Contact Information
Contact Ian Pepper
520-626-3328
ipepper@ag.arizona.edu
Related link(s)
wqc.arizona.edu
%0A Water teems with millions of organisms most of us will never see, and some we wouldn't want to swallow, either. Good water quality depends on accurate testing and filtering methods to identify and remove pathogens, but sometimes a disease organism is so small that current testing methods don't pick it up. Then the pathogen becomes a floating time bomb, multiplying to a critical mass that will start making people sick.
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Often the first to succumb are those with compromised immune systems - people with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy, or AIDS patients. That was the case with microsporidia (see sidebar). No one had really paid much attention to this group of protozoan parasites until 30-40%25 of AIDS patients began developing microsporidial infections.
That caught the attention of two scientists in the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, who wondered what was going on.
"Here's a thing suddenly showing up in AIDS patients and it's widespread. We start looking at an environmental cause." |
"One of the things we do is look at emerging pathogens," says Chuck Gerba, an environmental microbiologist in the department of soil, water and environmental sciences. "Here's a thing suddenly showing up in AIDS patients and it's widespread. We start looking at an environmental cause."
Two years ago Gerba and Ian Pepper, director of the University of Arizona Water Quality Center, began working on ways to identify the pathogen because no detection methods had yet been developed. In 1997 Scot Dowd, a UA doctoral candidate, developed a method for detecting microsporidia in the feces of AIDS patients. The other piece of the puzzle left for Pepper and Gerba to solve was how to find the microorganism in the water, an ongoing strategy.
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"It's one thing to detect (microsporidia) in a clinical sample and quite another to detect in an environmental sample," Pepper says. The trick was, and still is, to figure out how many microsporidia lurk in large bodies of water. Currently drinking water utilities don't monitor the water supply for microsporidia, and have no means for extracting the organism from the water.
It then became "an organized detective game," as Gerba put it, and he and Pepper began by looking for a pattern. Was it waterborne? Was it alive? How could it be killed through disinfection? And does it survive? These are what water utilities need to know about a pathogen.
In fact, this research is sponsored by the American Waterworks Association Research Foundation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, sanitation districts, and even Amway.
The screening method the researchers devised for waterborne microsporidia combined two DNA isolation methods with an assay method called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) where targeted sequences of DNA are amplified, sequenced and then checked against a known database.
While other methods used for routine screening of pathogens have failed to catch microsporidia, the PCR method "showed the ability to detect less than 10 spores in purified water concentrate samples," according to the researchers. Not only that, the test was able to identify and differentiate different species among the thousands microsporidia that exist that infect both humans and non-humans.
Pepper and Gerba were the first to detect microsporidia in groundwater in Arizona. They have been testing surface water samples from locations throughout the state, and some from California. So far, 50%25 of the samples tested showed positive for human pathogenic microsporidia. The researchers add that it was detected first in Arizona only because that's where they started testing for it; other states have it, too. More research is needed to determine how widespread human pathogenic microsporidia are in the water supply.
Contact Information |
Mine tailings and biosolids don't sound like they go together, but combining the two in the proper ratio actually produces a medium that can support living plants. (The product of wastewater treatment of sewage is known as biosolids.) Ongoing research conducted through the University of Arizona, National Science Foundation Water Quality Center (W-Q-C) offers a solution for covering unsightly bare mine tailing piles while at the same time disposing of sewage sludge without affecting groundwater quality. Tests conducted at commercial sites in southern Arizona show that the remediation method does not release heavy metals or excess nitrogen into the soil.
Why pair mix mine tailings with biosolids in the first place? Because each has what the other lacks. Mine tailings, the waste material left over from processing ore, are essentially tons of crushed rock with zero percent organic matter. Deposited in ten-foot "lifts," they are extruded like a thick toothpaste that dries out, according to Ian Pepper, director of the W-Q-C. Thousands of these raised, barren piles dot the Southwest.
 Mine tailings unamended. (Photo: I. Pepper) |
"Nothing grows on them; they look like the surface of the moon," he says. "We wondered if we could take biosolids that are primarily all organic materials and add them to mine tailings--the perfect inorganic matrix--to make an instant "soil." The answer is yes, you can. As soon as you add the biosolids to the mine tailings, the microbial population jumps from 400 per gram in the tailings to about 10 7 or 10 8 million per gram in the created soil. This microbial population is a prerequisite for growth."
 Mine tailings three years after biosolids amendment. (Photo: I. Pepper) |
In cooperation with ASARCO and Pima County Wastewater Management Department and with the approval of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Pepper and soil scientist Ed Glenn began their research at the Mission Mine in Green Valley in December 1998. Biosolids were added at the rate of 80 dry tons per acre to a 3.75-acre site that was seeded initially with native Southwest grasses. The area was monitored for plant growth and for the presence of nitrates and metals. In December 2000 the first biosolid amendment was added to a 20-acre site, also at the Mission Mine, as a real-time disposal from a wastewater treatment plant in Pima County. Approximately 150 dry tons per acre were applied to that site, then seeded and monitored. Neither site was irrigated, yet today, grasses and shrubs cover the once stark landscape.
"Given the statistics, natural indigenous Sonoran Desert is only about 20 percent cover," Pepper notes. "We go way beyond that percentage at these sites." The biosolids proved to be beneficial in adding essential plant nutrients, amending the soil with organic matter, and enhancing soil microbial populations. The resulting vegetation stabilized the mine tailings and reduced wind erosion.
"This is important, because the raw tailings are very prone to air pollution from dust," Pepper says. Although he was pleased with these benefits, Pepper admits he was concerned that the tremendous amount of organic nitrogen going into the ground from the biosolids could cause seasonal nitrate nitrogen (a pollutant) buildup in the groundwater. During the monsoons the moisture causes mineralization and rapid nitrification of nitrogen, particularly in surface soil. Yet the researchers found the nitrates didn't leach, especially during the cooler winter months.
"Heterotrophic bacteria feed on some of this. We speculate that massive amounts of denitrification were occurring, releasing the nitrogen as gas," Pepper explains. "There was an overall loss of nitrogen from the system without detrimental effects on underground aquifers."
Another potential problem was the possibility that the mine tailings still contained high metal concentrations, particularly copper and molybdenum, that could leach into the groundwater; biosolids are characteristically low in metals. Again, there were protective factors: the lack of irrigation inhibited leaching, and Pepper found that biosolids have a tendency to tie up complex metals within the mine tailings, making them less bioavailable. It should be noted that neither site was monitored for the presence of pathogens because the treated sludge used in the research was rated class A "exceptional quality," or pathogen-free.
This study was designed to evaluate not only the revegetation aspects of adding biosolids to mine tailings, but also the benefits and hazards of applying liquid digested sludge for agricultural crop production. Since 1983 biosolids have been put on agricultural land in Marana, north of Tucson, but farmland there is becoming scarce, and this method offers an alternative avenue of disposal. The W-Q-C is also examining bioaerosols, chemical odors, pathogen transport through soil, and methods for upgrading of class B biosolids to class A.
The Arizona Mining Association, mining companies, California's Los Angeles and Orange County Sanitation Districts, and several agribusinesses have shown an interest in this remediation work and the potential for its application on a more widespread basis.
The Water Quality Center
The University of Arizona, National Science Foundation Water Quality Center (W-Q-C) investigates physical, chemical and microbial processes that affect the quality of surface and subsurface waters including potable supplies. Housed in the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Environmental Research Laboratory in Tucson, the center includes an interdisciplinary group of biologists, chemists, physicists, hydrologists, and engineers who work together to resolve water quality problems.
