Water Quality and Swimming-Associated Health Effects
Evidence from various sources around the world indicate that there is a relationship between gastroenteritis in swimmers and the quality of the bathing water as measured with bacterial indicators of fecal contamination. Current EPA guidelines recommend the use of cultural methods for E. coli and enterococci to measure beach water quality. These methods produce results in 24 hours creating the conundrum, "we can tell you tomorrow, what you swam in today." This shortcoming in current practice for measuring beach water quality has led EPA to consider new technology and indicators that will provide rapid (2 hours or less) measurement of beach waters.
The EPA is currently conducting a multi-year research project to determine the relationship between swimming-associated health effects and water quality measured with methods that will provide results in 2 hours or less. This long-term study will include 9-11 marine and freshwater beaches in the United States. Approximately 5000-8000 persons from each beach will be surveyed to determine swimming exposure and risk factors for illness. Follow-up interviews conducted 10 to 12 days later will reveal illnesses possibly related to the beach visit. The water quality will be measured during the swimmer exposure using the currently recommended cultural method for enterococci as well as a quantitative PCR method. The latter test can produce results in 2 hours or less using enterococci and Bacteroides sp. as the analyte. The analysis will focus on water quality parameters and their association with increased prevalence of swimming-related health effects. Early results from the fresh water studies will be discussed with regard to the relationship between water quality, as measured with new rapid methods, and swimming-associated health effects. The Pacific Research Center for Marine Biomedicine (PRCMB) is a newly established center at the University of Hawaii dedicated to trans-disciplinary research designed to gain new knowledge about the profound impacts of the ocean on human health. The Center is funded by the National Science Foundation (OCE04-32479) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (P50ES012740).
Presenter:
Alfred P. Dufour, Ph.D.
Senior Research Microbiologist
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Exposure Research Laboratory
Cincinnati, Ohio
Wednesday, March 2, 2005
11:00am
Pacific Ocean Science & Technology Building, 723
Refreshments will be served after the seminar in the hall outside of POST 723
The Pacific Research Center for Marine Biomedicine (PRCMB) is a newly established center at the University of Hawaii dedicated to trans-disciplinary research designed to gain new knowledge about the profound impacts of the ocean on human health. The Center is funded by the National Science Foundation (OCE04-32479) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (P50ES012740).
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