Essays on Contaminated Water

Between 19th October and 1st December 2015, the CDC reported an outbreak of the Escherichia coli O26 (STEC 026) in Delaware, California, Illinois, Oregon, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Washington, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. The CDC linked the outbreak to Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants.

The intestinal symptoms of E. coli infection show up within the first five days after infection and may include:

Loss of appetite Gas Nausea Vomiting Fatigue Sudden watery diarrhea that may turn to bloody stool Cramping of the abdomen Fever In severe cases, the skin becomes pale, urine in blood, a decrease in urine output, and dehydration (Pietrangelo and Kim). Infected people per state include Another short outbreak of a different strain of STEC O26 ...

Introduction

First, they suspected the food prepared for the birthday party to be the cause of the outbreak. It turned out that it was a waterborne disease, a norovirus. Waterborne disease can easily affect children who come in contact with the contaminated water. The swim club manager seemed not very much cooperative during the initial outbreak; but the VHD investigators needed the cooperation of the swim club manager in identifying the real cause of the outbreak. Later, the manager told them that other persons not invited to the February 1 birthday party (members of an infant-mother swim class) got sick ...

Contaminated water is a menace that contributes to the deaths of several people year in year out (“Hand Washing Facilities in Schools”). It leads to severe illnesses such as diarrhea and cholera especially among toddlers and school going children. Following this fact, the residents of the town of Crestwood, Illinois came up with a project that would enhance hand sanitation, especially in public schools. The objective of the specific project was to ensure that by the end of six months, they had provided each school with water dispensers which supplied clean water for washing hands, alongside other necessities such ...

(Case Study Report)

Part 1

Question 1. A. What are the key steps of the investigation of an outbreak? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, epidemiologists follow a systematic approach in order to pull off a “quick and clean” outbreak investigation (CDC, 2012). The following procedure includes the ideal system in carrying out an outbreak investigation: (1) field work preparation, (2) confirm the existence of the reported outbreak, (3) vet the current diagnosis, (4) conduct a working definition of the case, (5) start recording individual cases, (6) apply descriptive epidemiology, (7) construct a hypothesis, (8) verify the hypothesis, ( ...

Arsenicosis is a medical condition that results from increased levels of arsenic elements in the bod and it is a global health concern that many states are vehemently fighting to eradicate. A study in 2007 noted that over 137 million people globally are victims of arsenic poisoning and many more face risks of exposure. For instance, the situation in Bangladesh has been alarming, where arsenic poisoning dates many decades back. Apparently, it has a population of over 156.6 million citizens and at least 90 percent face a chronic risk of exposure of the arsenic poisoning (Khan et al., 2003). ...

Question 1

It is evident that particulate matter is becoming increasingly concentrated in Asia as reported by WHO. Power plants, dust storms, fossil fuels burning in vehicles as well as various industrial facilities result in highly significant amounts of particulates in the Asian continent. People in countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal are prone to and in most cases suffer from aggravating respiratory and heart diseases such as emphysema, bronchitis, and asthma. Bronchitis, characterized by coughing up of dry mucus which is sometimes colored, is an inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes that carry air to the ...

Lab 2 – Water Quality and Contamination

Abstract In this lab, the water quality, contamination, and treatment were investigated. The ability of contaminants (oil, vinegar, and laundry detergent) to remain in the water after passing through the ground was examined. Also, the simple filtering procedure was assessed for its effectivity in purifying water contaminated with soil. The quality of tap water, Fiji, and Dasani bottled waters by the content of ammonia, chlorides, iron, phosphates, total alkalinity, total chlorine, total hardness, and pH was analyzed and compared. All of the studied contaminants proved to remain in the volume of water after passing through the soil; the proposed ...

Abstract

Environmental pollution is among the hotly debated topics in the field of environmental studies. Contamination of this kind ranges from that of water, soil, and air. Industrialization and large organizations have been reported to be the primary sources of pollution across the world. Chevron, a leading multinational energy corporation, has in the recent past been accused and charged for heavy soil and water contamination through oil spills. Such environmental pollution has substantial consequences on the human health, safety, and well being. Van Duzer et al. (2015) assert that one of the most affected nations through the company’s activities ...

