DOCSLIB.ORG

Alternative Microbial Indicators of Faecal Pollution: Current Perspective

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Alternative Microbial Indicators of Faecal Pollution: Current Perspective Iran. J. Environ. Health. Sci. Eng., 2006, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 205-216 ALTERNATIVE MICROBIAL INDICATORS OF FAECAL POLLUTION: CURRENT PERSPECTIVE 1V. K. Tyagi, *2A. K. Chopra, 1A. A. Kazmi, 1Arvind Kumar 1Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee- 247 667, INDIA 2Department of Zoology and Environmental Science, Gurukula Kangri University, Hardwar -249 404 , INDIA Received 10 March 2005; revised 15 May 2006; accepted 18 June 2006 ABSTRACT Worldwide coliform bacteria are used as indicators of fecal contamination and hence, the possible presence of disease causing organisms. Therefore, it is important to understand the potential and limitations of these indicator organisms before realistically implementing guidelines and regulations to safeguard our water resources and public health. This review addresses the limitations of current faecal indicator microorganisms and proposed significant alternative microbial indicators of water and wastewater quality. The relevant literature brings out four such significant microbial water pollution indicators and the study of these indicators will reveal the total spectrum of water borne pathogens. As E.coli and enterococci indicates the presence of bacterial pathogens, Coliphages indicate the presence of enteric viruses, and Clostridium perfringens, an obligate anaerobe, indicates presence of parasitic protozoan and enteric viruses. Therefore, monitoring a suite of indicator organisms in reclaimed effluent is more likely to be predictive of the presence of certain pathogens in order to protect public health, as no single indicator is most highly predictive of membership in the presence or absence category for pathogens. Key words: Indicator microorganisms, E.coli, fecal coliforms, coliphages, clostridium perfringens INTRODUCTION During the early history of various countries, humans). The reduction of microbiological pollution epidemics of diseases such as typhoid, shigellosis, in wastewater has not been a priority so far in cholera and amoebiasis were common threats. It developing country and at present there are no was subsequently determined that the primary directives regarding the microbiological quality of source of these pathogens was sewage. The treated wastewater. However, the direct and environmental bodies receives a significant amount indirect exposure of population to sewage is of of treated, partially treated or untreated sewage, primary concern (Koivunen et al., 2003). The which severely depletes the water quality of these increasing demography and the growing water water bodies used for drinking, irrigation and other demand has lead to a global deterioration of recreational purposes. The wastewater effluents surface waters quality and in areas facing a water are the major source of fecal contamination of shortage, more and more reclaimed water will be aquatic ecosystems and cause severe disturbance used in the future for irrigation of parks and crops. in their functioning. A major goal of wastewater Thus, the need to determine the microbiological reclamation facilities is to reduce pathogen load in safety of these waters by analyzing them for the order to decrease public health risks associated presence of specific pathogens and the increasing with exposure. Despite the fact that raw wastewater efforts are devoted at present to assessing the also carries large quantities and a wide variety of treatment efficiency of wastewater treatment fecal microorganisms (including pathogens for facilities for removal of indicator microbes of fecal *Corresponding author-Email: [email protected] origin (George et al., 2002; Kazmi et al., 2006). It Tel: +91 1334 245940, Fax: +91 1334 246811 has been proved that the conventional indicators 205 V.Iran. K. J.Tyag Environ. i, et a l.,Health. ALTERNATIVE Sci. Eng., MICROBIAL 2006, Vol. 3,INDICATORS... No. 3, pp. 205-216 of fecal origin i.e. coliform bacteria (total and fecal complex, qualitatively unreliable and do not ensure coliforms), used to evaluate microbiological quality complete safety of water for consumer. Therefore, of waters provide erroneous information. They do the approach is to select some unconventional not adequately reflect the occurrence of pathogens indicator microbes whose presence presumes that in disinfected wastewater effluent due to their contamination has occurred and suggests the relatively