Last data update: May 06, 2024. (Total: 46732 publications since 2009)
Records 1-11 (of 11 Records) |
Query Trace: Zarate-Bermudez M[original query] |
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Community resources for contaminants of concern in private wells
Hubbard B , Sabogal R , Zarate-Bermudez M . J Environ Health 2023 85 (7) 36-39 In the U.S., approximately one in five water samples collected from private wells were found to be contaminated with at least one chemical at levels high enough to harm health. Given that one in eight U.S. residents obtain their water from a private well, access to safe drinking water is vital. Many private wells are not routinely tested for contaminants, which can be microbiological, chemical, or radiological. Environmental health practitioners serve as a valuable resource, helping their communities to increase well testing, identify contaminants of concern, and understand well water testing results. This month’s column highlights the work of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to improve drinking water in private wells. |
Exposure to contaminants among private well users in north Carolina: Enhancing the role of public health
Jackson CLP , Zarate-Bermudez M . J Environ Health 2019 81 (8) 36-38 North Carolina has the second highest number of residents who rely on private wells for their drinking water supply. Studies report that about 3.3 million North Carolina residents (35% of the population) use private wells, with the highest county having 85.4% of the residents using private wells. Unlike public water systems that benefit from the regulatory safeguards of the Safe Drinking Water Act, there are no federal regulations for private wells in the U.S. Testing, treating, maintaining, and managing private wells are up to well owners, often with little to no technical or financial support. | | In 2015, the Private Well and Health Program (PWHP) of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Safe Water for Community Health (Safe WATCH) Program to enhance services to private well users. PWHP was understaffed, had limited access to water quality data, and lacked established partnerships, which prevented it from enhancing services for private well users to better protect their health. | | This month's column highlights how PWHP used the funding to address vulnerabilities in its private wells and water quality, as well as initiatives to close the gaps in ensuring safe drinking water for its residents. |
Benefits of collaboration between a county health department and a local university in North Carolina
Dye S , Zarate-Bermudez M . J Environ Health 2018 81 (3) 32-35 Groundwater quality is of great importance in the U.S. to protect public health. In Gaston County, North Carolina, more than 8,000 households use private wells for their drinking water supplies. The Gaston County Department of Health and Human Services (GCDHHS) implements and enforces state rules and regulations on private wells. To address resource constraints, GCDHHS is working with partners to evaluate groundwater quality and protect human health. Through a funding opportunity from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Safe Water for Community Health (Safe WATCH) Program, GCDHHS is working with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to enhance its ability to assess and manage groundwater issues. The goal is to help private well users reduce exposures to potential contaminants in their water. This month's column explores the collaboration, the challenges faced, and the achievements to date. |
Fate and transport of enteric microbes from septic systems in a coastal watershed
Schneeberger CL , O'Driscoll M , Humphrey C , Henry K , Deal N , Seiber K , Hill VR , Zarate-Bermudez M . J Environ Health 2015 77 (9) 22-30 Onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) are commonly used in coastal areas to treat household wastewater. These systems represent potential sources of fecal pollution of groundwater and nearby surface water. OWTS are expected to reduce microbial concentrations in wastewater; however, system and environmental factors can affect treatment efficiency and impacts on ground and surface water. In the study of OWTS described in this article, the authors sampled septic tanks and groundwater at two households in coastal North Carolina between October 2009 and October 2011. Samples were tested for the fecal indicator microbes E. coli, enterococci, and Clostridium perfringens. Microbial source tracking was also performed in year two. Results showed that enteric microbe concentrations in groundwater significantly decreased with distance from the OWTS. Human markers of fecal contamination were also detected in the OWTS and downgradient groundwater, indicating that OWTS can impact the microbial quality of shallow groundwater. |
A systems analysis of irrigation water quality in an environmental assessment of an E. coli O157: H7 outbreak in the United States linked to iceberg lettuce
