Water Contamination News and Research

RSS

UN Population Fund warns women, girls especially vulnerable

In the aftermath of devastating tsunamis that struck several South and South-East Asian countries on Sunday, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is calling on governments, sister United Nations agencies and other humanitarian partners to ensure that the special needs of women and girls are factored into all short- and medium-term relief planning.

28 Dec 2004

Red Cross Red Crescent launches appeal for victims of the Bay of Bengal earthquake and tsunamis

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched a preliminary appeal for 7.5 million Swiss francs to assist some 500,000 people and bring immediate support to relief operations of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries in the region after the strongest earthquake in 40 years caused massive tidal waves

27 Dec 2004

Scientists decode the genome sequence of Cryptosporidium hominis, one of the most common causes of waterborne diseases in humans

A team of scientists at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine has helped decode the genome sequence of Cryptosporidium hominis, an insidious parasite identified as one of the most common causes of waterborne diseases in humans and classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a potential bioterrorist agent.

29 Oct 2004

UniSA to officially open its Nano and Bio Materials Centre

Some of the greatest wonders of the 21st century will probably occur on a small scale – in fact a tiny scale – smaller than a human blood cell, right down there at the level of atoms and molecules.

19 Oct 2004

Aircraft drinking water tests positive for E.coli

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today is informing the American public of results from initial testing of drinking water onboard 158 randomly selected passenger airplanes.

22 Sep 2004

New recommendations which will help pre-empt drinking water contamination

Ensuring drinking water is safe is a challenge in every part of the world, from water piped into people's homes, to rural wells and water provided to refugee camps in an emergency.

22 Sep 2004

Illinoisans get legislation giving the state more regulatory authority over water bottling plants

In an effort to ensure that the bottled water that Illinoisans are drinking is safe, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today signed legislation giving the state more regulatory authority over water bottling plants and private water source operators.

6 Aug 2004

Safer water at nation's beaches: New rule to protect against pathogens

As part of the Clean Beaches Plan, EPA has issued a proposed regulation to improve standards for water quality monitoring at our nation's beaches.

5 Jul 2004

Virginia Department of Health is urging people to thoroughly cook hamburgers to prevent illness from E.coli

“Eating undercooked ground beef is the most common cause of illness from this strain of E.coli. People need to be sure that hamburgers are cooked well done, especially those that are fed to young children, to prevent an E.coli illness,” said Deputy Commissioner for Public Health Jim Burns, M.D., M.B.A.

2 Jul 2004

In Africa only a quarter of infants under six months of age are fed exclusively on breast milk

Children in developing countries are being put at unnecessary risk of disease and death as they are fed on alternatives to breast milk.

1 Jul 2004

Dire health consequences for millions of people in Darfur, Sudan

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of dire health consequences for millions of people in Darfur, Sudan. A significant increase in disease and death is inevitable without a rapid increase in external help.

3 Jun 2004

Foodborne diseases pose a serious threat to densely populated areas of Asia and the Pacific

Foodborne diseases pose a serious threat to densely populated areas of Asia and the Pacific, two UN agencies said today. ''So far, food contamination incidents and food-borne disease outbreaks in the region have been relatively isolated, but the potential danger is just round the corner.

25 May 2004

Rates of hepatitis A higher in an El Niño year

Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology have examined the possible association between the Southern Oscillation Index and the occurrence of hepatitis A in Australia. The results indicate that the SOI is statistically significantly associated with the transmission of hepatitis A.

2 May 2004

New ion exchange resin will help people with thyroid gland problems

Rohm and Haas Company has introduced Amberlite® PWA2 ion exchange resin, the first resin specifically designed for the selective removal of perchlorate from drinking water.

26 Apr 2004

Fixing your eyesight...while you sleep!

UNSW researchers have found the first scientific evidence that special orthokeratology (OK) contact lenses worn only while you sleep may be able to correct long-sightedness

13 Apr 2004

Cryptosporidium parvum parasite could help to develope new therapies for the disease

Cryptosporidium parvum, an insidious, one-celled, waterborne parasite that lodges in the intestines of infected people and animals and for which there is currently no effective treatment, is missing key structures normally found in similar parasites, say researchers supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health. The results of their genome sequencing project, could help scientists home in on new drug targets that may lead to therapies for the disease.

26 Mar 2004