high susceptibility to chemical disinfection nature and extent of contaminants. and failure to correlate with protozoan parasites and enteric viruses (Harwood et al., 2005). As RESULTS well as, coliforms are generally considered The microorganisms associated with waterborne unreliable indicators of faecal contamination diseases (typhoid fever, cholera, shigellosis, because many are capable of growth in the hepatitis, jaundice fever, diarrhea, amoebiasis etc) environment. Thus, the public health is not found in polluted waters are several members of protected by using these common indicators (Total bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and helminthes coliform and fecal coliform), since methods for (Fecham et al., 1983) (Table 1 and Table 2). the detection of sewage borne pathogen become Table 1: Infectious agents potentially present in raw domestic wastewater (Hurst et al., 2002; Metcalf and Eddy, 2003) Agent Disease Clinical Symptoms Incubation Period Source Bacteria Ecoli (enteropathogenic) Gastroenteritis Diarrhea 2-6 days Human feces High fever, diarrhea, Human feces and Salmonella typhi Typhoid fever 7-28 days ulceration of small intestine urine Urine from Leptospira Leptospirosis Jaundice or fever 2-20 days infected animals Shigella Shigellosis Bacillary Dysentery 1-7 days Human feces Extremely heavy diarrhea, Vibrio cholerae Cholera 9-72 hrs Human feces dehydration Viruses Polio, Gastroenteritis, Paralytic disease, Enteroviruses Heart anomalies, 3-14 days Human feces respiratory illness. Meningitis Hepatitis A Infectious Hepatitis Jaundice, Fever, Anorexia 15-50 days Human feces Gastroenteritis with nausea Rota virus Acute Gastroenteritis 2-3 days Human feces and vomiting Protozoa Abdominal Pain with bloody Entamoeba histolytica Amoebiasis 2-4 weeks Human feces diarrhea Human and Giardia Lamblia Giardiasis Diarrhea, nausea, indigestion 5-25 days animal feces Human and Cryptosporidium parvum Cryptosporidiosis Diarrhea 1-2 weeks animal feces Table 2: Pathogens in wastewater (Yates, 1998) Public health effects due to microbial pollutants Organisms Number (L) in wastewater Salmonella 23-80000 (Epidemiological studies carried out in India) Shigella 10-10000 E.Coli Unknown The existence of large number of microorganisms Vibrio 10-100000 in raw wastewater is always of great concern to Leptospira Unknown Polio Virus 182-492000 water treatment authorities. Millions of people die Rota virus 400-85000 every year in different part of the world due to Hepatitis A Unknown waterborne diseases. Some epidemiological study Giardia lamblia 530-100000 Entamoeba histolytica 4 data of major waterborne disease outbreaks i.e. Cryptosporidium 5-5180 obtained after extensive literature review is being 206 Iran. J. Environ. Health. Sci. Eng., 2006, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 205-216 provided. (vi) Enteric Fever (i) Typhoid Fever An out breaks at Maharashtra (India), around 415 The disease is endemic in almost all part of the individual were affected, and all of them presented country with periodic outbreaks of water born or with enteric fever. This was attributed to fecal food born disease. In India (1992), about 3, 52,980 contamination of water. Poor sanitation facilities cases with 735 deaths were reported. In 1993 the and waste disposal mechanism can therefore be number was 3, 57,452 cases and 888 death, seen as one of the main contributing factors of whereas in 1994, about 2, 78,451 cases and 304 almost all water born diseases (Kulkarni et al., 1996). death due to typhoid fever reported. (vii) Gastroenteritis (ii) Malaria Gastroenteritis poses a serious health threat to An overall 1.87 million cases of malaria and 1006 Indian communities. In the state of Orissa alone, deaths were reported from the country in 2003. there are approximately 300 infant deaths per day In 2004, largest number of cases in the country as a result of waterborne gastrointestinal diseases. were reported from Orissa, followed by Gujrat, Chattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, U.P., (viii) Cholera Rajasthan and the largest number of death were In August 1993, an outbreak of cholera was reported from Orissa, followed by West Bengal, reported in India, Thailand, and Bangladesh. A year Mizoram, Assam, Meghalaya, Karnataka, and later, the cholera epidemic continues to be a Tripura. problem in India — in the state of Bihar between (iii) Hepatitis the months of May and August 1994, approximately Out break of hepatitis are more common, with 2200 people died from cholera (Times of India, 1994). around 60,000 cases reported in the United States each year. These outbreaks will occur due to poor (ix) Leptospirosis water supply and sanitary facilities. Waterborne diseases spreading like epidemic after (iv) Amoebic dysentery massive rain fall in Western India – Mumbai. Protozoan infection can be serious nonetheless, Water supply completely polluted – more than 300 as illustrated by an epidemic in Chicago in 1933 in die (Aug.16, 2005). More than 6,000 patients which over 1400 people were affected and 98 complaining of fever, nausea and breathlessness deaths resulted when drinking water was remain in hospitals across western Maharashtra contaminated by sewage containing
