Water quality

Bacterial endotoxin is the lipopolysaccharide component of the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria, together with other cellular material that combines to form an endotoxin complex. Endotoxin is pyrogenic and it presents a risk to patients who are administered intravenous and intramuscular preparations.1Thus bacterial endotoxins pose a risk to many pharmaceutical processes and, where not controlled, to the finished products. There are different methods for endotoxin removal. These include depyrogenation,2 such as dry-heat processes applied to glassware, and rinsing,3 as might be applied to closures. These areas receive reasonable coverage within the pharmaceutical sector. Areas that are actively discussed within biotechnology fields but which receive less attention in the wider pharmaceutical context are steps to remove endotoxin bound to protein. This article considers some of the biotechnological applications for endotoxin removal.

The overexploitation and impairment of our freshwater resources require land management strategies that support the preservation of green and blue water flow and various ecosystem services. Historical landscape analysis and the influential driving factors of landscape development provide an essential basis for tackling current environmental questions in land and water management. Hence, this article investigates the influence of historical land use pattern on the hydrological processes and provision of blue and green water flow and storage for man and ecosystems under current climate conditions. Moreover, we discuss in how far these findings could be used to predict or optimise future land management options or as a reference for future land and water management. We used digitalized historical land use maps from 1787, 1827, 1940 and 1984 and a digital land use map of present situation from 2009 for our study areas, which are two small scale Slovenian catchments (Reka and Dragonja). The integrated river basin model soil and water assessment tool was used to simulate the land use change effects on blue and green water flow. The results showed for both catchments that the influence of land use change on total and green water quantity would be statistically insignificant but would have considerable effects on the seasonal flows. In the Reka catchment, historical situations indicate effects on spring and summer blue and green water flow due to a decreased percentage of forest and an increased percentage of grassland and vineyards in the past. Results for the Dragonja catchment indicate past shift from arable land use to forest as decrease in summer green water flow and increase in blue water flow. Possible effects are also increased levels of blue water flow and decreased levels of green water flow during the growing period of the year.

The Increasing pace of Industrialization throughout the world has brought with It a serious, and ever Increasing threat from air pollution. It Is true that this threat Is being taken seriously, and that many responsible research workers, government advisers and others are working towards Its reduction. But air pollution seems to have something of the nature of a hydra-headed monster: tackle one problem and another immediately grows to take its place. Actions taken sometimes have results that are far from what was envisioned, sometimes even seeming to make the problem worse.

In "The Forgotten Pollution", Roos shows clearly and In an often entertaining way, how many of the "unexpected" side effects of pollution by waste gases and particles can be explained by paying attention to the electrical activity of the atmosphere and the earth.
Using an Instrument, which he has developed the Electrostatic Charged Aerosol Monitor (ECAM), together with other instruments and reference to the literature, much of it dating back to the early days of science, when electrostatics was appreciated as a science more than It Is today, Roos has succeeded In explaining many hitherto "puzzling" phenomena in a clear, simple and intellectually satisfying way.

Neste artigo pretendemos chamar a atenção para a situação da água nas terras indígenas e seu impacto na qualidade de vida das pessoas que nelas vivem – homens, mulheres e crianças. Esperamos, assim, tirar da marginalidade e dar visibilidade a um tema tão importante quanto o da terra, fundamental para o presente e o futuro dos povos indígenas no Brasil. A água potável, conforme já declarou o Comitê das Nações Unidas para os Direitos Econômicos, Culturais e Sociais, é um direito humano.

