David L. Archer President | Christian Brothers University website

In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly recognized clean water and sanitation as basic human rights. Despite this recognition, untreated water continues to pose significant health risks, causing over 500,000 deaths annually due to disease-causing pathogens.

Dr. Samuel Hodges, a professor at Christian Brothers University's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is conducting research in this critical area. His work was recently highlighted in the November 22, 2024 issue of Science journal.

Hodges' interest in engineering began during his childhood while observing his father's construction work. He initially intended to focus on international development but shifted towards water quality after realizing its importance for safe drinking water. "I felt confident that I could build a building that would not fall down," said Hodges. "But I wasn’t confident that the water supply for that building would be safe enough to drink."

The practice of treating community drinking water with chlorine began in Jersey City in 1908 and spread widely thereafter. This method significantly reduced illness and disease rates across the U.S., being named one of the ten greatest public health achievements of the 20th century by the CDC. However, chlorine's reaction with natural materials produces disinfection byproducts (DBPs).

During his PhD studies at the University of Arkansas, Hodges researched DBPs and developed new methods for sampling drinking water—a field he has continued to explore.

Concerns about chlorination byproducts' carcinogenicity led many municipalities to switch to chloramination about four decades ago. While reducing DBP levels, an unknown molecule discovered in the early 1980s remained unexplained until now.

While pursuing his doctorate, Hodges collaborated with Dr. Julian Fairey during a sabbatical at ETH Zurich’s Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics in Switzerland. This partnership resulted in identifying chloronitramide anion—a potentially hazardous molecule warranting further toxicity studies—and was published with Hodges as a co-author.

Christian Brothers University acknowledged Professor Hodges’ achievement as vital for public safety advancement: “We are faced with so many things that can cause harm,” noted Hodges on mentoring students—his favored aspect of teaching at CBU—adding: “Understanding what they are and where they come from is a starting point to eliminate dangers.”

Hodges completed his doctorate at the University of Arkansas in 2023 after obtaining bachelor's and master's degrees from LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas; he currently works from Nolan Engineering Center.