An Examination of the Different Possible Microbes Present in the Water System

Water is necessary to sustain life, but not all water is safe for drinking. Unclean water helps to spread pathogenic diseases. It is especially dangerous in less populated areas where purified water may not be readily available. In these areas, it may fall on the responsibility of the individual to find their own water. People can collect water from streams, rivers, or lakes. The water from these sources, however, is considered unprotected and cannot be consumed right away. Unprotected water sources can easily become contaminated and are unfit for drinking. That is why this water has to be put through purification methods to withdraw all bacteria, chlorine, nitrates, and phosphates in the water. If a person consumes contaminated drinking water

According to Thompson et al. (2003), a long-term goal of Global Health is to cut in half the number of people who do not have access to clean water. “This initiative will necessitate innovative, collaborative, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral efforts, with commitment from national leaders and heads of international agencies and with public–private partnership”(Barry M and Hughes J, 2008). Blending ideas from people with different backgrounds will increase the likelihood of accomplishing this goal. Diseases associated with the consumption of contaminated water cause serious problems that people in both

Pathogens come in a variety of forms, such as viruses, bacteria or protozoa, and can have devastating, even fatal consequences if not treated in a water supply. Before the mainstream introduction of disinfection into the water treatment process, waterborne pathogens regularly caused epidemics, and diseases like typhoid, cholera and dysentery were rife (Scientific American, 1998). As has been mentioned in the previous chapter, the rapid gravity filtration process is relatively ineffective at removing these pathogens from the water and therefore disinfection is required as a follow up treatment. Adding chlorine to water can inhibit a large range of microbial waterborne pathogens, either killing them or decreasing their activity to a

Cryptosporidium has become a problem in several locations throughout Ireland which has highlighted issues within the treatment of water in Irish Water Treatment Plants. A study has shown

The lack of clean drinking water around the world is a highly discussed global issue. Many people are affected by this problem and it has a large negative effect on a large percentage of the world. 31.25% of people do not have access to properly treated, clean, safe water. This issue continues to grow everyday and many people continue to suffer. The reason this topic needs to be addressed is that the people in the world affected by their lack of clean water are suffering, contracting diseases, and dying, because of the conditions they live in. Moreover it is a large issue and affects millions, if not billions of people.

In waterborne outbreaks the pathogen does not always have to come from drinking the contaminated water because many different disease-causing microbes can be found in a tiny sample of unsafe water (4(pg.4)). Safe water can be limited once a natural disaster happens, and unsafe water, filled with disease causing microbes, is lurking all around. The disease most commonly associated with the consumption of unsafe water is the diarrheal disease, which can be caused by a few different microbes. Most cases of diarrheal disease outbreaks have been recorded after flooding. It is believed that flooding causes the disease, but in reality, the disease is caught by the consumption of the contaminated water (1(pg.2)). Even though floods are the main source of the disease, earthquakes and population displacement can also be a cause (2(pg.6)). One incident in Indonesia after a tsunami left one hundred percent of the surviving population drinking unsafe water. This resulted in eighty-five percent of those people having diarrhea for two consecutive weeks. Another outbreak in Bangladesh in 2004 involved over 17,000 cases and was caused by Escheria coli (1(pg.2)). The U.S. also had a case of the diarrheal disease in 2003 when a sever power outage left New York City powerless for weeks (2(pg.9)). Additionally, the U.S. experienced many cases of diarrhea after hurricanes Allison and Katrina because of microbes being present (1(pg.2)).

By making water purification processes more efficient, the number of casualties caused by unsanitary water will significantly drop. The purpose of this document is to inform the reader about the essentials of water purification; it is organized by the trend of the topic, typically by the types of processes. According to the UN, more than 2.5 billion people worldwide don’t have access to a clean water source. That’s more than 35% of the world’s population that is dying off because of this problem. By purifying the water and making potable water, this problem will soon cease to exist.

Having clean water is a very crucial aspect of health. Many people don’t have access to clean water, this can be life threatening. There are lethal bacterial infections that are present in water. There are many different diseases that can acquire by drinking contaminated water like: cholera, typhoid fever, and dysentery. The biggest concern and issue is the ingestion of water that is contaminated with fecal matter (1). It has been discovered that the main source of bacteria is this fecal contamination. Fecal matter can enter water sources by runoff from farms or any area that contains many animals. This contamination can also come from insects, rats, or other small animals entering wells or water sources (2).

