Background Information On Drinking Water Treatment

What are the next steps for Principal Pinder to prevent further outreaks in the future?

a warning due to high levels of enterococci bacteria being found in the water. As a

Today in medicine doctors are rapidly isolating and distinguishing the many pathogenic microbes encountered daily within the environment. Public health has been affected from the faster identification of microorganisms by delivering an accurate analysis to patients in order to receive treatment of the disease in a timely manner. Due to the growing understanding of these organisms more have been easier to indicate to improve water quality. Also more methods have been developed for better treatment options from fecal bacteria in public water systems. Scientist has developed such specific methods of identifying the unknown organism to tell if the contamination has come from either a human, bird, or mammal. (Achtman et al., 2008)

Scientists have studied the impact of water borne pathogens over time. Just how dependent human life is on the waterways is one such question which arises. The study involves the effect of such pathogens on human life. This study was narrowed down to the area of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay each weekend is occupied for recreational use. Such activities as swimming, fishing, and body surfing are common place. Normally each year thousands of pounds of seafood are distributed from out of the bay. There is a vast amount of people who come to visit the area each year.

In January 1994, the 6.7 Northridge Earthquake in California disturbed the soil and as a result of the magnitude, aftershocks, and subsequent landslides, Coccidioidomycosis fungi became aerosolized and dispersed [5]. 203 cases were identified in Ventura County, but Coccidioidomycosis was not the original diagnosis [5]. Data on Coccidioidomycosis is limited due to varieties in state reporting, testing practices, and misunderstanding of the disease [1]. A general conclusion is that 10-50% of those living in endemic areas have been exposed to some form of the disease and each year, approximately 150,000 new cases will occur in the United States [1]. In 2010, Arizona and California were the two states with the highest incidence of Coccidioidomycosis, with 186 new cases per 100,000 population in Arizona and 11.5 new cases per 100,000 in California [1]. From 2000-2011, there were 25,217 hospitalizations for 15,747 patients in California [3]. Many patients were readmitted because they relapsed at least once after their medication prescription ended. This totaled over $2 billion in hospital bills [3]. Over the years, the highest communities at risk have been men, people over the age of 65, Hispanics, Filipinos, Native Americans, pregnant women, and those with

Cryptococcus gattii is a fungus that lives in the soil associated with certain trees and causes the infection C. gattii Cryptococcus’s. In mild climates, the fungus survives in soil and grows in tree bark. Douglas-firs carry the fungus. The fungus occurs in the top 15cm of the soil, on trees, wood chips, mulch, and other natural “reservoirs.” Fungus spores are aerosolized through soil disturbance. (https://www.emlab.com/s/sampling/env-report-03-2012.html) The microscopic fungus C. gattii can infect people after breathing it in from the environment. Cryptococcus’s affects the lungs or the central nervous system; mainly the brain and spinal cord. When the brain is infected they call it cryptococcal meningitis. Both humans and animals can become infected after inhaling airborne, dried yeast cells or spores from the

Water-borne diseases are caused by the ingestion of water contaminated by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites. These pathogens are spread through the feces or urine of an infected individual (africaneeds). The most common diseases are cholera, guinea worm and typhoid. People can easily contract these diseases if there is no system of sewage collection and treatment. In fact, almost 2.5 billion people worldwide do not have access to adequate sanitation (UN water). Climate change can also impact the water crisis in Africa. Water is necessary for survival, and when areas get

Fungi have emerged over the past several decades as major contributors to human disease.(1, 2) As populations of immunocompromised and/or hospitalized patients continue to increase, so will the incidence of invasive fungal infections. A recent study reported that fungemia in the United States increased by 207% between 1979 and 2000.(3) Moreover, as the populations at risk for fungal infection continue to expand, so will the spectrum of pathogens capable of infecting those individuals.

People contract waterborne diseases due to improper measures of drinking water – the disease associated with this typhoid. Most of these reported diseases can be controlled by a clean environment and proper preventive measures.

Oocyst of C. cayetanensis is spherical, 8-10 µm in diameter and appears as a nonrefrctile sphere that contains a cluster of refractive membrane bound globules (Bern et al., 1996). On sporulation the entire globule divides into two ovoid structures which are called sporocysts, each one contains two sporozoites and each sporozoite measures 1.2-9.0 microns (Ortega et al., 1993). The amount of time required for oocyst to sporulate in nature is unknown but under laboratory conditions, sporulation occurs after 5-11 days incubation in either distilled water or 2.5% potassium dichromate at temperatures of 25 to 32° C (Ortega et al., 1993; Ortega and Sanchez 2010). Laboratory diagnosis of cyclosporiosis by microscopy is the commonest method but molecular has the potential to be more sensitive in spite of being unable to differentiate live from dead Cyclospora oocysts (Garcia-Lopez et al., 1996). Due to the several outbreaks caused by cyclosporiosis and its relation to certain local or imported food and contaminated water supply the development of new anti-protozoal agents to eradicate the resistance infective forms are urgent (Chacin-Bonilla,

Cryptosporidium parvum is a protozoan intestinal parasite causing a short-term enteric illness in individuals with functioning immune systems, and can cause a potentially fatal infection in immunosuppressed individuals. Because of C. parvum’s resistance to many of the procedures used to process drinking water and food, and the parasite’s extremely high fecundity, the potential for a large scale outbreak is very high. In fact, C. parvum was responsible for an outbreak in Milwaukee in 1993 when an estimated 403,000 people became ill. This was the largest waterborne outbreak of disease in United States history. This paper will cover some aspects of C. parvum’s life cycle, human sickness

Clean water supply is essential in establishing and maintaining a healthy community. There are two sources of water supply which are the surface water and ground water. Most natural waters are not suitable for consumption as it is contaminated by pathogens and also natural chemicals and minerals. In addition, as a city grew, wastes from human activities contaminate most of the water supplies. Water treatment plays an important role to properly treat a contaminated source of water supply in order to protect the health of consumers. Water treatment process is defined as a process of eliminating pollutants from untreated water to produce a biologically and chemically risk-free water, which is both potable and palatable for human consumption

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

coli outbreak at a county state fair that was a result of poor water treatment. The quality of treatment had been far overlooked because private companies monopolized New York’s water systems. They sought profit over quality and their ineptitude led to deadly containments leeching into New York’s water. Not only did many fall ill, but also a three-year-old girl and an elderly man succumbed to the deadly waterborne illness (Olsen et al. v). Afterwards, the state of New York regained control over its public water system, but impurities continued to damper the water of the city.

The next stage in this journey is where the raw water reaches the inlet at Lochranza Water Treatment Works (WTW) (see fig. 6.). This works was opened in 1999 in order to replace the basic chlorination plant that was in operation since the 1970’s. Lochranza WTW provides high quality drinking water to a combined population of approximately 500 customers in the villages of Lochranza, Catacol and Pirnmill.