water closet that had bred the disease. After his recovery, the young prince was quick to exclaim that if he were not a prince, he would rather be a plumber. Indeed, the prince was onto something, for it was the plumber, not the monarch, who helped to shape modern society as we know it today. In the spirit of the original founders of IAPMO, I believe we must always strive to do better and to continue to help our fellow man. PA
The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, otherwise known as IAPMO, has been in existence since 1926.
The Uniform Plumbing Code, or UPC, is an ever-evolving document that brings together a wide variety of expertise to create a comprehensive guide to promote the best plumbing practices for the public’ s health, safety, and overall welfare. To stay at the very cutting edge of technology, the document is constantly revised to reflect innovation and new developments in the industry. Revisions are made by consensus and the organisation welcomes a diverse array of professional opinion and volunteer viewpoints to create a standard that is recognised across the United States and the world alike. Designated as an American National Standard, the UPC is an impressive document, indeed, but there is still much work to be done to continue to spread its adoption. As I type this sentence, approximately 17 % of the world’ s population, or 1.1 billion people, are without clean drinking water and 41 %, or 2.6 billion, is without proper sanitation. These types of conditions have resulted in masses of children with worm infections that can lead to developmental problems and increased infant mortality rates. Even in our very own backyard, many residents of Alaska and other rural areas have inadequate plumbing architecture. What many of us take for granted can often spell the difference between an individual realising their potential and descending into the clutches of poverty.
In conclusion, I believe the Uniform Plumbing Code to be a vital step in providing clean water and proper sanitation on a global platform, which I
March 2017 Volume 23 I Number 1