Coliform Bacteria in Water

Paper Summary:

The paper describes the experiment that tested five different water sources and the experiment that inoculated five Petri dishes with samples from different sources. The paper explains the results of these experiments and discusses how the presence and amount of coliforms indicate that the water source is polluted, or in contact with domestic sewage, animal wastes, soil, plant, or animal material.

Outline:
Introduction
Results
Discussion

From the Paper:

"Water is an important part of one's survival. Therefore, the existence of clean, potable water source is integral to one's health. Unfortunately, many mircoorganisms can thrive in drinking water source, and a small glass of water from that infected water source can cause a number of life-threatening gastrointestinal diseases such as gastroenteritis, dysentery, giardiasis, typhoid, cholera, and hepatitis (Parrott, Ross, and Woodard, par. 1). In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been investigating the disease burden of occupational and environmental risk factors, one of which is water, sanitation, and hygiene. It has been found that the worldwide risk factor of water, sanitation, and hygiene accounted for 5.3% of all deaths and 6.8% of all disability-adjusted life year (DALYs) (Pruss, Kay, Fewtrell, and Bartram, 2002). Furthermore, WHO estimated that every eight seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease every year, and more than five million people died from illnesses linked to unsafe drinking water or inadequate sanitation (Fewtrell and Bartram, p. 62)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Department of Environmental Services. "Interpreting the presence of coliform bacteria in drinking water." 2005. 21 September 2008. < http://www.des.state.nh.us/ws.htm >
• Fewtrell, L. and Bartram, J. Water quality - Guidelines, Standards, and Health: Assessment of Risk and Risk Management for Water-Related Infectious Disease. UK: IWA Publishing, 2001.
• Leung, B. and Liu, S. "Interpreting Plates." Science Buddies. 2008. 21 September 2008. < http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/MicroBio_Interpreting_Plates.shtml >
• Parrott, K., Ross, B., and Woodard. "Bacteria and other microorganisms in household water." National AG Safety Database. April 2002. 21 September 2008. < http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d001201-d001300/d001269/d001269.html >
• Pruss, A., Kay, D., Fewtrell, and Bartram, J. (2002). "Estimating the burden of disease from water, sanitation, and hygiene at a global level." Environmental Health Perspective 110 (2002): 537-542.

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