Undergraduate and graduate students also participate in conducting research, publishing and presenting papers, and thus gain broad industry perspective and industrial job opportunities. Funding for the center is supplied by companies and agencies interested in specific water quality issues, and by the National Science Foundation.
Research focal areas include water security; the fate and remediation of commercial and industrial contamination; agrochemical products and practices that influence water quality; municipal waste treatment and reuse; mining; and potable water quality.
"It is the dynamic relationship between the private sector and the university, and the integration of the university with industry and governmental agencies that makes this NSF Water Quality Center unique," says Ian Pepper, director of the Center. "In addition, it is the combination of university expertise and corporate funding that leads to scientific discoveries that can enhance water quality for the community at large."
by Lorraine Kingdon
 Contact Information |
Each time you flush the toilet or wash something down the drain in your tub or sink, you create sewage. Why not simply dump this wastewater onto the ground outside the house? Three reasons: it has a strong odor, the bacteria content is high, and it contains chemicals such as nitrates that can affect the environment by leaching into the groundwater.
In Arizona, much of this wastewater is handled by septic tanks. About 90 percent of the identified locations causing problems with the state’s water quality have onsite septic tanks for treating wastewater (effluent).
Improperly installed or maintained septic tanks can contaminate groundwater and cause human health problems, says Kitt Farrell-Poe, Cooperative Extension water quality specialist.
Fortunately, properly sited, designed, constructed and maintained septic systems can provide an efficient and economical wastewater treatment alternative to public sewer systems.
Unfortunately, most homeowners just want their wastewater to go away as cheaply as possible, Farrell-Poe says.
Basically, homeowners need education, and that’s what the Cooperative Extension and Farrell-Poe provide. The Onsite Wastewater Treatment Education program, funded through the United States Department of Agriculture, and started in La Paz, Mohave and Yavapai Counties, now operates statewide.
The program seeks to increase the number of people willing to identify and address local water quality concerns. “Both adults and young people need to be more aware of the relationship between septic systems and drinking water. Cooperative Extension has more avenues for getting the word out than most other agencies,” Farrel-Poe says.
Innovative teaching tools are helping adults and young people grasp these concepts. In Mohave County, for example, a septic tank model was engineered to teach owners about proper design, operation and maintenance.
In Yavapai County, Extension developed a water testing and education program that has identified six locations exhibiting increasing nitrate levels. In a county experiencing rapid growth and increasing water supply demands, this program has opened up conversations between private well owners and local governmental agencies.
Farrell-Poe explains that septic systems should be designed to fit individual sites, but most systems are based on the same principles: the wastewater is treated by temporarily holding it in the tank where heavy solids and lighter scum separate. The solids are decomposed by bacteria and later removed along with the lighter scum by a professional septic tank pumper. After the partially treated wastewater leaves the tank, it flows into a distribution box and then into a network of trenches. The effluent slowly seeps into the subsurface soil where it is further treated and purified.
Alternative systems are available in areas where, for example, shallow soils can’t absorb the effluent. “There’s always an onsite solution for non-polluting wastewater treatment,” Farrell-Poe says.
More information: Improperly installed or maintained septic tanks can contaminate groundwater and cause human health problems. Several fact sheets on inspecting, operating, maintaining, and managing septic systems are available from the website ag.arizona.edu/pubs.
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| The Slinger can literally sling biosolids 80-100 feet through the air. Scientists at the University of Arizona in Tucson have produced evidence that Staphylococcus aureus is not present in biosolids that are properly treated using conventional methods. |
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For at least two decades, wastewater treatment plants have produced what they refer to as Class A and Class B biosolids, the organic residues that result from specific treatment of sewage.
Biosolids are frequently applied directly to cropland, pastures or timberland, where they decompose, furnishing nitrogen, phosphorus and potash to growing plants. This method offers a more ecologically sound and practical alternative to domestic waste disposal than landfills or incineration, that may result in water or air pollution.
Over the past 18 months questions have arisen over whether Staphylococcus aureus, a human disease pathogen present in raw sewage, remains in treated biosolids, with the potential for causing illness. S. aureus has an infamous reputation, and causes a wide variety of human skin and wound infections, food poisoning, septicemia, toxic shock syndrome, pneumonia, meningitis and other infections.
 Air samples also were tested. |
But in a recent study, scientists at the University of Arizona in Tucson have produced evidence that S. aureus is not present in biosolids. Their report will appear in the October print issue of the journal Environmental Science and Technology (ES&T Vol. 37:October). An electronic version of the report was released on the Environmental Science and Technology Web site on July 26.
Chemically and biologically different from raw sewage, biosolids must meet "Part 503" of the federal EPA standards with regard to pathogen and heavy metal content, handling and application precautions, and other regulations.
"Sixty percent of all biosolids are land-applied in the United States, but this amount covers less than 0.1 percent of agricultural land," says Ian Pepper, a professor in the UA department of soil and water science and director of the UA National Science Foundation Water Quality Center (WQC, see sidebar).
The center has gained national recognition, with the EPA using WQC studies on land application of biosolids as a response to a 2002 National Academy Science report on land application.
In July 2002, following an 18-month study, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) issued a report stating there is "no documented, scientific evidence that the Part 503 rule has failed to protect public health regarding land application of biosolids." At the same time, NAS noted that "additional scientific work is needed to reduce persistent uncertainty about the potential for adverse health effects from exposure to biosolids."
Since no scientific data were available to document whether biosolids specifically contain S. aureus, Pepper and colleagues Patricia Rusin, Sheri Maxwell, John Brooks and Charles Gerba studied biosolid and bioaerosol samples from 15 separate sites across the United States.
"As the saying goes, 'Absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence,'" Pepper says. "Our study focused on finding the scientific evidence regarding the presence or absence of S. aureus in biosolids and bioaerosols."
The sample sites ranged from the East Coast to the Southwest, and all were full-scale treatment plants. No pilot plants were included in the study. The researchers took samples of raw sewage and untreated primary sewage sludge in sterile bottles and transported them on ice to their laboratory. They also collected biosolid samples at the production site and transported the samples on ice in sterile containers overnight to the laboratory. Each sample was assayed for S. aureus the day it was received.
Pepper and the others also collected the bioaerosol samples from four sites in the southwestern United States using commercial land applicators.
 This spray tanker travels at 3 mph while it unloads 4,250 gallons of biosolids. |
"We evaluated the potential for bioaerosols from biosolids with a higher solids content using applicators called 'slingers,' which literally sling biosolids 80-100 feet through the air," Pepper says.
"For liquid biosolids (which have a lower solids content) the material was sprayed from a tanker. In either case we had aerosol samplers hooked up to pumps so that known volumes of air were sucked into a collection fluid, which is later analyzed using cultural assays."
The scientists analyzed all bioaerosol samples for S. aureus within 24 hours of collection. In all, the team analyzed three raw untreated sewage samples and two undigested primary sewage sludge samples, 23 different biosolid samples, and 27 aerosols obtained during biosolid land application (biosolid aerosols).
"We detected S. aureus in samples of raw sewage and undigested primary sewage sludge," the scientists state in their report. "However, we did not detect S. aureus in Class A or Class B biosolids after aerobic or anaerobic digestion, lime stabilization, heat-dry pelleting and/or composting." These are conventional methods that treatment plants use to remove disease- causing organisms from raw sewage.
"You can find S. aureus in sewage and you should be able to, because one in three people have it in their systems," Pepper says. "Yet it should be noted that none of the biosolid or biosolid aerosol samples in our study were positive for S. aureus. The most likely explanation is that wastewater treatment kills S. aureus along with other pathogenic microbes."