Gelting RJ , Baloch MA , Zarate-Bermudez M , Hajmeer MN , Yee JC , Brown T , Yee BJ . Agric Water Manag 2015 150 (3) 111-118 A foodborne Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak in December 2006 included 77 illnesses reported in Iowa and Minnesota. Epidemiologic investigations by health departments in those states and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified shredded iceberg lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) as the vehicle of transmission. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Minnesota and California public health agencies traced the lettuce to several growing regions in California based on information from a lettuce processor in Minnesota.Samples from an environmental investigation initiated by the California Food Emergency Response Team (CalFERT) revealed a genetic match between the outbreak strain and environmental samples from a single farm, leading to an in-depth systems-based analysis of the irrigation water system on that farm. This paper presents findings from that systems-based analysis, which assessed conditions on the farm potentially contributing to contamination of the lettuce. The farm had three sources of irrigation water: groundwater from onsite wells, surface water delivered by a water management agency and effluent from wastewater lagoons on nearby dairy farms. Wastewater effluent was blended with the other sources and used only to irrigate animal feed crops. However, water management on the farm, including control of wastewater blending, appeared to create potential for cross-contamination. Pressure gradients and lack of backflow measures in the irrigation system might have created conditions for cross-contamination of water used to irrigate lettuce. The irrigation network on the farm had evolved over time to meet various needs, without an overall analysis of how that evolution potentially created vulnerabilities to contamination of irrigation water. The type of systems analysis described here is one method for helping to ensure that such vulnerabilities are identified and addressed. A preventive, risk-based management approach, such as the Water Safety Plan process for drinking water, may also be useful in managing irrigation water quality. |
Meteorological influences on nitrogen dynamics of a coastal onsite wastewater treatment system
O'Driscoll MA , Humphrey CP , Deal NE , Lindbo DL , Zarate-Bermudez MA . J Environ Qual 2014 43 (6) 1873-1885 On-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) can contribute nitrogen (N) to coastal waters. In coastal areas with shallow groundwater, OWTS are likely affected by meteorological events. However, the meteorological influences on temporal variability of N exports from OWTS are not well documented. Hydrogeological characterization and seasonal monitoring of wastewater and groundwater quality were conducted at a residence adjacent to the Pamlico River Estuary, North Carolina, during a 2-yr field study (October 2009-2011). Rainfall was elevated during the first study year, relative to the annual mean. In the second year, drought was followed by extreme precipitation from Hurricane Irene. Recent meteorological conditions influenced N speciation and concentrations in groundwater. Groundwater total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) beneath the OWTS drainfield was dominated by nitrate during the drought; during wetter periods, ammonium and organic N were common. Effective precipitation (precipitation [P] minus evapotranspiration [ET]) affected OWTS TDN exports because of its influence on groundwater recharge and discharge. Groundwater nitrate-N concentrations beneath the drainfield were typically higher than 10 mg/L when total biweekly precipitation was less than evapotranspiration (precipitation deficit: P < ET). Overall, groundwater TDN concentrations were elevated above background concentrations at distances > 15 m downgradient of the drainfield. Although OWTS nitrate inputs caused elevated groundwater nitrate concentrations between the drainfield and the estuary, the majority of nitrate was attenuated via denitrification between the OWTS and 48 m to the estuary. However, DON originating from the OWTS was mobile and contributed to elevated TDN concentrations along the groundwater flowpath to the estuary. |
Onsite wastewater system nitrogen contributions to groundwater in coastal North Carolina
Humphrey Jr C , O'Driscoll M; , Deal N , Lindbo D , Thieme S , Zarate-Bermudez M . J Environ Health 2013 76 (5) 16-22 The objective of the study described in this article was | to evaluate the nitrogen contributions from two onsite wastewater systems (sites 1 and 2) to groundwater and adjacent surface waters in coastal Beaufort County, North Carolina. Groundwater levels and water quality parameters including total nitrogen, nitrogen species, temperature, and pH were monitored from October 2009 to May 2010. Nitrogen was also tested in groundwater from deeper irrigation or drinking water wells from the two sites and six additional neighboring residences. Mean total nitrogen concentrations | in groundwater beneath onsite wastewater systems 1 and 2 were | 34.3 ± 16.7 mg/L and 12.2 ± 2.9 mg/L, respectively, and significantly higher than background groundwater concentrations (<1 mg/L). Groundwater in the deeper wells appeared not to be influenced by the onsite systems. Groundwater nitrogen concentrations typically decreased with distance down-gradient from the systems, but were still elevated relative to background conditions more than 15 m from the systems and near the estuary. This was a pioneering effort to better understand the link of onsite systems, the fate of nitrogen in the environment, and public health. |