Covering an area of 576 square kilometers, the Ourika watershed is a sub-watershed of the large Tensift basin, located on the northwest slopes of the Marrakech High Atlas, in mid-west Morocco. This basin of dramatic topography, with sparse vegetation cover and friable substrates, is under increasing human action exacerbated by a variable and changing climate. Its vulnerability to water erosion is quite high, increasing risks of wadi flows with significant sediment loads. The aim of this work was to quantify soil loss in the basin using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and Geographic Information System. The results showed that the Ourika watershed was subject to strong climatic aggressiveness ranging from 55.22 to 100.57 MJ.mm/ha.h. The average soil erodibility value, K, was 0.48 t.ha.h/ha.MJ.mm, with a standard deviation of 0.28 t.ha.h/ha.MJ.mm. Slopes with values higher than 35% represented 72% of the watershed's area, with the topographic factor, LS, values ranging from 0.01 to 94.5. The vegetation factor was high throughout the Ourika watershed while C values were higher than 0.5 for 73% of the watershed's area. The average soil loss obtained in the basin was 380 t/ha/year. These results indicated that 48% of the watershed's area was subject to a soil loss between 50-400 t/ha/year, and between 400 and 1000 t/ha/year for 30% of the watershed. Soil loss below the tolerance level (<7 t/ha/year) represented only 4% of the watershed area.

The globally escalating thyroid nodule incidence rates may be only partially ascribed to better diagnostics, allowing for the assessment of environmental risk factors on thyroid disease. Endocrine disruptors or thyroid-disrupting chemicals (TDC) like bisphenol A, phthalates, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers are widely used as plastic additives in consumer products. This comprehensive review studied the magnitude and uncertainty of TDC exposures and their effects on thyroid hormones for sensitive subpopulation groups like pregnant women, infants, and children. Our findings qualitatively suggest the mixed, significant (α = 0.05) TDC associations with natural thyroid hormones (positive or negative sign). Future studies should undertake systematic meta-analyses to elucidate pooled TDC effect estimates on thyroid health indicators and outcomes.

Albay, M., Oruç Babuşçu, F., Berberoğlu, U., Biçkici, E., Çakmak, Ö., Çamur, D., ... Yılmaz, Ş. (2014). Su Sağlığı ve Su Kalitesinin İyileştirilmesi. In M. Müezzinoğlu, & E. Gümüş (Eds.), Çok Paydaşlı Sağlık Sorumluluğunu Geliştirme Programı 2013-2023 "Sağlığın Korunması ve Geliştirilmesine Çok Paydaşlı Yaklaşım" - Fiziksel Çevrenin Geliştirilmesi (pp.17-196). Ankara: T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı.

Project Page:
https://hsgm.saglik.gov.tr/tr/cokpaydasli-anasayfa

YÖNETİCİ ÖZETİ:
Su, canlıların biyolojik açıdan en temel gereksinimi konumundadır. Su, yaşam için olmazsa olmaz bir maddedir. İnsanlar biyolojik olarak açlığa ve susuzluğa uzun süre dayanabilir gibi gözükmesine karşın, vücut fonksiyonları ve duygusal olarak susuzluğa dayanabilmek sanılanın aksine kolay değildir. Bununla birlikte su sadece içme ve bireysel olarak beslenme ve temizlikte kullanılmaz. Tarımsal üretimin, hidro enerjinin, sanayi üretiminin ve ekosistemin varlığı ve sürdürülebilmesi için de su olmazsa olmaz koşuldur. Dünyada kullanılabilir tatlı su potansiyelinin sadece %1 oranında olması ve bu oranın dünyanın her yerine eşit olarak dağılmaması, hızlı ve çarpık kentleşme ile birlikte nüfusun yoğun olduğu bölgelerde suyun bulunmaması veya mevcut suyun yetersiz kalması veya sağlığa uygun özellikler taşımaması bir çok hastalıkların ortaya çıkmasına ve hatta toplu ölümlere dahi neden olabilmektedir. İnsan, çevre ve doğanın sağlıklı sürdürülebilmesinde “su yönetimi” çok önemli bir kavramdır. Bu nedenle, suya erişim haklarının korunabildiği doğru su yönetiminin hangi kurallar çerçevesinde ve hangi örgütsel yapıyla sağlanabileceğinin tespiti genel koşuldur. Bu çalışmada suyun kulanım alanlarına göre korunması ve yönetimi öncelikle olarak değerlendirilmiştir.

