One Million People Defecate in Public

A recent study conducted by the United Nations (UN) shows that despite efforts to improve hygiene in developing countries, one billion people still defecate outside. This can dramatically increase the risk of health issues and cause evnrionmental problems, as well. 

"There are so many latrines that have been abandoned, or were not used, or got used as storage sheds. We may think it's a good idea but if people are not convinced that it's a good idea to use a latrine, they have an extra room," said Rolf Luyendijk, a statistician at the U.N.'s children's fund UNICEF, via the New York Daily News.

Findings from the report showed that from 1990 to 2014, the global number of people who used the bathroom outdoors fell from 1.3 to one billion. However, 26 countries located in sub-Saharan Africa still have a big issue with this problem. In fact, over 39 million people reported defecating in public in 2012 compared to only 23 million in 1990.

As the U.N. launches a new study on drinking water and sanitation, findings show that many low-income communities still are at high risk for diarrhea, dysentery, cholera, heptatis A and typhoid, according to TIME.

Though efforts to improve sanitation issues in poor countries have been focused on building more latrines, not all experts believe that this is the right approach.