Pepper notes that allegations regarding the safety of biosolids are often not based on good science.
"Overall we need more scientific studies to resolve potential issues of concern," Pepper says. "Our study was science-based and indicates that biosolids are an unlikely source of S. aureus."
Ian Pepper can be reached at 520-626-3328 or e-mail ipepper@ag.arizona.edu
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| %0ASidebar: The Water Quality Center |
 The National Science Foundation Water Quality Center at the University of Arizona investigates physical, chemical and microbial processes that affect the quality of surface and subsurface waters, including potable supplies. |
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WRRC to Honor Former Director
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The Water Resources Research Center at the University of Arizona will host a special dedication ceremony and reception naming its main meeting area in honor of former director Sol Resnick.%0A
%0AResnick, who began teaching at the UA in 1959, is an authority on arid and semi-arid hydrology and has worked on water and irrigation projects all over the world through the UA, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Bank. %0A
%0AHe also has taught at universities in the United States, Israel, Brazil and Thailand. The Arizona Hydrological Society awarded Resnick its Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998. He and his wife, Elaine Resnick, have written a new book, "Irrigating India," about his five-year stint with USAID.%0A
%0AThomas Maddock, a UA professor of hydrology and water resources who has known Resnick for many years, said "Sol is just a grand old man. He did quite a lot of technical work and built that organization (WRRC) into one that is now very well respected around the country." %0A
%0AThe dedication, which will be hosted by Sid Wilson, general manager of the Central Arizona Project, will start at 4:30 p.m. A short seminar, "Historical Overview on Sol Resnick and the WRRC" will be part of the program.%0A
%0ARefreshments will be provided.%0A
%0AWRRC is requesting stories, memories, written tributes, pictures or anecdotes related to Resnick (please submit materials no later than Nov. 10) for an album to be presented to him at the ceremony. %0A
%0AMake reservations by contacting Terry Sprouse at 792-9591 x13 or by e-mail to tsprouse@ag.arizona.edu%0A
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As every Arizona water manager knows water issues in the state area varied, complex and interrelated. Guided by this premise a conference has been scheduled to bring together many who are involved in state water affairs, to share their expertise and experiences in an effort to identify what does and does not work in managing Arizona’s water resources, especially at the local level.
Those participating in the conference include officials and representatives from various geographic and demographic areas of the state — urban, rural and areas in between — who are involved in water affairs in varied capacities, including representatives of different levels of government — local, state, federal and tribal — along with members of the private sector.
Sessions include a panel discussion of watershed planning efforts underway in different areas of the state. Another panel will evaluate effective strategies for dealing with watershed issues. Also a panel will address water issues of importance to areas not included within watersheds. The government agencies’ perspective on water issues will be presented in another panel.
A state officials panel will review the legislative agenda with regards to water issues, commenting on what was and was not accomplished along with speculating on possible future legislative priorities. This session will provide the political perspective on current and emerging water issues confronting the state, what they are and what to do about them.
Jonas Minton, deputy director of the California of Water Resources, is Thursday’s keynote speaker. His talk is titled, “No Need to Reinvent the Flat Tire — Learning From What’s Working and What Hasn’t Worked.” Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Herb Guenther is Thursday’s luncheon keynote speaker. He will speak on “Droughts, Floods and Other Water Events.”
Friday’s keynote speaker is Robert Glennon, author of the widely acclaimed book, “Water Follies: The Impact of Groundwater Pumping on the Environment of the United States," and published by the University of Arizona Press.
The conference, “Local Approaches to Resolving Water Resource Issues – What’s Working, What Hasn’t Worked and Building on Existing Efforts,” will be conducted in Prescott May 1-2, and hosted by the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center.
For more information about the conference contact Terry Sprouse, WRRC, 520-792-9591, x13; email: tsprouse@cals.arizona.edu or check the WRRC website at http://cals.arizona.edu/azwater/announcements/annc.html
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| Edible red seaweed known as long ogo being placed into growth cages along the Molokai coast. Photograph courtesy of the UA Environmental Research Laboratory. |
A Side of Algae? Hawaiian Farmers Sell Seaweed by the Seashore
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Although a yearning to surf was what first drove native Tucsonan Edward Glenn to Hawaii, what keeps him going back is his life-long interest in marine agronomy. Now, instead of hanging out in the waves, Glenn spends his time on the leeward side of the island of Molokai, working with the local community on sustainable aquaculture projects for the ancient fishponds that dot the island's south coast.
%0A%0ARather than growing fish, Glenn, Stephen Nelson and their colleagues are focusing on the edible red seaweed, Gracilaria parvispora. The alga, known as "long ogo" by the Japanese, is eaten by people in Hawaii, Asia and the Pacific and is also a source of agar, a common thickening agent in Japanese cooking. This month the team received a grant to develop new markets for Hawaii long ogo products.
%0A%0ALong ogo was once the most important edible seaweed on Hawaii's reefs. In the past, people would go out to the reef and yank the seaweed off the rocks or even take the whole rock, Glenn says. Ultimately, the reef populations of seaweed declined. People started to grow another species of seaweed in tanks on land, but the replacement just wasn't as good.
%0A%0A"This particular seaweed is the one that people desire the most, and it has become overharvested on the reefs of Hawaii," says Glenn, a professor of soil, water and environmental science in the University of Arizona's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). "Our scientific challenge was to find a way to put the seaweed into a practical aquaculture system. People%0Ahave been trying for years to grow this particular species, and they haven't been able to do it."
%0A%0AHowever, Glenn and his colleagues have done it. The group, which includes researchers from the department of soil, water and environmental science's Environmental Research Laboratory (ERL) and others in Hawaii, has developed a way to grow the complete life cycle of long ogo without needing to harvest starter plants from the ocean. Glenn says the sustainable system for growing fresh long ogo is unique in the United States.
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 The south reef of Molokai, showing traditional Hawaiian fishponds along the %0Ashoreline, and Puko'o Lagoon, a clover-leaf-shaped bay where UA's %0Aaquaculture activities are based. Photograph courtesy of UA Environmental Research Laboratory.%0A |
%0AMolokai is a relatively undeveloped island, without the coastline-oriented tourist industry prevalent on Hawaiian islands such as Oahu and Hawaii. Many Molokai residents cherish their rural lifestyle and want to continue traditional Hawaiian ways of life, rather than converting the island's economy to one dependent on tourism, Glenn says. However, Molokai also has limited opportunities for employment. An aquaculture project that focuses on growing long ogo in the ancient fishponds would satisfy a lot of different needs.
%0A%0AA key part of the project is the hatchery, run by Ke Kua'aina Hanauna Hou (KKHH), a nonprofit organization that develops aquaculture enterprises for coastal residents. In KKHH's hatchery tanks, algal spores are allowed to settle onto rocks or coral chips and start growing. Then those rocks or chunks of coral are given away to the farmers so they can start their own plot of long ogo. Farmers can have a load of seaweed-covered rocks delivered by pickup.
%0A%0AGlenn says the farmer's next step would be "put 'em out and start a little patch of it and that would be your little patch to harvest and tend." The starter plants can be grown in a variety of places: an ancient fishpond in the ocean, a land-locked fishpond or even in the effluent runoff ditch from a shrimp-farming operation. The little plots of long ogo that are grown in the ocean release spores periodically, thereby replenishing the natural population.
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 Baskets of harvested and cleaned fresh long ogo ready to be packed and airfreighted to Honolulu seafood markets. Photograph courtesy of UA Environmental Research Laboratory.%0A |
%0A"This is actually repopulating the reef," says Nelson, a senior research scientist at ERL whose primary research focus is the Molokai project.