SONUÇ VE GENEL DEĞERLENDİRME:
Suyun, çevre ve canlı yaşamı için önemi tartışılmaz. Bununla birlikte su, hava ile birlikte çevresel faktörlerden etkilenmekte ve kirlemektedir. Canlıların ve özellikle insanların doğrudan kullabilediği su miktarı ise kısıtlıdır. Kısıtlı olan doğrudan kullanılabilir su kaynaklarını İnsani faaliyetlernedeniyle kirlenmesi beraberinde birçok sağlık sorununu getirmektedir. Bu sağlık sorunları akut, kronik, harra gelecek nesilleri etkileyebilecek genetik sorunlardır.İnsani faaliyetler sonucu hem içme-kullanma suyu gibi doğrudan kullanılabilen, hem de deniz gibi doğrudan tüketilmeyen su kaynakları bile olumsuz etkilenebilmektedir. Bu nedenler su, bireyler ve yerel-merkezi yönetimlerce öncelikli ele alınması gereken bir konudur. Yerel ve merkezi yönetimlerin en temel görevlerinden birisii hatta en başlıcası suyun ve su kaynaklarının korunması, insanlara sürekli, kesintisiz ve sağlıklı su sağlanmasıdır. Yerel ve merkezi yönetimlerin suyun öneminin farkına varmaları, suyu ayrı bir konu olarak ele almalı ve kirlenmeye, kıtlığına yönelik önlem almaları, hem şu an yaşayan topluma hem de gelecek nesillere yapacakları en büyük hizmettir. Su, sağlık sektörü, yerel ve merkezi yönetimler, özel kuruluşlar, üniversiteler, bilimsel kuruluşlar gibi bir çok sektörü ilgiliendiren çok sektörlü bir konudur. Sektörler zaman zaman işbirliği içerisinde çalışmaları gerekeceği gibi, bazen de yetki ve sorumluluk karmaşası ile karşı karşıya kalabilmektedirler. Bu nedenle öncelikle su ile ilgili mevzuatın bütüncül bir şekilde ele alınıp düzenlenmesi, güncellenmesi ve geleceğe yönelik yenilerinin hazırlanması gerekmektedir. Mevzuatta özellikle etkin ve uygulanabilir yaptırımlar tanımlanmalı, bunlar yetkili kişi / kurumlarca uygulanabilmelidir. Suyun merkezi ve yerel yönetimlerde yetkilileri ve sorumluları tanımlanmalıdır. Son yapılan bakanlık adları ve görevlerindeki değişiklikler, yerel yönetimlere de yansıtılabilmelidir. Suyun temini, sağlıklı bir şekilde sürekliliğinin sağlanması mali desteği gerektirmektedir. Merkezi ve yerel yönetimler suya yeterince ilgi göstermeli, bütçelerinde olmazsa olmaz payları ayırmalıdır. Suyun insani tüketimine sunulması, gerekli işlemlerden geçirilmesine ve sağlıklı sistemlerler iletilmesine bağlıdır. Gelecekte kentleşme olgusu ve nüfus projeksiyonlarına göre alt yapının oluşturulması vazgeçilemez zorunluluktur. Kentleşme olgusu, medya, yaşanan sorunlar maalesef şehir şebekelerine ve bu sistemlerle bireylere ulaşan suya olan güveni sarsmış durumdadır. Oysa, başta devlet olmak üzere merkezi ve yerel yönetimlerin insanların ev/ iş yerleri çeşmelerinden sürekli su akmasını sağlamaları en temel görevlerinden birisi olmasıyla birlikte, akan suyun sağlıklı olmasını sağlamak da en büyük görevlerindendir. Ambalajlı sular, bireysel su gereksinimini sağlamada çok öenmli yerleri vardır. Ancak, ev ve işyerlerinde şehir şebeke suyu en az ambalajlı sular kadar kaliteli olmak zorundadır. Bu nedenle olmaması gereken şehir şebeke suyuna olan güvensizliğin giderilmesi, bu gidişatı tersine çevrilmesi merkezi ve yerel yönetimlere düşmektedir.

