Methods for measuring toxicity or respiratory activity of microbial cultures can be used as tools for assessing the presence of chemicals and their impact on the streams. The proposed toxicity test is based on the respirometric characteristics of the bacteria according to the principals of Biolog’s microplate system. As the microorganism ...
Untitled Document Many investigators have been dealing with mold issues the last few years and may have been overlooking bacteria as the underlying microbial problem. Bacteria ...
Generally water quality testing is done to monitor the maintenance and operation of drinking water systems. In Yemen CARE uses the DelAgua water testing kit (developed by OXFAM, reproduced by the Robens Centre for Public and Environmental Health, Surrey University) as an awareness tool to improve the understanding of ‘clean and safe water’ in village communities. “We have ...
The UN defines water supplies as ‘improved’ or ‘unimproved.’ These indicators are easy to measure, but do not reflect water quality, which requires laboratory or field tests. Laboratory and test availability, expense and technical capacity are obstacles for developing countries.This research compares and verifies four low-cost, field-based microbiological tests: the EC-Kit (Colilert® and ...
Imagine trying to solve a problem when you are provided just 1% of the total data. This is essentially the case in analyzing water and wastewater microbiomes. Conventional microbiological testing methods such as culture and microscopy can identify only about 1% of microorganisms that are contained in a ...
Abstract: Of the 485,000 annual cases of pneumonia-like sickness in the USA, approximately 15% are attributed to Legionnaire’s Disease. This typically results in health care costs of over $600 million (1, 2, 3). For the most part, these incidents can be prevented through effective monitoring and treatment. Since Legionella thrive within microbial biofilms and ...
While in Ethiopia in August to learn more about what they do about drinking water, I visited the Debre Damo Monastery. About 1,600 years old, it is situated on a flat-topped outcropping of solid rock. The only way in or out is by climbing a sheer cliff using a 15 meter rope made from woven rawhide. The top supports a community of about 150 monks. Certainly the most extreme location I found people ...
In August, I was able to visit northern Ethiopia to look at some of the drinking water issues. As you might guess, there are many, ranging from polluted water to almost no water at all. That made it interesting to discover the inhabitants of Adwa and Aksum rely on a reservoir. The reservoir water is treated first by aeration to oxidize iron, then with a flocculant which attracts dirt like a ...
Reusable water bottles are everywhere; on office desks, in gym bags, and in kids’ backpacks. And while it’s inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and incredibly convenient to stop by any tap or fountain for a quick refill, there are a few things to remember about these reusable bottles. Actually, there are a few things to remember about microorganisms: many of them love warmth, ...
Acanthamoeba, human pathogens and natural hosts of pathogenic bacteria, may be accurately detected and quantified by real-time PCR if Acanthamoeba DNA are properly extracted and PCR inhibitors are effectively eliminated. However, the optimization of DNA extraction methods has not been reported for Acanthamoeba. This study compared the effectiveness of two DNA extraction/purification methods ...
The UN declared 2005-2015 as the International Decade for Action ‘Water for Life’. Yet each day thousands of people still die as a result of contaminated water. This does not even take into account the millions of organisms that perish every year thank to polluted water sources. Water pollution is a huge issue that is made more so by the fact that unfortunately, water is ...
Acanthamoeba, human pathogens and natural hosts of pathogenic bacteria, may be accurately detected and quantified by real-time PCR if Acanthamoeba DNA are properly extracted and PCR inhibitors are effectively eliminated. However, the optimization of DNA extraction methods has not been reported for Acanthamoeba. This study compared the effectiveness of two DNA ...
The problem of degrading 6,000+ ft of grease daily has an easier solution than thought at the 27 MGD a Massachusetts Waste Water Treatment Plant. 'At one time, the plant had more grease in its scum pits than it could handle,' said an engineer . 'Worse yet, there was nowhere to put it. Local landfills stopped accepting greasy solids.' Now the plants grease problem has been virtually solved. ...
Clean up with air quality in mind Flooding can strike anywhere around waterways, especially in the spring, when lakes and rivers swell up with melt-water. This year, major floods have already hit areas in North and South America and other parts of the world, including Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, California, Chile, Peru, Indonesia and Russia, just to name a few. When water ...
Ask most contractors what they require with their tile cleaning equipment and they would reply - productivity. Without a machine that offers high output, your business could fail. Tiles can be very hard to clean. Soap scum, water stains, molds, food stains, and other impurities accumulate on tiles quickly. In commercial kitchens and public restrooms especially, dirt accumulates on tile very fast. ...
A. SOLARBEE OVERVIEW 1. Origin of the SolarBee. Pump Systems, Inc. (PSI) developed, built and installed its first solar powered mixer in Dickinson, ND, in the summer of 1998. It was installed into a 30 acre x 13 foot deep municipal wastewater reservoir which had a long history of toxicity associated with ammonia, odor, and stratification problems. In six weeks the entire reservoir cleared up to ...