%0A%0ALong ogo is eaten fresh and often combined with other foods. Glenn says, "It's crunchy and slightly salty, like a pickle without the vinegar taste." One of his favorite long ogo dishes is ahi poke, a Hawaiian dish like sushi that combines cubes of fresh, raw tuna, pine nuts, chopped ogo and sesame oil with some soy sauce.
%0A%0ANow the long ogo project is a $300,000 enterprise that provides additional income for about 40 long ogo farmers. The project has been so successful that Glenn and his colleagues are looking for new markets for long ogo. The team's $49,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service will let Glenn, Nelson and KKHH develop additional Hawaiian ogo products, such as sports gels, gourmet recipes and healthcare products.
%0ASome large-scale seaweed-processing plants use harsh chemicals to extract the agar, but Nelson sees an opportunity to extract Molokai agar in gentler ways so it can be marketed as an organic product. "We can say this was grown in the pristine waters of Hawaii."
%0AContact Information%0ADavid Stone %0A520-626-0528, 520-621-2621%0Adstone@email.arizona.edu%0A%0ARaymond Goldstein %0A520-621-1065, 520-621-2621%0Agold@physics.arizona.edu |August 3, 2004|
10|10|Natural Fungicide Patented| %0AThe University of Arizona has licensed its patent for a natural fungicide to Jeneil Biosurfactant Company, a winner of the 2004 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award.%0A%0AThe patent is for the use of a natural product called rhamnolipid to combat fungus-like organisms that cause some of the most economically damaging plant diseases in the world. Compared with other fungicides, "rhamnolipid, because of its biological nature, has less toxicity and better biodegradability," said Raina M. Maier, a professor in UA's department of soil, water and environmental science who is one of the inventors.%0A Other inventors listed on the patent are Michael E. Stanghellini, UA professor emeritus of plant pathology and now a professor at the University of California at Riverside, retired UA senior research specialist Scott Lynn Rasmussen, former UA graduate student Do Hoon Kim and former UA postdoctoral researcher Yimin Zhang.%0A%0AThe organisms, known as zoosporic plant pathogens, cause diseases that include root rots of citrus and pepper, downy mildew of pumpkin, cucumber, grape and pepper, and the late blight of potato, the disease associated with the 19th century Irish potato famine. Zoosporic plant pathogens also cause the sudden oak death affecting oak trees in California and Europe.%0A%0AIn the spring of 2004, Jeneil obtained U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approval to use a rhamnolipid product as a fungicide, said the company's president, N. R. Gandhi. Any revenue that the University of Arizona receives from the patent license will fund future research and future patent expenses, said Mary Louise Trammell, senior licensing associate in UA's Office of Technology Transfer. "It's all turned back into the R&D endeavor or the commercialization endeavor," she said. "We're trying to make products available for the public good." The discovery of the fungicidal properties of rhamnolipid happened in a classic way – by accident.%0A%0AIn 1995, Michael Stanghellini, then a professor in UA’s department of plant pathology, was using synthetic surfactants, or detergents, to control zoosporic plant pathogens in hydroponic systems.%0A However, one of the systems seemed immune to the pathogens even without having the synthetic surfactant added. Moreover, the system was foaming, just as if soap had been added. He found the system was contaminated with a microorganism that produced a natural surfactant, a biosurfactant. %0A%0AOne day as he walked in from the parking lot with another professor, Stanghellini mentioned his finding. He recalls that the other man said, "You need to talk to Raina, she’s the queen of biosurfactants." Maier studies how to use biosurfactants from soil organisms to clean up environmental contamination.%0A%0ASo Stanghellini teamed up with Maier to investigate a novel use of biosurfactants.%0AThe researchers verified that the natural surfactants in Stanghellini's hydroponic system were rhamnolipids produced by a common soil bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa.%0A%0AThe team went farther and showed that such rhamnolipids could vanquish zoosporic plant pathogens by exploding the zoospore, the mobile, infectious part of the pathogen. Maier said when rhamnolipid is added to a solution containing zoospores, "In 60 seconds -- they're gone."%0A Moreover, the team showed that adding rhamnolipid to the water in a hydroponic greenhouse system could protect plants from infection by zoosporic plant pathogens. The researchers patented their discovery in 1998. Maier said about their finding, "It was very exciting. It's what science is all about."%0A%0ARead more about Maier and Stanghellini's research on biosurfactants to control plant pathogens in %0A"Exploding Zoospores,"%0Ahttp://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/general/resrpt1997/%0Aexploding_zoospores.html UA Professor Charles P. Gerba Here a germ, there a germ, everywhere a … wait! With all the medical and technological advances in the last century, shouldn’t germs and infectious disease be a thing of the past?%0A Not so fast. One hundred years ago, infectious disease was the leading cause of death. By 1980, it had fallen to number 5, but about 10 years ago, it managed to climb its way up to number 3. And, according to Professor Charles P. Gerba of the University of Arizona Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, it’ll most likely find its way back to the number 1 spot.%0A “Germs follow us around all day. They are opportunists,” says Gerba, who’s been on such shows as Dateline, 48 Hours, the Today Show, 20/20, and Good Morning, America. Some of the reasons why infectious disease will move up the chart include the globalization of commerce and travel, changes in drinking water and food supply production, and evolution — a genetic reassortment, as Gerba calls it.%0A Widely known as Dr. Germ, he has become the nation’s expert on domestic and public hygiene. He’s even been featured in the National Enquirer five times. Not surprising for a man who quips, “I study toilets — that takes guts.”%0A The toilet plume%0A How does a UA professor get involved in studying toilets in the first place?%0AGerba was an assistant professor for eight years at Baylor College of Medicine, where he studied waterborne diseases. He worked with Joseph Melnick, an international leader in the identification and control of virus diseases and one of the founders of the field of virology. He led the team that developed thermo-stabilized live polio vaccines, making it possible to immunize millions of people in countries without deep-freeze storage facilities.%0A One day at work, Melnick took the usual bathroom break when a light bulb went off: He wondered if a plume of contaminated water droplets was ejected into the air every time a toilet flushed. He ran down to Gerba’s office, grabbed him, took him back to the men’s room, pushed Gerba into the stall and said, “Gerba, you’re looking at your future.”%0A Melnick was right. Gerba has made quite a name for himself by studying public toilets and other places where germs lurk. In 1975, Gerba published a scientific article describing the phenomenon of bacterial and viral aerosols due to toilet flushing. When this aerosol of contaminated water is ejected into the air, it lands on everything in the bathroom, including your toothbrush. According to Gerba, this isn’t just another scare tactic to get men to put the top down.%0A During the study, gauze pads were placed around the experimental bathroom. Close-up photos of the germy ejecta, according to Gerba, looked like “Baghdad at night during an air attack.” The study showed that significant quantities of microbes floated around the bathroom for at least two hours after each flush. Gerba discovered that a lot of virus fell on those gauze pads.%0A And while the toilet stall was the beginning of Gerba’s distinguished hygiene studies, even he was astonished to find out that bathrooms aren’t the germiest of places. Your kitchen is. Gerba, who’s fond of quipping, “I’ve published several toilet papers,” says the kitchen is one of the germiest places in the house.%0A If this doesn’t make you wake up and smell the coffee, nothing will: Your kitchen is even more contaminated with bacteria than the toilet bowl. “That’s why your dog likes to drink out of the toilet,” Gerba says.%0A The sponge%0A The worst offender in the kitchen? The kitchen sponge or dishcloth, where fecal bacteria from raw meat festers in the damp, nurturing environment. The next worst offender is your kitchen sink. This is where vegetarians have a definite advantage since they don’t bring raw meat into their homes. There’s less chance of E. coli and salmonella spreading, but they still have to be on the lookout for viruses and parasites. Third on the Most Contaminated list is the bathroom sink. Then, it’s back to the kitchen. The cutting board comes in at number four, then the kitchen floor. The bathroom floor and the bathroom counter are numbers six and seven, respectively.