Lab Report

Lab Report

Introduction

Air stripping lacks an official academic definition, but a widely accepted definition within the field regards it as the transfer of contaminants from aqueous solutions to air [1]. This process is commonly performed to decontaminate waste water and groundwater for public health purposes, given its ample use in the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from water into air. Air strippers, the devices that carry out this process, are composed of a cylindrical tank which can contain different materials such as steel, ceramic or plastic. Contaminated water is pumped into the apparatus through its upper inlet, proceeds ...

In 2008, the Thames River was a polluted mess. There were many untreated sewage, industrial waste, and garbage deposits which made the river not only an environmental nightmare, but a risk to public health. The primary souce of the pollution in the Thames river was caused by thousands of gallons of untreated raw sewage, which overflowed into the river from the overwhelmed sewage treatment infrastructure in London during storms and periods of heavy rainfall. Due to inadequate funding for and development of infrastructure necessary to prevent ecological disasters like the mass expulsion of waste water into the Thames, the ...

Uranium (U) element was discovered by a German chemist, Heinrich Klaproth, in 1789. Uranium is a radioactive element with an atomic weight of 238.02891 and an atomic number of 92. The uranium element initially discovered by Heinrich was an oxide, uranium oxide. A French chemist, Eugène-Melchoir Péligot, was the first person to produce pure uranium by reacting it with potassium in a heated platinum crucible. The element’s radioactive properties were established in 1896 by a French physicist known as Antoine Henri Becquerel. Currently, uranium can be extracted from various ores such as carnotite (K2(UO2)2VO4· ...

LifeStraw: Science and Technology

LifeStraw is a product developed by the Swiss company Vestergaard Frandsen, which consists of a water filter that removes 99.99% of waterborne bacteria, protozoan parasites and viruses, allowing the user to obtain clean drinking water directly from containers, streams, lakes or other sources of potentially contaminated water. The Oxford Dictionary defines science as the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. In order to develop the LifeStraw, scientific experiments were conducted to understand the process of water purification and develop an innovative method ...

Report on Arsenic-Free Water Filters

Introduction

Arsenic concentration in water varies depending on the source. This report is based on the discussion of the measures of reducing the levels of arsenic in the tube-well water. In this case, three criterions are selected for the study. Each of the methods chosen will enumerate its merits and demerits that suit the application.

Problem

Arsenic is semi-metal element found in the periodic table. It is an odorless, tasteless element that occurs naturally in water, rocks and soils, air, plants and animals. Arsenic poisoning from various water sources such as well present a significant problem across the globe. The ...

Forewords

Water sustainability is a crucial issue in Nigeria as well as in other developing countries. The significant issues of water sustainability in Nigeria include many factors as desertification; the depletion of critical wetlands, forests and vegetation covers at a fast rate. In addition, it includes the pollution of water sources from point sources such as industrial effluent and urban domestic wastes; unregulated utilization of groundwater for domestic purposes. There is also an issue of unavailability of portable water for citizens in most parts of the country particularly those in the rural areas and so forth (Ajai). These water sustainability issues are ...

Communication refers to sending a message from one party to another through a given medium. It is essential to note that for communication to take place, the party being targeted by the message must actually receive the message. This simple definition highlights three significant components of any communication process. These are; the sender of the message, the medium being used to transfer or transmit the message and the recipient of the message. The role of these three components becomes even more critical during communication in crisis situations. The New Orleans incident can be used illustratively. Emergency teams co-coordinating rescue operations had ...

Water can be considered one of the most vital resources in the planet because of its benefits to every aspect of life. Aside from being used for drinking, water ensures that life is continously sustained around the planet. However, as mankind continues to grow, supplies of critical resources like water are slowly drying out due to various causes. While a majority could argue that it is due to the changing climates causing extreme heat, there are others saying that the reducing supply for water is because of pollution. For countries like the United States, issues regarding water supply and pollution ...

KU Version March 2011

At the end of the case study, the scholar will be able to: Identify the steps of the investigation of an outbreak; Describe the characteristics of an outbreak in terms of time, place and person; Use descriptive epidemiological data to generate hypotheses; Use analytical epidemiological data to test hypotheses; Formulate recommendations for the control of an outbreak. Part A cluster of acute hepatitis in Provo, Utah Provo is a large municipality located in the North of Utah, close from the border with Wyoming and Idaho. The population of Provo was 6,185 in ...