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Indicator Systems for Assessing Public Health Risk in Waters by Daniel
    Indicator Systems for Assessing Public Health Risk in Waters by Daniel Oliver Roop A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Environmental Engineering by ____________________________________ Daniel Oliver Roop May 2012 APPROVED: ____________________________________ Dr. Jeanine D. Plummer, Major Advisor ____________________________________ Dr. John Bergendahl, Committee Member 1 Abstract For over one hundred years, indicator organisms such as coliforms have been measured as an index of public health risk from transmission of waterborne diseases. Even so, waterborne disease outbreaks have occurred in systems with negative coliform results, many traced to viral or protozoan etiologies. Conversely, no discernible public health outcomes have occurred in systems with positive coliform results. These inconsistencies arise because coliforms, as bacteria, respond differently to environmental stressors and engineered treatment processes than protozoan and viral pathogens. Recent reviews of four decades of indicator and pathogen monitoring indicated that coliphages are more highly correlated to pathogen presence in a variety of waters than coliforms. Therefore, the goal of this research was to re-examine a variety of traditional and novel indicator systems to determine their value as indicators, either singly or as a toolbox. We collected samples of animal feces, wastewaters, source waters and treated drinking waters. Samples were collected from four geographical regions of the United States (Northeast, South, Midwest and West) to assess spatial variability and in all four seasons to assess temporal variability. Samples were monitored for total coliforms, E. coli, male-specific and somatic coliphages, and other physical and chemical water quality parameters including organic carbon, pH and turbidity.
    [Show full text]
  • Microbiological Hazard to the Environment Posed by the Groundwater in the Vicinity of Municipal Waste Landfill Site
    ECOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY AND ENGINEERING S Vol. 18, No. 2 2011 1* 1 2 Krzysztof FR ĄCZEK , Jacek GRZYB and Dariusz ROPEK MICROBIOLOGICAL HAZARD TO THE ENVIRONMENT POSED BY THE GROUNDWATER IN THE VICINITY OF MUNICIPAL WASTE LANDFILL SITE ZAGRO ŻENIA MIKROBIOLOGICZNE DLA ŚRODOWISKA POWODOWANE PRZEZ WODY PODZIEMNE W STREFIE ODDZIAŁYWANIA SKŁADOWISKA ODPADÓW KOMUNALNYCH Abstract: In the area and environs of the municipal waste dump Barycz in Krakow, all analyzed groundwater samples, taken from piezometers C-1, P-3, P-6, P-8 and G revealed occurrence of bacteria - indicators of bad sanitary conditions. Even periodical pollution of groundwater results in its bad quality. Presence of fecal Coliform bacteria indicates on anthropogenic origin of the groundwater contamination. The number of cfu of fecal Coliform bacteria in water samples taken from piezometers was decreasing with growing distance from the waste dump borders. However, even in a 1230 m distance north from borders of the waste dump in the piezometer G, in spite of the absence of fecal Coliform bacteria, bad sanitary condition was ascertained, according to other microbiological indicators. Keywords: microbial contamination, groundwater, landfill leachate Landfilling is still the most often used method for solid waste disposal in Poland. However, this method is associated with several problems. Among these are pollution of air, soil and groundwater, high cost associated with landfill operation and than with their closing and remediation. An important issue is leachate which is both chemically and microbiologically contaminated [1, 2]. Landfill leachate consists of the liquid generated by the breakdown of waste, and the infiltrating precipitation [3]. A broad range of xenobiotic compounds occurring in leachate can be linked to household hazardous waste deposited in the landfill [4].