%0A And the least contaminated, according to Gerba’s research? The toilet seat.%0A “If an alien came from space and studied the bacterial counts, he probably would conclude he should wash his hands in your toilet and crap in your sink,” says Dr. Germ, with cheerful bluntness.%0A Fifty to 80 percent of all food-borne illnesses originate in the home. Food-borne pathogens cause 6.5 million cases of gastroenteritis and 9,000 deaths per year. Twenty percent of food-poisoning cases are blamed on home contamination, more than any other source.%0A The coffee cup%0A Feel the need to get away from this story and take a little coffee break? You might want to hold off on that plan: Twenty percent of the coffee cups Gerba’s tested are oozing with fecal bacteria, thanks to the sponges that clean them.%0A As for the water that makes that cup of coffee, Gerba recommends treatment at the tap, especially for sensitive populations, and notes, “Arizona has the largest number of ground water wells that are not treated in the United States.” Gerba defines sensitive populations as infants, the elderly, pregnant women, and people whose immune systems are compromised. “We’re all going to fall into one of these categories at some point.”%0A He recommends an activated charcoal filter or reverse osmosis for treating your tap water. Interestingly, there’s not much difference between bottled water and tap water in terms of total bacteria.%0A Gerba always knew he wanted to be a scientist, even as a young boy. He had his heart set on being a chemist, and he longed for a chemistry set for Christmas. His mother mistakenly bought him a microscope, but that opened the door — or Petri dish, as the case may be — to a lifelong passion for germs.%0A Despite being the nation’s expert on hygiene, his life is hardly glamorous. He spends a lot of time crawling around the floor in public bathrooms, and the cops have been called on him twice.%0A “I was on my knees in front of a public toilet, when I heard a tapping on the stall,” Gerba recalls. “A policeman asked, ‘Are you the only one in there?’ And I said, ‘I’m a scientist. I’m doing research.’ The cop responded with, ‘Yeah, right, I arrested one of you last week.’”%0A The single man%0A But don’t accuse Gerba of being a man obsessed. “I’m not germophobic because I know where the germs are,” he says.%0A If you are a germophobe, when it comes to pigsties, you probably think of single men first. They may appear to be wallowing in filth, but single men’s abodes actually tend to have lower bacteria counts since they rarely clean and don’t spread the germs around. Sparkling clean does not always equal germ free. In fact, women’s public restrooms contained twice as much fecal bacteria as men’s, probably because women are often accompanied by small children and babies in need of a change.%0A Laundry is yet another germ fest. Turns out, it doesn’t all come out in the wash. Never one to mince words, Gerba says, “Basically, if you do undergarments in one load and handkerchiefs in the next, you’re blowing your nose in what was in your underwear.” It’s better to make underwear the last load. Use chlorine bleach, which will clean both the clothes and your washing machine.%0A “Germs never give up — they always find a way. We’re always discovering new ones.”%0A Especially fascinating for Gerba is how some viruses affect the brain and the possibility that they could be a contributing factor to mental illness. Other studies show that viruses could be responsible for obesity and common illnesses. For example, ulcers used to be attributed to stress and lifestyle, but now 95 percent of ulcers are attributed to bacteria.%0A “I like to use humor to get people’s attention, but it’s nice to let people know there’s something they can do to prevent infectious diseases.” Plus, Gerba says, it’s just plain fun. “How many people get paid to study public toilets?”%0A This from the man who actually named one of his two sons after E. coli. Peter Escherichia Gerba, now a high school English teacher, used to get decked out for Halloween as — what else? — bacteria. Gerba’s wife put her foot down when it came time to name their second son, Phillip, who is a professional clown.%0A The remote control On a more serious note, however, Gerba is proud of work he’s done that actually helps to save people’s lives.%0A Numerous public health campaigns have focused on the need to reduce the rising use of antibiotics. When antibiotics are used unnecessarily, particularly among children, it leads to an increase in drug-resistant bacteria.%0A “With just a simple cleaning and disinfecting program — and no other change in behavior — we saw improvements that ranged from 10 to 37 percent — clearly important for public health in this country.%0A “When you become a parent, you find yourself becoming an expert on contagious disease,” Gerba says. “You can’t stop children form getting sick, but there are simple things you can do — at home, at work, or at a day-care center — to keep disease from spreading.%0A “Lack of knowledge about where germs lurk is a real health problem because people touch these objects and 80 percent of infections are spread through hand contact. The solution is to practice proper hand hygiene by washing with soap and water or by using an alcohol-based sanitizer.%0A “Antibacterial soaps would be good if they worked, but they don’t seem to do anything,” Gerba says. As to reports that these soaps are creating supergerms, Gerba maintains, “There’s no evidence that the antibacterial soaps make bacteria stronger.” Disinfectants, on the other hand, “blow up the germ. Disinfectants have worked for 100 years and are still as good as they were. Disinfectants kill both viruses and bacteria.” Chlorine bleach, alcohol, and hydrogen peroxide are all good disinfectants.%0A Gerba shared some interesting tidbits about hand washing and spreading germs: 95 percent of people say they wash their hands after using a public bathroom, but only 67 percent actually wash their hands. Only 33 percent of those who do wash their hands use soap. And only 16 percent really wash their hands long enough.%0A Every three minutes, a child brings his hand to his nose or mouth. Every 60 seconds, a working adult touches as many as 30 objects. (If you’re traveling, by the way, you might want to disinfect that remote control for the TV. That’s where the big bacteria boys hang out in a hotel room. Some viruses can survive on surfaces for up to 72 hours.)%0A Speaking of working adults, the phone comes out as the germiest object in the office, followed by the desktop, keyboard, mouse, fax machine, and photocopier. Where are the least germs in the office?%0A By now, you should have guessed: the toilet seat. %0Aby Mari Jensen, UA News Services%0AJune 2, 2005%0A%0AThe detection, remediation and prevention of water contamination in the Southwest and its human health effects will be a major thrust of The University of Arizona's Superfund Basic Research Program (SBRP) in the next five years. Another aspect of the program will investigate ways to reduce airborne contamination from abandoned mine tailings. (http://superfund.pharmacy.arizona.edu/)%0A%0ANine research projects will focus on two major types of contaminants: arsenic, a naturally occurring contaminant in surface and ground waters throughout the West, and halogenated organic solvents such as TCE, or trichloroethylene. Five of the projects will examine the human health effects of the contaminants and four will develop better ways to detect and clean up contaminated sites.%0A%0A"We are recognized nationally for our research on both TCE and arsenic contamination and their associated health effects," said A. Jay Gandolfi, a UA professor of pharmacology and toxicology and director of UA's SBRP. The program involves about 70 researchers and spans five UA colleges and 10 departments.%0A%0APrevious environmental studies done by UA's SBRP, which began in 1989, developed technology to detect and clean up contaminants. It's time for the next step, Gandolfi said. "Now we're ready to take the technology from the lab and hone it so it can be applied to these problems."%0A%0AThe earlier research is also starting to pay off in term of treating the health effects of contaminants, he said. "Now our work is aimed at applying biomarkers to identify susceptible people and propose potential treatments."%0A %0AThe new projects, funded by a recent five-year $14 million grant renewal from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, will improve hazardous waste management in Arizona and the Southwest and can serve as a model for arid and semi-arid regions the world.%0A%0ARemoving arsenic from drinking water is a new challenge facing water utilities throughout the West because the Environmental Protection Agency has reduced the acceptable levels of the contaminant. Arsenic has been implicated in skin and bladder cancer, vascular disease, heart defects in newborns and diabetes.