Introduction

Water is a very important commodity for the survival of humankind. The hydrological cycle aids in availing water to the earth. It begins when water in the streams, lakes or oceans is heated by the sun and turns into water vapor that penetrates into the air. Also, when plants transpire, water enters the air. The water vapor then condenses to form clouds which, eventually, through precipitation, fall back onto the earth's surface in the form of snow, sleet or rain. This process is made possible when the temperature of the air drops due to air moving up the mountain’s ...

Abstract

The present paper examined water quality and contamination. The three experiments were conducted to find the effects of different pollutants on groundwater, processes of water treatment, and quality of bottled water. The contamination of groundwater was observed to evaluate the result of vitiating environment that has to be protected to ensure a safe future for the progeny. Water treatment processes have to be effective as well as economical, so that people in general worldwide can be benefitted. Treatment method like filtration has researched out for the benefit of people at large. Bottled water was analyzed considering safe for drinking. The ...

The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous nation controlled by the United States of America’s government. It is located on the northeastern portion of Arizona, southeastern part of Utah, and northwestern part of New Mexico. Among all the Native American nations under the jurisdiction of the United States, the Navajo nation has one of the largest, if not the largest, land mass. One of the highlights in this native American tribal nation is the presence of public lands that possess natural sights such as the Ship rock that offers a spectacular view of a ship-shaped rock located in San Juan country, New ...

Abstract

Water is one of the fundamental requirements for any form of living thing on earth. It is known for the many vital roles that it plays in the continued survival of animals and growth of plants. In animals, water plays an essential role in maintaining many processes that take place both in the system of the animal and the outside world as well. Water acts as a medium through which most chemical reactions take place within the body system of all animals. In plants, it plays several roles, mainly by allowing the absorption of dissolved nutrients and mineral salts present ...

Environmental factors and Health Promotions Pamphlet

[Institution’s Name]

Part I: Environmental factors and Health Promotions Pamphlet

Preventive Measures Against The Environmental Factors That Can Affect The Health Of Infants. Preventive Guidelines Introduction: Infant care is the huge responsibility of parent and care givers. The environmental factors are the fundamental elements that are to be monitored to secure the potential hazards of the health and safety of infants. The most evident factor in this lieu is the water consumption. Polluted and contaminated water can cause massive harm to the health of the infant. The immune system of the infants is not developed to survive the consumption of polluted or contaminated ...

Mechanical Engineering is a branch in the field of science that encompasses a large field of designing and manufacturing small individual parts and devices, as well as large systems. The branch is at the heart of moving products from ideas to the marketplace. The branch of engineering involves creating products that will withstand different forces and the thermal environment to ensure they function properly. It entails the design, manufacturing, analysis and maintenance of mechanical systems using principles of materials science and physics. Mechanical engineering is not only concerned about functionality of products but also about aesthetics too. In its broad application ...

Abstract

This report delineates the water quality and contamination of groundwater based on different water samples in three experiments. The water quality was monitored by adding laundry detergent, oil and vinegar in one experiment. The effectiveness of filtered water was evaluated in the second experiment by passing the contaminated water through filter layers containing sand, gravels and charcoal. The filtrate showed clear water compared to raw water. The third experiment was conducted to make a comparative analysis of water samples obtained from tap water with two types of bottled water samples. The samples obtained from Dasani and Fiji bottled showed good ...

Water is one of the vital natural resoures humans can’t live without. According to the World Bank estimate, almost two thirds of the global population will run short of pure drinking water by 2025. There’s a debate all over the World regarding privatization of water, driven by government authorities and large corporate in different countries. This topic is controversial – will the water privatization help to distribute the priceless “oil of the 21st century” in a fair and wise way or should the officials concentrate on protecting water supplies and fighting pollution rather than try to privatize the necessary infrastructure. ...

Japan’s immediate response to correct the impact of the accident

In March 11, 2011 Japan experienced one of the biggest, most catastrophic natural disaster. This refers to the tsunami that was triggered by the 9.0 magnitude Earthquake that hit the country at 2:49pm, JST. The impact of the tsunami and earthquake resulted to over 15,889 casualties (National Police Agency of Japan, 2013) and US$500 billion worth of economic loss (American Nuclear Society, 2012). Among the biggest impact of the calamity involved the destruction of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster that resulted to the release of radioactive materials into the waters and grounds of Japan. In addition, a 10 ...