The Tigris River is the second-longest river in Western Asia and runs through heavily populated areas, especially in Baghdad city with nearly 8 million inhabitants. The water demand is at its highest levels, nevertheless the Tigris discharge has severely declined in the last decades; combined with the fact that the wastewater quantities are increasing, and the wastewater treatment plants are experiencing a deficiency. Four sites were chosen: the Tharthar-Tigris Canal which is located in the north part of Baghdad city, Baghdad city, the Diyala River conjunction with the Tigris River site, and Al-Azizziyah site in the south of Baghdad city near Kut government, to determine the effect of the decreasing Tigris River flow on the water quality and to identify the sources of pollution. In this research, the used method evaluates the concentration of the contaminants along the course of the Tigris River to determine the source of the contaminants as the novelty of this research. The data in...

WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE • 10 G Street, NE • Washington, DC 20002 • Tel: 1-202-729-7600 • Fax: 1-202-729-7610 • www.wri.org World Resources Institute Working Papers contain preliminary research, analysis, fi ndings, and recommendations. They are circulated to stimulate timely discussion and critical feedback and to infl uence ongoing debate on emerging issues. Most working papers are eventually published in another form and their content may be revised.

Teaching collections are of great importance for science instruction at any level. There are several problems linked to the handling and curatorial management of this kind of collection. Among these is the relatively short life-span of specimens, due to the damage from continuous handling by students. Often the specimens used to replenish the teaching collection come from sampling in field.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the extent and causes of microbiological contamination of household drinking water between source and point-of-use in developing countries. METHODS: A systematic meta-analysis of 57 studies measuring bacteria counts for source water and stored water in the home to assess how contamination varied between settings. RESULTS: The bacteriological quality of drinking water significantly declines after collection in many settings. The extent of contamination after water collection varies considerably between settings, but is proportionately greater where faecal and total coliform counts in source water are low. CONCLUSIONS: Policies that aim to improve water quality through source improvements may be compromised by post-collection contamination. Safer household water storage and treatment is recommended to prevent this, together with point-of-use water quality monitoring.

The demand for sustainable water management has promoted the development of methodologies for estimating environmental flows (EF). In this paper, the EF in an Andean river (Pance, Colombia) for conservation and a Mediterranean river (Wadi-Zomar, Palestine) for restoration purposes is made. Different methodologies are applied given the objectives for each river. The authors used hydrological indices proposed for watersheds with different water regimes and adaptations and validations were made to the local context. These methods allow for estimating the EF at various points in the river and the assessment of disruption scenarios for decision-making. In the Wadi Zomar River, three sampling points were selected. The water samples were then examined for the presence of pathogens. No one indicator or simple hydrological parameter is entirely suitable for all environmental systems and pathogens. In the base flow conditions, the amount of pollutant load varied temporally according to the am...

Zooplankton community structure was studied in the coastal waters of Penang National Park (PNP), Penang. Zooplankton and water quality samples were collected monthly from November 2009 to October 2010 at eight sampling stations (Stations 1 to 8) surrounding the PNP. A total of 49 zooplankton taxa were recorded with mean abundance 1449.99 ± 158.51 ind m-3 and biomass 15.64 ± 0.26 mg m-3. Copepods population was the dominant group recorded with relative abundance amounted for 72.09%. Station 7 (located at an area with minimal human activities) recorded highest zooplankton abundance while lowest abundance was recorded at Station 1 (highly impacted by human activities, eg. fish landing site, discharged of sewage from nearby human settlements). Water quality parameters play a role in influencing the zooplankton community structure. Zooplankton was significantly negatively correlated with water transparency, temperature, salinity and conductivity. It was suggested that zooplankton community was highly influenced by food availability and anthropogenic activities in the study sites.