%0A%0AArsenic can be filtered out of water. However, used arsenic-laden filters pose a waste disposal problem. If such filters are dumped in a landfill, the microorganisms in the landfill free the arsenic from the filters. The contaminant can then percolate down through the soil and eventually enter the groundwater.%0A%0ASBRP researchers want to develop better ways to remove arsenic from drinking water and to dispose of the arsenic residues. "We want to help prevent another hazardous waste problem from developing 10-15 years from now," said Raina M. Maier, the SBRP's associate director and a UA professor of soil, water and environmental science.%0A%0AAnother problem throughout the West is water and air contamination from abandoned mine tailings, the piles of rubble and processed ore that remain at mining sites. Arsenic and lead are found in high concentrations in tailings piles. Arizona alone has about 80,000 inactive and abandoned mining sites covering more than 130,000 acres (200 square miles).%0A%0AMaier said, "Some piles are so toxic and the material is so unlike soil that nothing grows there. The piles are subject to wind and water erosion." SBRP researchers are working on easy, low-cost ways to revegetate tailings piles with native plants. The scientists will search for ways to reduce or eliminate the need for site preparation, fertilizer or maintenance.%0A %0A"Microbes can make plant hormones, bind toxic metals and help condition sites," said Maier, who is an environmental microbiologist. "My hope and dream is that we would be able to soak the seeds in a microbial inoculum, then plant them and walk away."%0A%0ABecause contaminant removal can't happen overnight, half the SBRP research projects are dedicated to elucidating the health effects of TCE and arsenic. SBRP scientists have already shown that exposure to TCE may cause heart defects in newborn children. Now the researchers are determining exactly how TCE causes such damage, with the hope of preventing the damage to future generations.%0A%0AThe scientists also are investigating how people of particular ages or ethnicities differ in their susceptibility to the contaminants' toxic effects. Another aspect of the research will figure out how arsenic affects the vascular system and the lungs and how arsenic causes bladder cancer.%0A%0AMaier stresses that solving these problems, which are not limited to Arizona, can benefit people throughout the world. The SBRP has an active outreach program to train Mexican scientists and practitioners in the detection and remediation methods UA scientists are developing. "We are sharing with our neighbor with whom we share a border -- a very polluted border, I may add." %0AResearchers at The University of Arizona in Tucson are developing a laboratory facility that will test new technologies designed to monitor the safety and aesthetics of the nation's water supply.%0A%0AMuch of the impetus for the UA "Water Village" comes from a substantial grant awarded by the Office of Homeland Security and the Environmental Protection Agency. The grant includes researchers at several other universities who are working on water-related issues. %0AUniversity of Arizona researchers will investigate the lives of Kartchner Caverns State Park's tiniest inhabitants with the help of a $1.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation.%0A%0AThe five-year grant to the UA will add Kartchner Caverns, part of the Arizona State Parks system, to the National Science Foundation's worldwide network of Microbial Observatories.%0A%0AResearch at the networks' sites is revealing the goings-on of the Earth's smallest and most poorly known life forms. Kartchner Caverns is the only cave in the network.%0A%0A"We thought Kartchner Caverns was perfect for this. It's one of the top 10 caves in the world in terms of mineralogical diversity," said principal investigator Raina M. Maier, a UA professor of soil, water and environmental science. "And the development of Kartchner is a model internationally for the development of a cave as a living system. It's a model for preservation."%0A%0AThe researchers will catalog the microbial inhabitants of the cave, study how tourism affects their diversity and investigate whether microorganisms are involved in the growth of cave formations such as stalactites and stalagmites. The team also hopes to find microbes that could be exploited for medical, industrial and biotechnology applications.%0A%0AThe formations at Kartchner are still growing. Robert Casavant, science and research manager for Arizona State Parks said research conducted in some other caves linked the growth of cave formations, or speleothems, and microorganisms.%0A%0AMaier's previous research in Kartchner indicates that the heavily visited areas have different types of microorganisms than do the cave's pristine areas.%0A%0AMaier said, "We don't know yet what role -- if any -- bacteria have in speleothem formation. But if you have this drastic shift in the microbial community structure and these bacteria are necessary and important for speleothem formation, you may be losing important populations."%0A%0AThe grant brings together researchers from a variety of disciplines in the UA's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Maier's co-principal investigators are Barry M. Pryor, UA assistant professor of plant pathology; Leland S. Pierson III, UA professor of plant pathology; and Rod Wing, professor of plant sciences and director of UA's Arizona Genomics Institute. Maier and Wing are also members of UA's BIO5 Institute.%0A%0AThe team's first step is figuring out what's there.%0A%0AParts of the cave differ in how deep they are, whether bats live there, whether water is dripping, the amount of carbon dioxide present and how much visitation the area receives. So the team will collect microbes from a range of microhabitats by using the same kind of cotton swabs doctors use to collect throat cultures. The researchers will swab speleothems and also mud, bat guano and the rock walls.%0A%0AOnce back in the lab, the researchers will try to grow the microorganisms in petri dishes. Because, many microorganisms are difficult to grow in the lab, the researchers will also extract DNA from each sample, creating a complete genetic inventory for all the microorganisms in each location sampled.%0A%0AThe team will scan the DNA for what the scientists call "something interesting."%0A %0A"That might be a species that shows up all the time -- or only shows up once," Maier said. "Maybe there are bacteria that we find only on speleothems. That would suggest they have a role in speleothem formation."%0A%0AThe team will pick the two most interesting sites for further study. %0A%0AFor those two sites, the researchers will analyze all the DNA using a technique called metagenomics. That will let the team figure out what each site's microorganisms do for a living and what special kinds of environmental challenges they face at that location.%0A%0APierson said, "Finding out what abilities the community has gives insights into the local environmental challenges." For example, microbes from an area that has little iron may be particularly adept at holding onto iron molecules that drip their way.%0A%0A"We will be able to characterize the composition of the microbial communities and their metabolic toolboxes," Pierson said.%0A%0AEven if the DNA comes from an unknown species, using metagenomics analysis will tell the researchers where the new species fits into the microbial tree of life. Knowing that will help the researchers figure out what's unique about Kartchner's microbes.%0A%0AThe final step, Maier said, will be to see if the microbes' metabolic toolboxes can create new natural products that are useful for humans. What the scientists learn will also help the park.%0A%0A"It's good for Kartchner because there's an unseen world that we don't know enough about for managing the cave ecosystem. We know about the big things, but it may be the little things that are also important in managing the cave," said Casavant.%0A%0A"We're excited to be able to explore that world with UA as our partner. It's a wonderful collaboration. We want to manage the state parks based on science."%0A%0AAdditional collaborators listed on the grant are: Jon Chorover, UA professor of soil, water and environmental science; Raymond E. Goldstein, UA professor of physics and the Schlumberger Professor of Complex Physical Systems at the University of Cambridge in England; A.A. Leslie Gunatilaka, UA professor and director of the Southwest Center for Natural Products Research and Commercialization; Carol Soderlund, research associate professor of plant sciences; and Rickard S. Toomey III, Director of Mammoth Cave International Center for Science and Learning in Kentucky. Goldstein, Gunatilaka and Soderlund are also members of the UA's BIO5 Institute. By Eric Swedlund%0AArizona Daily Star%0AFebruary 14, 2007N O T A E 
Raina M. Maier
Pseudomonas aeruginosa cultures foam as if the flasks were full of soap.