Research Report on Remediation Methods for Arsenic

Introduction Arsenic contamination of groundwater used for potable water supply is one of the serious problems plaguing the world today. Worldwide, a large number of people are unknowingly exposed to drinking water that has arsenic content higher than the safety level. A study conducted in 2007 reveals that more than 137 million people in over 70 countries are potentially affected by arsenic contamination of drinking water resources (USA Today, 2007). Though arsenic contamination is found in all the waters in the world, some of the places where the problem is a matter of concern is Bangladesh, Argentina, China, India, Chile, ...

Water Quality and Contamination

Introduction Water is one of the basic needs of living organisms. Without water, life would be impossible. Humanity is dependent on water for their day to day activities. Basically, the foremost use of water is for drinking. Living organisms like humans have to take in water for their bodies to survive and sustain the various cellular activities. Aside from drinking, man use water for cooking, washing, recreation, cleaning, and keeping plants alive. Water used for drinking needs to be essentially clean. It must be free from germs and chemicals for the good health of man. Contaminated water ...

Introduction

Water is an amenity and indeed a necessity of the human being. Different epidemic waterborne diseases are due to scarcity of safe drinking water in the world. Water being essentially associated with the earth’s ecosystems can be studied in the context of its relative terms. The human rights emphasis on implementation of global environmental justice and force to adopt such approach that make sure the universal access of people to safe and potable water. That means water should free from contaminations including chemicals and hydrocarbon as detergents, oil and so forth. Ground water contamination is usually found in arid ...

INTRODUCTION

Water is an essential element of the ecosystem. In fact, it controls all processes related to the ecosystem. It acts as a base upon which all human, animal and plant life survives. The food consumed and the habitats of all animals and humans are all part and parcel of the positive impacts this natural resource holds over life. However, there have not been significant measures designed to protect this natural resource so as to keep it in its original form without placing an undue imbalance within the ecosystem (National Resources Defense Council, 2014). Environmental activists have come out several times ...

WATER QUALITY AND CONTAMINATION REPORT

ABSTRACT The process of water filtration systems is to remove impurities from a water source to create potable water in sufficient quantities to supply a municipality. In order to do this water is filtered by several different processes to remove different types of impurities. To test the efficacy of these different processes, a series of laboratory experiments was set up using the same type of materials and processes, but on a smaller scale. The data suggests that these processes are effective in removing most impurities and contaminants, However there is room for improvement and a higher quality of drinking water could be obtained ...

Short title- Effects of Groundwater Contamination

Full title- Effects of Groundwater contamination on water quality utilized for drinking purposes Lab 2 - Experiment 1: Effects of Groundwater Contamination Hypothesis: Laundry detergent is responsible for causing maximum groundwater contamination due to the presence of components like, surfactants containing Alkylbenzenesulphonates and bleaches containing Sodium hypochlorite, and bleach activators containing Tetraacetylethylenediamine.

Post-Lab Questions

- Restate your hypothesis. Was it confirmed or denied? How do you know?

As per our hypothesis, laundry detergent is responsible for causing maximum groundwater contamination.

Yes, our hypothesis was confirmed. This was because of the physical presence of foam and soapy and grassy smell in the water which was mixed with laundry detergent and passed ...

Introduction

Social determinants of health can be described as the environmental conditions in which individuals live, work, learn, age and worship that significantly affect their levels of health, life quality, functioning, risks and outcomes. Among the most essential social health determinant is a healthy and safe physical environment and a good power, money and resources distribution. Water is indeed a very important resource and thus it often pops up whenever social determinants of health are being discussed. To explore this issue in more elaborate terms, it is good that we use a case study. Mountains beyond Mountains is a book by written by American ...

Introduction

The purpose of this project is to provide Flagstaff residents with adequate clean water which they could use for domestic purposes. This initiative is prompted by the needs of the many residents in the area who constantly lack regular supply of clean water in their houses on a daily basis. This project entirely focuses on meeting the needs of the citizens who by and large need this precious resource in their livelihoods. In order to decrease waterborne diseases in this city, a water treatment program will be implemented by the development and research groups. This project will ensure efficiency in delivering ...

NITROGEN AND COPPER DOPED SOLAR LIGHT ACTIVE TIO2 PHOTOCATALYSTS FOR WATER DECONTAMINATION

Abstract: A new category of photocatalytic coating that can degrade chemical as well as bacterial contaminants under visible sunlight wavelengths was generated by the deposition of a stable photocatalytic TiO2 film over the internal lumen of glass bottles by means of a sol–gel technique. Such a coating was produced either in doped or undoped form. This coating used copper and/ or nitrogen for producing visible light-active TiO2 films that were normalized or annealed at 600 ◦C and were characterized by Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The degradation of methylene blue was seen to accelerate with doped and undoped TiO2 films ...