Quantitative and qualitative assessment of Rainwater harvesting system from rooftop runoff from a catchment at Oke-Lantoro Community in Abeokuta, Southwest Nigeria was determined using eight roof design in respect to slope and six selected roofing sheet materials respectively. The result showed that the steeper the roof slope the more the rainwater harvested irrespective of rainfall amount and duration. Roof pattern with a large and steep slope designed with gutter tends to harvest more water and at a higher rate. Physico-chemical analysis of the harvested water samples gave results which varied from various drinking water quality regulatory standards. Sample from galvanized roofing sheet was influenced by zinc and lead in quantity beyond human consumption level, while the asbestos roofing sheet water sample gave higher calcium and magnesium content which reflects in the total hardness value. Sample from the aluminum roofing sheet gave the best result but it was also affected by the...

A rapid growth of urbanization and industrialization is observed in Rangpur city after becoming a new administrative division of Bangladesh. As a result, the demand for consumptive water use has prominently increased here. The main source of drinking water for most of the working-class people and slum-dwellers are public tube-wells that are installed at the masjid, school, college, marketplace, bus stand, and roadside. Though the water quality is a major concern, there is lack of monitoring of drinking water quality. Hence, this study aims to assess the water quality of the public tube-wells and find out its suitability as drinking water according to the Bangladesh ECR1997 and WHO guidelines. Fifteen water samples were collected from public tube-wells of Rangpur City and some important water quality parameters were tested. After testing, the values of different parameters were statistically analyzed to determine the maximum, minimum, mean, median, and standard deviation. The spatial distribution was illustrated by GIS mapping. The average value of pH 6.75, Total Dissolved Solids 186.2 mg/L, Conductivity 401.98 µS/cm, Dissolved Oxygen 4.34 mg/L, Total Hardness 117.67 mg/L, Alkalinity 107.33 mg/L, Total Iron 1.247 mg/L, Copper 0.067 mg/L, Phosphate 0.35 mg/L, and Chloride 31.56 mg/L. Most of the parameters have been found within the permissible limit but total iron of few samples exceeds the limit. The study reveals that the public tube-well water is safe for consumption. Finally, the geo-spatial map is generated that depicts the distribution of each water quality parameter in Rangpur City.

Constructed wetlands are built to meet a number of regulatory requirements, including compensatory mitigation for wetland losses, treatment of wastewater, and reduction of non-point-source pollution. Natural processes in the wetland stabilize the substrate, enhance permeability, remove organic, inorganic and microbiological contaminants and facilitate the flux of gases between the sediments and atmosphere. Here we present the results of an ongoing study to evaluate the nutrient retention efficiency of a constructed wetland at the Mansfield Campus of the Ohio State University, built to mitigate the loss of stream and wetlands resulting from the construction of the Riedl Hall in 2005. The wetland is also used for stormwater retention, draining 190,000 m2 of campus uplands. Water samples have been collected monthly since April, 2009 and used for determination of organic and inorganic nutrients. Samples were collected at both the inflow and the outflow. Water temperature, pH, and concentration of total dissolved solids were also measured in situ using portable meters. Although there was considerable variability in the dataset, the mean values for all variables but pH were higher in the inflow compared to the outflow (Total Dissolved Solids = 11% higher; Total Oxidized Nitrogen (NO3 + NO2) = 46% higher; NH4 = 51% higher; PO4 = 122% higher; Total Nitrogen = 37% higher; Total Phosphorus = 43% higher; pH = 1% lower). These downstream changes in the studied variables were attributed primarily to biogeochemical processes in the wetland, which removes excess nutrients and improves water quality. The nutrient removal efficiency of the wetland varied considerably between seasons. Highest nutrient removal was observed during the summer (~40% efficiency), while the lowest was observed in the fall (~25% efficiency). Higher efficiency was observed in the removal of PO4 (65% in summer), while TON had the lowest removal efficiency (22% in the fall). There is a positive significant correlation between precipitation and DIN concentrations in both the inflow and outflow stations. Precipitation events explain 73% of the variability in DIN concentrations on the inflow and 87% of the variability on the outflow. On average, a reduction of 14% in the nutrient removal efficiency of the Riedl wetland was observed after rainfall events.