In a hydroponic greenhouse system, a disease in one plant can spread to others from the shared watering system. But if rhamnolipid is added to the water, zoosporic plant pathogens cannot spread from one plant to another.“I study toilets — that takes guts.” %0A
%0A — Charles P. Gerba 
A. Jay Gandolfi standing next an instrument used in his laboratory to perform metal analyses for UA's Superfund projects. Photo credit: Margaret Hartshorn, UA.%0A
%0A%0AThe grant creates an EPA Homeland Security Center, specifically the Center for the Advancement of Microbial Risk Assessment (CAMRA) at the UA and six other schools: Michigan State University, Northern Arizona University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Michigan, Drexel University and Carnegie Mellon University. The heart of the UA's effort will be the "Water Village," a unique facility geared to test new technology.
%0A%0AOn the outside, the Water Village looks like four otherwise unremarkable houses located on the grounds of the university's venerable Environmental Research Laboratory. Inside, the houses are a labyrinth of pipes, fiber optics and monitoring equipment. Researchers expect the village will become the premier testing facility for securing the nation's water supply in three key areas: safety, health and aesthetics.
%0A%0A"It's a platform to deal with emerging issues in water quality," says Charles Gerba, a UA professor of soil, water and environmental sciences and one of three principal investigators on the grant. %0A%0AGerba and fellow professor Ian Pepper, who heads the UA/National Science Foundation Water Quality Center, hatched the idea for the Water Village while flying back to Tucson from a conference. Pepper, one of the three UA investigators on the grant, said the concept for the project came together when he and Gerba realized that the UA and ERL had the all of the scientific and engineering expertise in-house to create it.
%0A%0AThe first house, nearly finished, is designed for point-of-entry testing for water coming inside a building. The second house will be for experiments on how contaminants - either natural, accidental or deliberate - might enter and move through the water supply. The third house will look at the aesthetics of water - taste and odor.
%0A%0AThe fourth building will be for public education. ERL hosts public tours each month and the village will become a conspicuous part of those.
%0A%0AThe project evolved from a modest beginning. Gerba, nationally known for his studies on germ-laden surfaces in homes and offices, initially received $10,000, one of several small investigative grants from the UA Office of the Vice President for Research, to look at homeland security issues.
%0A%0AHe and Christopher Choi, the third PI on CAMRA and an associate professor of agriculture and biosystems engineering at the UA, also are collaborating on a grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to look at microbes in sewer systems.
%0A%0A"The real challenge in the 21st century is to continue delivering safe water to the tap," Gerba said. Treatment plants have guidelines for producing safe water, but the big 'I don't know' is the distribution system, and very little has been studied about how water quality degrades through distribution system, especially in your own home.
%0A%0A"The water quality at the source may have nothing to do with the water quality at the tap," Gerba said. "The idea is to understand the performance of the system and how to better protect it and the public."
%0A%0AArizona also has the largest number of drinking water systems that do not use a disinfectant. Most of those systems draw ground water from wells. Private wells also are not regulated.
%0A%0A"There's no requirement to treat ground water in the U.S. for drinking water," Gerba said. "It's a glaring problem. Two kids in Arizona died several years ago after swimming in water that wasn't disinfected."
%0A%0AAs the number of older Americans continues to rise, so does the risk of contracting an illness from drinking water. Seventy percent of the deaths from diarrhea in this country are people age 55 and older. Pregnant mothers and those with compromised immune systems also are at risk.
%0A%0AThe whole point of the Water Village is having a facility that is somewhere between a laboratory and the real world. Lab testing relies on carefully controlled experiments in an ideal setting.
%0A%0A"You can do some things in a laboratory, but at the other end of the scale there are some things that you cannot do out in the community," said Pepper, an expert in ground water pathogens. "You cannot deliberately put contaminants into peoples' distribution systems. This is an intermediate field-scale testing facility, with a closed loop where we can look at the fate and transport of chemical and biological contaminants."
%0A%0AThe facility will help researchers understand how a biological or chemical contaminant might travel through a real neighborhood or building where the water utility wouldn't immediately know how it entered, or how it might travel as people downstream open their taps, take showers or flush their toilets.
%0A%0A"The hardest question is knowing where to look," said Gerba. "The second question is how do we clean it up. The third is how clean is clean. We can use this facility to examine emerging technologies for contaminant detection and control in a simulated real-world situation. That's what is unique about it."
%0A%0AAlso unique is the center's education component. Graduate microbiology students will be trained here to produce the next generation of microbial risk assessment scientists.
%0A%0AThe UA Water Village is part of the first, and so far the only, EPA and Homeland Security center of its kind. The UA Water Quality Center, based at the ERL, also is the National Science Foundation's only center for studying water quality.
%0A%0AERL has for 30 years showcased water and environmental technology adapted for arid lands. Its scientists have worked on Disney World's EPCOT Center, on shrimp and fish hatcheries, and on seawater-irrigated agricultural crops throughout the world, to name a few.
%0A%0AIn addition to the Office of Homeland Security/EPA grant, worth $10M over the next five years, the Water Village project has garnered funding from Arizona's Prop 301 revenues, the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Office of the Vice President for Research, and a number of corporations.
%0A%0AFor more information, contact Charles Gerba, 520-621-6906, gerba@email.arizona.edu;%0AIan Pepper, 520-626-3328, ipepper@ag.arizona.edu%0AChristopher Choi, 520-621-1890, cchoi@ag.arizona.edu%0A
|October 25, 2005|
14|14|New Study Compares Jobs Germ by Germ|IS YOUR JOB MAKING YOU SICK?%0ANew study compares professions germ by germ to determine “germiest” job%0A %0A OAKLAND, Calif., (February 15, 2006) − Finally a little retribution this tax season. Your accountant is being audited.%0A In another installment of “Germs in the Workplace,” researchers led by the University of Arizona’s Dr. Charles Gerba set out to compare whether some professions are truly “germier” than others. What they found put accountants in the top germ bracket and publicists and lawyers in the bottom bracket. According to the researchers, the bacteria levels in accountants’ offices were nearly seven times higher than in lawyers’ offices. %0A “College students may want to reconsider their majors based on these results,” joked Dr. Gerba. “TV producers, consultants, and lawyers ranked on the low end of the germ spectrum.” In the number one spot were teachers, a finding that didn’t surprise Dr. Gerba’s researchers. “This is clearly one test on which teachers would not like to receive such ‘high marks’,” added Dr. Gerba. “But then again, when your officemates are children, it is no surprise that classroom surfaces are off the germ charts.”%0A%0ACleaning Up On the Job %0AThe study, which was funded by The Clorox Company, found that the phones, desks and keyboards regularly used by teachers, accountants and bankers harbored nearly two to twenty times more bacteria per square inch than other professions. Phones ranked as the #1 home for office germs, followed by desks, keyboards and computer mice. In a change since the researchers first began tracking “Germs in the Workplace” in 2002, bacteria presence on office surfaces overall appears to have decreased, in some cases by nearly five times the initial count, Dr. Gerba said. %0A “We were pleased to find a decrease in bacteria levels. Perhaps people are becoming more aware of germs in their office and doing something about it,” said Gerba. %0A%0A%0A%0A(more)%0A%0A%0AStudy Highlights%0AFor the testing, samples were collected in fall 2005 from private offices and cubicles in office buildings located in Tucson, AZ and Washington, DC. A total of 616 surfaces were tested and analyzed at the University of Arizona laboratories.