    [Show full text]
  • Rapid Enumeration of Fecal Coliforms in Water by a Colorimetric /3-Galactosidase Assay L
    0099-2240/78/0035-0136$02.00/() APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENIAl MICROBIOLOGY, Jan. 1978, p.136-141 Vol. 35, No. 1 Copyright © 1978 American Society for Microbiology Printed in U.S.A. Rapid Enumeration of Fecal Coliforms in Water by a Colorimetric /3-Galactosidase Assay L. S. WARREN,t R. E. BENOIT,* AND) J. A. JESSEE Department of Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 Received for publication 3 August 1977 The colorimetric f8-galactosidase assay is based upon the enzymatic hydrolysis of the substrate o-nitrophenyl-fl-D-galactoside (ONPG) by fecal coliforms. This technique provides an estimate of the fecal coliform concentration within 8 to 20 h. A 100-ml portion of test sample was passed through a 0.45-j.m membrane filter. This filter was then incubated at 37°C for 1 h in EC medium followed by the addition of filter-sterilized ONPG. The incubation was continued at 44.5°C until a half-maximum absorbance (at 420 nm) was reached. The time between the start of incubation and the half-maximum absorbance was proportional to the concentration of fecal coliforms present. Escherichia coli (K-12) was used to measure the kinetics of substrate hydrolysis and the response time of different cell concentrations. High cell densities produced an immediate response, whereas 1 cell/ml will produce a response in less than 20 h. In field studies in which samples were taken from a range of grossly polluted streams to relatively clean lake water, a linear correlation between ONPG hydrolysis times and fecal coliform most-probable-number values was established.
    [Show full text]
  • UNIT 3: Characteristics of Water Physical Properties of Water
    UNIT 3: Characteristics of Water Physical Properties of Water 1. Water is a tasteless, odourless liquid at standard temperature and pressure. 2. Water has a high specific heat. Specific heat is the amount of energy required to change the temperature of a substance. Because water has a high specific heat, it can absorb large amounts of heat energy before it begins to get hot. It also means that water releases heat energy slowly when situations cause it to cool. Water's high specific heat allows for the moderation of the Earth's climate and helps organisms regulate their body temperature more effectively. 3. Water in a pure state has a neutral pH. As a result, pure water is neither acidic nor basic. Water changes its pH when substances are dissolved in it. Rain has a naturally acidic pH of about 5.6 because it contains natural derived carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. 4. Water conducts heat more easily than any liquid except mercury. This fact causes large bodies of liquid water like lakes and oceans to have essentially a uniform vertical temperature profile. 5. Water molecules exist in liquid form over an important range of temperature from 0 - 100° Celsius. This range allows water molecules to exist as a liquid in most places on our planet. 6. Water is a universal solvent. It is able to dissolve a large number of different chemical compounds. This feature also enables water to carry solvent nutrients in runoff, infiltration, groundwater flow, and living organisms. 7. Water has a high surface tension In other words, water is adhesive and elastic, and tends to aggregate in drops rather than spread out over a surface as a thin film.
