Cryptosporidium infection is an illness caused by tiny cryptosporidium parasites. When the body is infected by these parasites they travel to the intestines. The main symptom of this infection is watery diarrhea. Other symptoms include abdominal cramps, fever, nausea, vomiting, dehydration, headache and loss of appetite. In immune-competent people, it is a self-limited illness and could last about week or two while with immune-compromised people, the infection can be life threating and fatal.
In the spring of 1993, there was a massive widespread outbreak of acute watery diarrhea among the residents of Milwaukee. The results of the case presented indicate that this massive outbreak of watery diarrhea was caused by cryptosporidium oocysts that passed through the filtration system of one of the city's two water-treatment plants of Milwaukee Water Works (MWW). It was estimated that more than 400,000 people were affected during this outbreak. Milwaukee Department of Health reported numerous cases of gastrointestinal illness that resulted in absenteeism among employees and students of that area. Laboratory testing for 739 people’s stool samples identified cryptosporidium oocysts. Randomly selected people, who were identified as having clinical cryptosporidium infection, were contacted to conduct a telephone survey. Laboratory-confirmed cases of cryptosporidium infection compared to those who had clinical characteristics with cryptosporidiosis had significantly longer duration of diarrhea and more frequent bowl movements, vomiting, fever, and fatigue. Both groups had similar epidemiologic features and dates supporting the hypothesis stated in this study that the group who was interviewed through the phone survey had clinical cryptospori...
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...he affected areas. The federal assistance is deployed only when it is needed making sure that primary role is for the Wisconsin State Department of Health and Milwaukee Department of Health.
• Oil and Hazardous Materials Response (ESF #10): includes actions to prevent, minimize, or mitigate mainly the release of hazardous materials. In this case, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will coordinate with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to assess and detect the level of contamination in the water treated by the two plants of the MWW. Testing conducted will make sure the quality of water it is within the limits set by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Despite the fact the goal of the EPA is to protect the environment, citizens comes first. The Milwaukee Department of Health will make sure that health of its residents comes first.
ABSTRACT: Water samples from local ponds and lakes and snow runoff were collected and tested for coliform as well as Escherichia coli. Humans as well as animals come into contact with these areas, some are used for recreational activities such as swimming and some are a source of drinking water for both animals and humans The main goal of this experiment was to see which lakes, snow run off and ponds tested positive for coliform or Escherichia coli and to come up with some reasoning as to why. It was found that the more remote pond with less contact contained the most Escherichia coli. However, another lake that many swim in and use as their drinking water indeed tested positive for a small amount of Escherichia coli. The two samples from the snow showed negative results for both coliform and Escherichia coli and the two more public ponds that aren’t as commonly used as a source of human drinking water but animal drinking water tested in the higher range for coliforms but in the little to no Escherichia coli range. It was concluded that the remote pond should be avoided as it’s not a safe source of drinking water for humans or animals. Other than that, the the other ponds are likely to be safe from Escherichia coli, but coliforms are a risk factor.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Quality Engineering took ground water samples that showed volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in the supply well. This well was formerly used for drinking water for the community. The results indicated that the ground water beneath the property was contaminated with radioactive material and VOCs. A sphagnum bog on the grounds had evidence of radioactive contamination. The soil, sediment, surface water, and ground water on the site had high levels of depleted uranium. On some of the soil and sediments, Poly Chlorinated Bi-phenyls were recorded. The buildings and structures on the grounds were as well contaminated with depleted uranium and other hazardous substances.
Bacteria play a large role in our health, the environment, and most aspects of life. They can be used in beneficial ways, such as decomposing wastes, enhancing fertilizer for crops, and breaking down of substances that our bodies cannot. However, many bacteria can also be very harmful by causing disease. Understanding how to identify bacteria has numerous applications and is incredibly important for anyone planning to enter the medical field or begin a career in research. Having the background knowledge of identifying an unknown bacteria may one day aid healthcare professionals diagnose their patient with a particular bacterial infection or help researchers determine various clinical, agricultural, and numerous other uses for bacteria.
Most of the rivers are the one being used by large communities like drinking water supply and for the farmers in their produce. The State of Department put together a commission of knowledgeable people and carried out an investigation about the risk and consequences of this project. Some of the conclusion about the spills were, for example, that: “A million of gallons of tar soil war poured into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan… 40 miles of this river still are contaminated to this day”. Another example of spills affecting communities, is the one in 2013, caused by a twenty foot crack in a pipeline, causing a huge spill of oil, damaging the residential neighborhoods and the Lake Conway in Arkansas. This spills and oil “accidents” are affecting not only the lives of people but also the wildlife, the ecosystems and the quality of air and water
Bleifuss, Joel. "A Deadly Disorder at the EPA." In These Times. Mar. 2013: p. 20. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.