%0A• Germiest Jobs – ranked from most germy to least germy%0A1. Teacher%0A2. Accountant%0A3. Banker%0A4. Radio DJ%0A5. Doctor%0A6. Television Producer%0A7. Consultant%0A8. Publicist%0A9. Lawyer%0A%0AJob Description: Surface Stats %0A• Telephone %0Ao Most germy: Teachers%0Ao Least germy: Publicists%0A• Desks%0Ao Most germy: Accountants%0Ao Least germy: Lawyers%0A• Computer keyboard%0Ao Most germy: Teachers%0Ao Least germy: Bankers%0A• Computer mouse%0Ao Most germy: Teachers%0Ao Least germy: TV producers%0A• Pens%0Ao Most germy: Accountants%0Ao Least germy: Lawyers%0A%0A As people spend more time at their desks, germs find plenty to snack on. According to a recent American Dietician Association survey, 57 percent of workers snack at their desks at least once a day. More than 75 percent of workers “only occasionally” clean their desks before eating; 20 percent never do, the survey found. %0A “Desks are really bacteria cafeterias,” said Dr. Gerba. “They’re breakfast buffets, lunch tables and snack bars, as we spend more and more hours at the office.”%0A%0A%0A(more)%0A Although Dr. Gerba’s new research measures bacteria level differences among professions, his previous “Germs in the Workplace” studies have looked at the presence of viruses within the workplace. In one study, Dr. Gerba and his researchers found that an infected person can leave a trail of viruses on every surface they touch − and viruses can survive on surfaces for up to three days.%0A Dr. Gerba recommends frequent hand-washing and using disinfecting wipes daily on surfaces in your cubicle or office to kill illness-causing germs. Clorox Disinfecting Wipes kill 99.9 percent of the surface germs that can cause cold and flu. %0A %0A%0AAbout Clorox Disinfecting Wipes%0AClorox® Disinfecting Wipes make it easy to clean and disinfect in one easy step. Safe to use on most hard, non-porous surfaces, Clorox Disinfecting Wipes are pre-moistened and ready to use – follow directions for disinfecting and just wipe, toss and be done. Clorox Disinfecting Wipes kill 99.9 percent of the germs (Influenza A2 virus) that cause flu symptoms, as well as the bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella choleraesuis) commonly found in kitchens and bathrooms. To help decrease the spread of surface germs throughout a typical workday, use disinfecting wipes (enough for surfaces to remain visibly wet) daily on desks, computer mouse and keyboards, doorknobs, and telephones where germ levels continue to build up throughout the day.%0AClorox® and Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes are registered trademarks of The Clorox Company.%0AAlways read and follow precautions and directions before use.%0A%0A# # #%0A %0AContact: Vicki Friedman, The Clorox Company, vicki.friedman@clorox.com, (510) 208.4271%0AMary Seltzer, Ketchum, mary.seltzer@ketchum.com, (415) 984.2235%0A %0A%0A|February 15, 2006|
15|15|Water Harvest at UA building model for campus and community|%0AStudents building an innovative water harvesting project at The University of Arizona will unveiled their work at a ceremony on in August at the UA Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (AME) Building. The event was sponsored by PARASOL, a campus resource conservation club, the UA soil, water and environmental science department (SWES) and UA Facilities Management.%0A%0AAME is located on the northeast corner of Speedway Boulevard and Mountain Avenue.%0A%0AThe project highlights the research of students and showcases the potential of water harvesting techniques and potential savings for the overall water budget of the university and the city of Tucson. The students also are making their case to create a new, upper-division and graduate level class in water harvesting in SWES, in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. %0A%0AAccording to an EPA study conducted by researchers at the UA, as much as 74 percent of Tucson's current water needs could be met through harvesting rainwater. While harvesting all of Tucson's rainfall is not a realistic goal, water harvesting nonetheless has tremendous potential for reducing the city's dependence on groundwater pumping and CAP water. %0A%0AStudent project leaders Chester F. Phillips and Emilie Brill Duisberg, along with James Riley, an associate professor in soil, water and environmental science, spoke on the importance of water harvesting in urban desert environments, where droughts are routine and aquifers are increasingly depleted. %0A%0AOther presenters offered their vision of the university as a learning laboratory for appropriate technologies and the sustainable use of water and energy. They was also a discussion of the need for the UA to take the lead in Tucson on resource use issues. %0A%0AFor more information, contact Chet Phillips, 670-9048, cfp@email.arizona.edu or Emilie Brill Duisberg, 975-7643, emilie@email.arizona.edu |August 23, 2006|
16|16|Kartchner Caverns as microbial observatory|by Mari Jensen%0AUniversity Communications%0A
Bacteria are far more abundant at people's desks than office restrooms, and it's the work areas of the fairer sex that harbor the most germs. %0AWomen have three to four times the number of bacteria in, on and around their desks, phones, computers, keyboards, drawers and personal items as men do, according to a new study from University of Arizona germ guru Charles Gerba, professor of soil, water and environmental sciences. %0A"I thought for sure men would be germier," Gerba said. "But women have more interactions with small children and keep food in their desks. The other problem is makeup." %0AWomen's offices typically looked cleaner, but women tend to have more knickknacks on their desks. %0A%0AMakeup cases are the top bacteria spot for women's offices, with the phone, purse and desk drawer also common germ homes. Using hand lotion and makeup is a top culprit, with lotion often trapping germs and transferring them, and makeup resulting in a lot of mouth- and face-touching. %0AAnother top cause Gerba found was food, with 75 percent of women keeping munchies in a desk drawer. %0A"I was really surprised how much food there was in a woman's desk," he said. "If there's ever a famine, that's the first place I'll look for food." %0ABut the worst germ offender in the office overall is men's wallets, which rate far worse than purses, and not just because women switch purses regularly. %0A"It's in your back pocket where it's nice and warm, it's a great incubator for bacteria," Gerba said, before offering a bit of advice for women. "The next time you go through your husband's wallet, be careful." %0A%0AAnother hot spot for bacteria in men's offices: the personal digital assistant. %0A"Men tend to play with their Palm Pilots more," Gerba said. "I think they're playing video games or something." %0AGerba conducted the study in more than 100 offices on the UA campus and in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oregon and Washington, D.C. The $40,000 study was commissioned by the Clorox Co. %0A"We're living in the information age, and most of us are working in offices today and most of us haven't developed a concept of office hygiene," he said. "People don't really clean their personal space, and janitor crews won't touch it, so you see a lot of germ buildup." %0AThe average office desktop has 400 times more bacteria than the average office toilet seat, Gerba said. %0AGerba and research assistant Sheri Maxwell sampled the same sites in each office, including the phone, desktop, computer mouse, keyboard, bottom of desk drawer, handle of desk drawer and personal items like PDAs, wallets and makeup cases. They analyzed the total numbers of bacteria and different types. Staph bacteria are more common around men's work spaces, Gerba said. %0A"One of the problems we've seen is people just use a wet paper towel and spread the germs around," he said. %0AThe proper way to keep a desk clean and germ-free is by using disinfectant wipes, Gerba said. People should avoid spraying disinfectant directly on a phone or keyboard, and using soap and water leaves bacteria behind. Hand sanitizer can also keep germs down. %0A"You don't have to go crazy with it, but with the key areas, desktops, phones and keyboards probably need to be disinfected once in a while," he said. %0APeople who reported using a disinfectant had 25 percent fewer bacteria in their offices than those who didn't, Gerba said. Once-a-day use should be sufficient. %0AFor his next study, Gerba has his eyes on the teeth-marked writing implements pervasive in the workplace. %0A"I'm really interested in pencils and pens, because from our information it's the second-most-common thing you put in your mouth after food," he said. "I'd like to go around and start collecting." %0A |February 21, 2007|