    [Show full text]
  • Identification of Bacteria, Fungi, and Most Probable Coliform Around Temporary Disposal Site at Gadang Village Banjarmasin
    Heriyani, F. et al. Identification of Bacteria, Fungi… IDENTIFICATION OF BACTERIA, FUNGI, AND MOST PROBABLE COLIFORM AROUND TEMPORARY DISPOSAL SITE AT GADANG VILLAGE BANJARMASIN Farida Heriyani1, Lia Yulia Budiarti2, Nurlaili Rafina3, Normaida Novianti3, Puspa Astri Sella3 1Departement of Public Health, Medical Faculty of Lambung Mangkurat University 2Departement of Microbiology and Parasitology, Medical Faculty of Lambung Mangkurat University 3Medical Study Program, Medical Faculty of Lambung Mangkurat University Email koresponden: [email protected] Abstract: Temporary Disposal Site (TDS) of Gadang Village Banjarmasin is one of the temporary landfills in Banjarmasin. The negative effects of waste can pollute the environment, including water and air. The purpose of this study was to identify airborne contaminant bacteria and fungi as well as the Most Probable Number (MPN) of Coliform value of piped water in the residential houses around Gadang TDS Banjarmasin. The research method is descriptive observational. The sample of this study were air and piped water. Air sampling is done by open plate and MPN Coliform sampling was obtained by purposive sampling method. The results of this study showed the air contaminant bacteria in the house were Staphylococcus aureus (55.56%) and Escherichia coli (44.44%) in the environment around the TDS all results were obtained with the same percentage. Aspergillus niger was dominantly found at a distance of 20-30 m and 40-50 m while Aspergillus flavus was mostly found at the distance around 30-40 m. MPN Coliform in piped water showed coliform bacteria contamination with MPN coliform index of 2.0-7.5/100ml water samples. In conclusion, Staphylococcus aureus bacteria is more common than Escherichia coli.
    [Show full text]
  • Lake Sinissippi Water Quality Results 2002 – 2005
    Lake Sinissippi Water Quality Results 2002 – 2005 Lake Sinissippi Improvement District Hustisford, Wisconsin November 1, 2005 Contents Water Quality Monitoring Program...............................................................................................1 Summary of Water Quality Data ..................................................................................................1 Sampling Sites ............................................................................................................................1 How the Data Have Been Used ...................................................................................................2 Lake Watershed and Pollutants...................................................................................................2 Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations ...................................................................................3 Public Health Considerations.......................................................................................................3 Exposure to Illness-Causing Organisms ......................................................................................3 Public Health Considerations in Dodge County............................................................................4 References..................................................................................................................................4 Table 1. Water Quality Data Details.............................................................................................5
    [Show full text]
  • Bacteriological Quality of Some Ready to Eat Vegetables As Retailed and Consumed in Sabon-Gari, Zaria, Nigeria
    Bajopas Volume 3 Number 1 June 2010 Bayero Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, 3(1): 173 - 175 Received: March, 2010 Accepted: May, 2010 BACTERIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF SOME READY TO EAT VEGETABLES AS RETAILED AND CONSUMED IN SABON-GARI, ZARIA, NIGERIA Abdullahi*, I.O. and Abdulkareem, S. Department of Microbiology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. *Correspondence author: [email protected] ABSTRACT Some ready to eat leafy vegetables on sale at Sabon-gari market, Zaria were analysed for their bacterial flora and counts. Lettuce had aerobic plate count range of 2.0 x 107 to 5.7 x 108 cfu/g, cabbage had a count range of 1.3 x 107 – 5.6 x 108 cfu/g and cucumber had a range of count of 3.0 x 105 to 1.9 x 106. The coliform index showed lettuce to have a count of 8.8 x 106 – 1.3 x 109, cabbage was 2.1 x 106 to 8.0 x 107 cfu/g and cucumber was 8.0 x 105 to 1.9 x 106. Bacillus species and Staphylococcus aureus were the predominant bacteria isolated from these vegetables. The counts were obviously above the recommended standards for ready to eat vegetables especially coliforms which should be less than 10 coliform bacteria per gram( FAO, 1979). There is the need for hygiene officials to take interest on what is offered to consumers and specify acceptable handling practices. Key words: Quality, Vegetable, Aerobic plate count, coliform index INTRODUCTION some fresh leafy vegetables that are usually not A vegetable is the tender plant part which is not sweet cooked before consumption.