Ever wonder what kind of parasites are in your water, or how they can enter in to your body to make you very sick? Well it is most definite that no on want to get sick. The information found in this paper was collected over the past month, either by going to the library or by accessing information off the Internet at home, almost every night. The point that will be given to you is a little in information about the infectious disease called Schistosomiasis. The points the main points will be the causative agents, symptoms, hosts, methods of transmission and history of the disease. So lets see what Schistosomiasis is.
Kenneth Schiff wrote an editorial for the Marine Pollution Bulletin in 2014 where he asked environmental scientist about the effectiveness of the Clean Water Act. Three topics were discussed to support their approval; The Cuyahoga River, Platform A and declines in marine life. The Cuyahoga River in Ohio had hit a point 1969 where there was so much oil on the surface of that it caught on fire and now it has been deemed as fishable by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, thanks to the Clean Water Act. Platform A was located in Southern California. In 1969, an explosion occurred, causing 100,000 barrels of oil to devastate beaches along the Pacific Ocean and kill thousands of animals located in this region. Also discussed was the effects of hazardous substances, in this example DDT, on marine life. The use of this pesticide caused brown pelicans and California sea lions to experience intense decline in population- thanks to the Clean Water Act being followed by much research, restrictions and bans were able to be placed on these chemicals, allowing these populations to flourish once more. Within this editorial, there is also many who state that this Act has not been effective enough. One big argument is that the EPA has a list of pollutants that has not changed since the 1970’s yet in the last 40 years, there has
US Enviromental Protection Agency. (2010, December 13). Retrieved January 20, 2011, from US EPA Human Health: http://cfpub.epa.gov/eroe/index.cfm?fuseaction=list.listByChapter&ch=49
Toxic substances and Areas of concern: includes pollution prevention, clean up of the most polluted areas in the Great Lakes. Although many so...
This disgusting worm parasite is spread by flies and mosquitoes. The adult worm spreads its larvae throughout the host’s lymphatic system and causes the lymph nodes to become clogged up. This also makes the tissue in the host’s body to swell up and create massive muscle deformations, otherwise known as elephantiasis. The elephantiasis mainly affects the legs and genitals. The disease also affects the eyes but that can be easily detected through close inspection but it commonly causes river blindness in the host. It’s been estimated that the parasite is one of the leading causes of blindness throughout the world.
On January 9th, 2014, it was reported that a chemical spill has occurred from a storage tank owned by Freedom Industries. The spill occurred on the banks of Elk River in West Virginia, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without tap water. The company first reported that 7500 gallons of the chemicals had spilled into the river through a one-inch whole but had found that two weeks later, there was an estimated 10000 gallons of the toxic chemical in the river. The chemicals released include 4-methylcyclohexane (MCHM) and PPH. Methylcyclohexane is a chemical that is used in coal to reduce the amount of ash it produces(Field & Catherine, 2014). The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection are still calculating the exact amount of how much of the chemicals were spilled.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2013). Developing risk communication plans for drinking water contamination incidents. Retrieved from http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/lawsregs/upload/epa817f13003.pdf
Water-borne transmission refers to diseases that are acquired via usually contaminated freshwater. Infection occurs during bathing, swimming, drinking, preparing of food, or in the consumption of food that has been infected with a water-borne pathogen. Most of water-borne pathogens are protozoa, bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Common examples of water-borne pathogens are Cryptosporidium parvum, Giardia lamblia, Campylobacter jejuni, Vibrio cholerae, and Legionella pneumophila, along with man...
Microbes are microscopic life forms, usually too small to be seen by the naked eye. Although many microbes are single-celled, there are also numerous multi-cellular organisms. The human body has 10-100 trillion microbes living on it, making it one giant super-organism. Since the first link between microbes and diseases was made, people have been advised to wash their hands. Scientists, however, have recently started to investigate more closely how the microbes that call the human body home affect our health. While some microbes cause disease, others are more beneficial, working with our bodies in many subtle ways.
Environmental hazards arise as well from hazardous materials and waste. Hazardous materials concerns could arise from spills of gasoline, diesel fuel, oil, or solvents from containers or vehicles. Spills could contaminate soils or leach into ground or surface water. And environmental hazards could adversely affect humans, wild life, vegetation and water supply.