Bacteria are important microorganisms because they are used by humans for many reasons (Goel, 2014). For example, they are being use in the production of food such as cheese and vinegar; production of medical substances such as drugs; biotechnology, etcetera (Goel, 2014). Thus, such bacteria have to be mass produced to be exploited for many purposes in the industry (Goel, 2014). Batch culture, a closed system with limited supply of nutrients for growth, is commonly used for large-scale production of microorganisms (Hall, et al., 2014; Maier, 2009). This suggest that with the accumulation of toxic waste products, changing pH, oxygen tension, and decreasing supply of nutrients, cell growth will be inhibited and the culture will

The lack of safe water supplies and abundance of preventable diseases that result have together become one of the modern world 's top 10 global killers (WHO, 2015). Water-related illnesses claim the lives of more than 2,000 people per day (Water.org, 2015; Prüss-Ustün, A., et al., 2014). A recent United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report states that 10% of the global disease burden could be reduced by improving water supplies, sanitation and hygiene practices, and water resource management in these areas (World Water Assessment Programme, 2009, p.88).

Water quality is a necessity to human life and all other species. According to Turk, J., & Bensel, T. (2014) the Clean Water Act The primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution, whose purpose is to "restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation 's waters (Turk, J., & Bensel, T. 2014) According to Water Quality and Water-Related Disease “The global public health impact of water contamination is significant for many reasons: (1) safe drinking water is vital for human survival to prevent dehydration; (2) water is essential for basic hygiene and modern sanitation methods, including wastewater treatment; (3) water use is key to every sector of an industrialized, transitional, and

Water sources are susceptible to bacterial contamination from animal and human pollution sources. Pollution of waterways has significant implications on human health, especially from a pathogen perspective. Strategies are used to minimize pollution and the impact on human health. However, these methods can be limited

Water is an essential part of the human life. According to Bob Allen, “About 70 percent of the human body is made up of water” (2007). This is a massive part of human livelihood and is manifested by the amount of water consumed daily. Water has unlimited uses and is used for hygiene and dietary consumption. Citizens often use it, but never thoroughly examine what they are consuming. Many studies have been conducted to analyze contaminants that fill water and the dangers of being unaware. The problem of water contamination is an issue that happens globally. It happens in places like Haiti, Ethiopia, Flint, Michigan, and even Alabama. These are places that are affected so severely that many people have died from the contamination. According to the United Nations Development Programme, “Half of the world’s hospital beds are filled with people suffering from a water-related disease” (The Water Project). In Opelika, Alabama according to the Marler Clark network, “At least 13 people in Lee County, Alabama have been [was] made ill in an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak traced to Sportsplex and aquatic Center in Opelika Alabama” (E. coli in Swimming Pools). This was contamination found in a swimming pool that directly affected the people. Additionally, Samford University is susceptible to water contamination if the source water is not properly protected and checked. The students regularly drink water but the thought never crosses their mind that they could possibly be a part

Microbiological parameters in drinking water treatment include enteric protozoa, bacteria, virus, etc. Cryptosporidium, being a type of enteric protozoa, has caused several outbreaks in the last century. Cryptosporidiosis is the human disease caused by cryptosporidium infection, of which major symptoms are watery diarrhea, stomach pains or cramps and low fever. Between 1974 and 2001, there have been 12 outbreaks that are attributable to cryptosporidium in Canada.4 Between 1984 and 2000, 10 outbreaks were reported to be associated with cryptosporidium in drinking water in the United States.4 The most severe outbreak took place in Milwaukee in 1993 that was associated with 419,000 (estimated) cases of illnesses including watery diarrhea.3

As such sanitation and hygiene contribute immensely to the burden of health such countries. Countries with such vulnerabilities with respect to lack of clean and safe water are predisposed to water-related diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and diarrhea, this is from a United Nations report which also stated that these diseases have a potential to stifle growth, (Pandey, 2005). Research reports on the impact of water-related illnesses reveal that thousands of outbreaks occurs and are mostly due to bacterial parasitic and virus microorganism; these outbreaks occur mainly due to the consumption of untreated water.