Hepatitis E is one of the most common viral infections and is responsible for an acute liver disease. The disease was identified back in the 1980’s but did not receive much of attention perhaps due to the low rates of incidence in developed countries in the West (Hoofnagle, Nelson, & Purcell, 2012; Kumar, Subhadra, Singh, & Panda, 2013). Hepatitis E affects approximately twenty million people every year, most of whom reside in Africa and South East Asia. The virus has attracted significant attention over the past few years due to an increased incidence in countries such as The United States, ...

Term paper outline

The reverse osmosis which is membrane technology filtration process that seeks to Attain the fresh water requirements suitable to the general health of the individuals well being. The technological process that employs bathe mechanisms of osmosis across a semi permeable membrane brings in to a keen focus the various mechanisms that bring make the filtration process of water a success in the context that the micro organisms are killed. In this context my company proposes to start a plant in the middle east that purifies the water to the locals in the overview that brings into attention the thirst stricken continent and ...

Introduction

What geologic factors are needed for fracking and how does it impact water quality? Franking is defined as the extraction of gas reserves from the underground with the use of hydraulic fracture of shale rock and involves high pressure in liquid so that it can release a gas or gases. The process of fracturing is considered harmful to the environment. Fracking refers to the wrenching of open rock that lies beneath the surface of the earth and leads to the freeing of the underlying natural gas that is trapped in between. Fracking is faced with a lot of environmental hazards ...

Introduction

Arguably, the global pollution is tremendously in the rise. Many people visit the coastal region of Southern California Beach; hence, pollution is increasingly threatening the waters, which individuals play, and swim exposing them to the risk of illness. Studies show that approximately three beaches in Southern California were ranked the most dirtiest beaches in the nation, these included L.A County’s Avalon, Doheny Beach, and Cabrillo Beach. Undeniably, beach vocations form an annual event among many people and families in the United States. As a matter of fact, beachgoers at most polluted beaches in Southern California bring back a lot of ...

Outline I. Introduction Thesis Statement: In the issue of clean water supply and abundance, the United States government should issue strict laws against water pollution because it contaminates agriculture, causes human diseases and poisons animals. II. Agriculture Contamination The chemicals are mixed with water which runs off. Water runs off with some of the soil nutrients The land becomes less fertile and unproductive. B. Contaminated water is not fit for farming Water contamination makes water unfit for agricultural use Using the water for irrigation affects the plants negatively. III. ...

The issue on having an abundant supply of clean water has been one of the major frontiers of environmental advocacy since the early 1950s as the globe now feels the consequences of man’s quest for technology and improvement. Global Warming and Pollution are two of the most prominent issues on the environment that affects two of the important resources human kind now slowly reduces – air and water. Water is the fountain of life as it sustains every living organism with nutrients needed for development. Like air, living organisms depend on water to provide nutrients and energy. In the ...

The movement from sites of waste-disposal of contaminated groundwater is a problem faced by many cities in world. Solid and liquid waste dumped in landfills generates an atmosphere where inorganic and organic compounds present in the water or which are produced in the landfill become prone of entering the hydrological regime through movement. The movement of contaminants in water bodies through landfills is more distinct in temperate and humid climates as penetration of rainfall is moderate to high, and separation of leachate from the aquifers which are underlying for extended time periods becomes a complex process. In such areas, landfills gets ...

Water pollution

Environmental impact and health risks of water pollution to a child Water pollution Water pollution is associated with several health risks to infants. There is both long term and short-term effects on the affected children. We need to understand these health risks to know the consequences of our actions when we expose our children to such form of pollution. The immediate effects include; diarrhea, amoebiasis or cholera, typhoid, respiratory infections and vomiting. It could also cause skin diseases for the child. The long term health effects of this is that it could actually lead to slow growth with ...

Abstract

This is a report on Hepatitis C virus infection in Australia discussing the population at risk, clinical presentation, management, and issues with vaccine production. The findings in the report show that injecting drug users among youths are the major group at risk. The presentation of the disease could be in acute or chronic form. The management is not 100 percent achievable due to unclear reasons but the drugs are effective. There are major side effects associated with the drugs hence there is a need for pre and post testing counseling. The major issue with the infection is the absence of vaccine ...