    [Show full text]
  • 2002 Appropriate Microbial Indicator Tests for Drinking Water In
    Appropriate Microbial Indicator Tests for Drinking Water in Developing Countries and Assessment of Ceramic Water Filters by Chian Siong Low B.A.Sc., Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Toronto, 2001 Submitted to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Engineering in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology June 2002 © 2002 Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved Signature of Author………………………………………………………………………………… Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering May 13, 2002 Certified by………………………………………………………………………………………… Susan E. Murcott Lecturer, Department of CEE Thesis Supervisor Accepted by………………………………………………………………………………............... Oral Buyukozturk Chairman, Department Committee on Graduate Studies Appropriate Microbial Indicator Tests for Drinking Water in Developing Countries and Assessment of Ceramic Water Filters by Chian Siong Low Submitted to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering on May 13, 2002 in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Engineering in Civil and Environmental Engineering ABSTRACT Indicator organisms such as coliforms and E.coli frequently replaced pathogens in the monitoring of microbial quality of drinking water. Tests for indicator organisms are typically easy to perform and results can be obtained quickly. Many studies have concluded that total coliform is not an appropriate indicator in tropical environments. Instead, E.coli is a better indicator of recent fecal contamination and E.coli is proposed as the indicator organism of choice for routine water monitoring in developing countries. Two Presence/Absence (P/A) tests were studied and compared to Membrane Filtration (MF). The P/A-Total Coliform test is useful in evaluating disinfected water supplies.
    [Show full text]
  • STP635-EB/NOV. 1977 Aeromanas, 24 Coliform Confusion, 61
    STP635-EB/NOV. 1977 Index Disease in animals, 140 Disease in man, 140 Aeromanas, 24 Enumeration, 144 Coliform confusion, 61 Sources in water, 142 Aggregation Survival in water, 142, 143 Viruses, 203 Viability, 142 American Society of Civil Engineers Water isolations, 141 Environmental Quality Committee, 197 Chlorine residual test, 20 Anaerobic lactobacilli, 136 Drinking water, 20 B Clostridium perfringens Application indicator, 66 Bacterial indicators As indicator, 65 Sewage, 260 British MPN, 77 Streptococci use, 262 Definition, 66 Bacterial survival, 3, 23, 27 Enumeration, 77 Fecal Streptococci, 247 Epidemiology, 70 Salmonella, 3, 7 Importance, 68 Sand column, 7 Relationship to E. coli, 72 Sewage effluent, 293 Sewage, 68 Shigella, 9 Sources, 70 Shigella fiexneri, 3, 9 Closure hnes, 344 Vibrio cholerae, 9 Coliform index, 200 Bacterial species, 37, 38 Coliforms Definition, 38 Atypical forms, 60 In water, 43 Biotype change after chlorination, 5 Principles, 38 Citrobacter freundii, 26 Bacterial predators, 295 Definition, 44, 48, 60, 61 Bacteriophage, 228 Die-off, 51 Bathers, 227 Drug resistant, 169,179 Bifidobacteria Gas formation, 24 Definition, 133 Incubation, 24 Identification, 133 Index organisms, 63 Survival, 133 Lactose negative, 24 Bottled drinking water Multiplication in water, 61 Clostridia, 163 R factors, 169,178,179 P. aeruginosa, 92, 163 Coliphage, 3.199 Standards, 162 Chlorination effect, 10 Britain Enterovirus relationship, 3,13 Water technology, 291 Sewage effluent, 200 British chlorination practice, 294 Test evaluation, 10 Test for E. coli, 3,10 Virus indicator, 199,228 Candida albicans Committee on bathing places Definition, 139 Recommendations, 239 351 Copyright 1977 by ASTM International www.astm.org 352 BACTERIAL INDICATORS Conference on recombinant molecules, 206,207 Ear infections Cyanophage, 198 P.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessing Microbial Safety of Drinking Water
    Assessing Microbial Safety of Drinking Water IMPROVING APPROACHES AND METHODS Published on behalf of the World Health Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development by This book is one of a series of texts developed to support the development of microbial aspects in the third edition of WHO's Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality and to provide guidance to policy-makers, regulators and practitioners in aspects of planning and implementation. The other volumes include: • Protecting groundwater for health: managing the quality of drinking-water sources • Protecting surface water for health: managing the quality of drinking-water sources • Water quality and drinking-water treatment: the impact of treatment processes on microbial water quality and occurrence of pathogens and indicators in surface waters • Microbial water quality in piped distribution systems: a review of knowledge and practice • Managing water in the home: accelerating health gains from improved water quality • Water safety plans: managing public water supplies for safety Other texts of direct relevance include: From WHO • Water Quality: Guidelines, standards and health • Legionella and the prevention of legionellosis • A separate series of texts deals with emerging issues in water and infectious disease • Pathogenic mycobacteria in water • Hazard characterization for pathogens in food and water (WHO and FAO) • Quantifying public health risks in the Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality: a burden of disease approach From OECD • OECD Proceedings. Biotechnology for water use and conservation: The Mexico '96 Workshop (1997) • The price of water: trends in OECD countries (1999) • Molecular technologies for safe drinking water (1998) (available at http://www.oecd.org/pdf/M000014000/M00014623.pdf) • Drinking water and infectious disease: establishing the links (co-published by IWA, 2002) FOREWORD Inadequate drinking water supply and quality and poor sanitation are among the world’s major causes of preventable morbidity and mortality.