Acid mine drainage (AMD) – characterized by high acidity and elevated sulfate and metal concentrations – represents a big environmental concern. Biological sulfate reduction has become an alternative to the classical physicochemical methods. In this study, domestic wastewater (DW) was tested as a cost-effective carbon-source for the remediation of AMD. Sediments from Tinto River, an extreme acidic environment with an elevated concentration of metals, were used as inoculum. Three anaerobic bioreactors with different microbial supports were fed with a 1:10 (v:v) mixture of synthetic AMD:DW. Around 50% of the organic matter present in the DW co-precipitated with the metals from the AMD previous to feeding the reactor. Therefore, the reactors had to be supplemented with an extra carbon-source (acetate) to achieve higher S elimination. Elevated removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD) (&gt;88%), sulfate (&gt;75%), Fe (&gt;85%) and other dissolved metals (&gt;99% except for Mn...

The Central Asian lowlands are characterized by an arid and continental climate. At the same time, the large streams and rivers have been providing water for the development of flourishing oases and extensive irrigated farming areas. Bukhara is one of those oases. The population of 1.7 mln. and especially the agricultural sector (with an irrigated area of 275,000 ha) use a considerable amount of water. But as the flat topography does not provide sufficient natural drainage, water logging and raising groundwater tables have become serious problems for the agricultural productivity. The combination of the high salinity of the irrigation water and the generous application of fertilizers leads to a widespread soil salinization. Excessive leaching is supposed to reduce the top soil salinity, but as the drainage system is only covering a small portion of the irrigated areas and is in need of maintenance, this process only contributes to the ongoing salinization and the reduction of soil f...

Agricultural water is a precious and limited resource. Increasingly more water types and sources are being explored for use in irrigation within the United States and across the globe. As outlined in this chapter, the Produce Safety Rule (PSR) in the Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA) provide irrigation water standards for application of water to fruits and vegetables consumed raw. These rules for production and use of water will continue to develop and be required as the world experiences aspects of a changing climate including flooding as well as drought conditions. Research continues to assess the use of agricultural water types. The increased use of reclaimed water in the United States as well as for selected irrigation water needs for specific crops may provide increased water availability. The use of surface water can be used in irrigation as well, but several studies have shown the presence of some enteric bacterial pathogens (enterohemorrhagic E. coli, Salmonella spp. ...

Quantifying the relationship between mesozooplankton and water quality parameters identifies the factors that structure the mesozooplankton community and can be used to generate hypotheses regarding the mechanisms that control the mesozooplankton population and potentially the trophic network. To investigate this relationship, mesozooplankton and water quality data were collected in Florida Bay from 1994 to 2004. Three key characteristics were found in the mesozooplankton community structure: (1) there are significant differences between the four sub-regions of Florida Bay; (2) there is a break in May of 1997 with significant differences before and after this date; and (3) there is a positive correlation between mesozooplankton abundance and salinity. The latter two characteristics are closely correlated with predator abundance, indicating the importance of top-down control. Hypersaline periods appear to provide a refuge from predators, allowing mesozooplankton to increase in abundance despite the increased physiological stress.

Shortage of clean and safe water resources in Taiz Governorate, Yemen, represents an extremely important factor in the stability and an integral element in its economic development and prosperity. Groundwater is the main source of water in Yemen, in addition to surface water. Demands for fresh water will continue to rise since the area of study witnesses continuous development and depends on the available local water resources. In addition to the shortage of the water resources, the water quality problems are more severe in the study area. Major, minor and trace elements were determined in fifteen water samples, collected from different resources including some dug and drilled wells. Results indicate that down stream the groundwater quality gradually deteriorate due to infiltration of poorly treated wastewater discharging from uncontrolled domestic and industrial wastewater. All the studied water samples are not suitable for drinking but some of them may be used for irrigation occasionally in very special circumstances. At the present time, the government and scientific organizations in Yemen pay more attention to face the water demand.