    [Show full text]
  • The Use of 185 Nm Radiation for Drinking Water Treatment Influence of Major Solutes and Temperature on the Degradation of Trace Organic Contaminants
    The Use of 185 nm Radiation for Drinking Water Treatment Influence of Major Solutes and Temperature on the Degradation of Trace Organic Contaminants by Laith Furatian B.Sc., The University of Alberta, 1999 M.Sc., The University of New Hampshire, 2011 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (Chemical and Biological Engineering) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) June 2017 © Laith Furatian 2017 Abstract The treatment of water via 185 nm radiation allows for the oxidative degra- dation of trace organic contaminants without the need for chemical addition. Critical information required for the practical application of such a process has been lacking. Carbamazepine was determined to be an ideal probe com- pound for study of the 185 nm regime due to negligible direct photolysis at 254 nm. An increase in probe degradation rate due to 185 nm is observed with increasing temperature when water is the only significant absorber of photons. A comparison with the temperature dependence of the 254 nm - H2O2 process is made and a fundamental explanation proposed. Experi- mental evidence reveals that probe degradation rate is strongly influenced by anionic composition at environmentally relevant concentrations, partic- ularly chloride. Evidence for the role of the chlorine radical is obtained by kinetic studies involving select probes, radical scavengers, and ionic strength. Interactions between the major organic and inorganic solutes indicate that resulting degradation kinetics are highly sensitive to the composition of the water matrix, a fact that has been neglected from the literature.
    [Show full text]
  • Alternative Microbial Indicators of Faecal Pollution
    Iran. J. Environ. Health. Sci. Eng., 2006, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 205-216 ALTERNATIVE MICROBIAL INDICATORS OF FAECAL POLLUTION: CURRENT PERSPECTIVE 1V. K. Tyagi, *2A. K. Chopra, 1A. A. Kazmi, 1Arvind Kumar 1Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee- 247 667, INDIA 2Department of Zoology and Environmental Science, Gurukula Kangri University, Hardwar -249 404 , INDIA Received 10 March 2005; revised 15 May 2006; accepted 18 June 2006 ABSTRACT Worldwide coliform bacteria are used as indicators of fecal contamination and hence, the possible presence of disease causing organisms. Therefore, it is important to understand the potential and limitations of these indicator organisms before realistically implementing guidelines and regulations to safeguard our water resources and public health. This review addresses the limitations of current faecal indicator microorganisms and proposed significant alternative microbial indicators of water and wastewater quality. The relevant literature brings out four such significant microbial water pollution indicators and the study of these indicators will reveal the total spectrum of water borne pathogens. As E.coli and enterococci indicates the presence of bacterial pathogens, Coliphages indicate the presence of enteric viruses, and Clostridium perfringens, an obligate anaerobe, indicates presence of parasitic on Friday, August 24, 2012 protozoan and enteric viruses. Therefore, monitoring a suite of indicator organisms in reclaimed effluent is more likely to be predictive of the presence of certain pathogens in order to protect public health, as no single indicator is most highly predictive of membership in the presence or absence category for pathogens. Key words: Indicator microorganisms, E.coli, fecal coliforms, coliphages, clostridium perfringens http://journals.tums.ac.ir/ INTRODUCTION During the early history of various countries, humans).
    [Show full text]