Binational outbreak of Guillain-Barre syndrome associated with Campylobacter jejuni infection, Mexico and USA, 2011
Jackson BR , Zegarra JA , Lopez-Gatell H , Sejvar J , Arzate F , Waterman S , Nunez AS , Lopez B , Weiss J , Cruz RQ , Murrieta DY , Luna-Gierke R , Heiman K , Vieira AR , Fitzgerald C , Kwan P , Zarate-Bermudez M , Talkington D , Hill VR , Mahon B . Epidemiol Infect 2013 142 (5) 1-11 SUMMARY: In June 2011, a cluster of suspected cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), which can follow Campylobacter jejuni infection, was identified in San Luis Rio Colorado (SLRC), Sonora, Mexico and Yuma County, Arizona, USA. An outbreak investigation identified 26 patients (18 from Sonora, eight from Arizona) with onset of GBS 4 May-21 July 2011, exceeding the expected number of cases (n = 1-2). Twenty-one (81%) patients reported antecedent diarrhoea, and 61% of 18 patients tested were seropositive for C. jejuni IgM antibodies. In a case-control study matched on age group, sex, ethnicity, and neighbourhood of residence, all Arizona GBS patients travelled to SLRC during the exposure period vs. 45% of matched controls (matched odds ratio 8.1, 95% confidence interval 1.5-infinity). Exposure information and an environmental assessment suggested that GBS cases resulted from a large outbreak of C. jejuni infection from inadequately disinfected tap water in SLRC. Binational collaboration was essential in investigating this cross-border GBS outbreak, the first in mainland North America since 1976. |
Outbreak of cryptosporidiosis associated with a man-made chlorinated lake--Tarrant County, Texas, 2008
Cantey PT , Kurian AK , Jefferson D , Moerbe MM , Marshall K , Blankenship WR , Rothbarth GR , Hwang J , Hall R , Yoder J , Brunkard J , Johnston S , Xiao L , Hill VR , Sarisky J , Zarate-Bermudez MA , Otto C , Hlavsa MC . J Environ Health 2012 75 (4) 14-19 In July 2008, clusters of laboratory-confirmed cryptosporidiosis cases and reports of gastrointestinal illness in persons who visited a lake were reported to Tarrant County Public Health. In response, epidemiologic, laboratory, and environmental health investigations were initiated. A matched case-control study determined that swallowing the lake water was associated with illness (adjusted odds ratio = 16.3; 95% confidence interval: 2.5-infinity). The environmental health investigation narrowed down the potential sources of contamination. Laboratory testing detected Cryptosporidium hominis in case-patient stool specimens and Cryptosporidium species in lake water. It was only through the joint effort that epidemiologic, laboratory, and environmental health investigators could determine that >1 human diarrheal fecal incidents in the lake likely led to contamination of the water. This same collaborative effort will be needed to develop and maintain an effective national Model Aquatic Health Code. |
Irrigation water issues potentially related to the 2006 multistate E. coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with spinach
Gelting RJ , Baloch MA , Zarate-Bermudez MA , Selman C . Agric Water Manag 2011 98 (9) 1395-1402 A multistate Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak in August and September 2006 was found to be associated with consumption of fresh bagged spinach traced to California. The California Food Emergency Response Team (CALFERT), consisting of personnel from the California Department of Public Health Food and Drug Branch (FDB) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) undertook an environmental investigation to determine how and why the spinach became contaminated. At the invitation of FDA and FDB, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also participated in the environmental investigation. This paper presents findings from the portion of the environmental investigation focusing on environmental factors related to irrigation water that may have contributed to contamination of the spinach and hence to the outbreak. Analysis of the available data suggests that depths to groundwater and groundwater-surface water interactions may pose risks to ready-to-eat crops. These risks should be further evaluated and quantified to understand and identify the factors that contributed to this and similar outbreaks. One implication of this analysis is the need to continue to conceptually broaden the scope of produce-related outbreak investigations. Where feasible, investigation strategies should integrate possible contamination sources beyond those actually found on the farms that are identified as sources of produce involved in outbreaks. |
Enhancing the public health perspective on onsite wastewater systems
Zarate-Bermudez MA . J Environ Health 2009 72 (3) 59-61 In 2007, approximately 20% of U.S. | households—60 to 65 million Americans— | were served by some type of onsite | wastewater (OWW) system (American | Housing Survey, 2008). We expect these | systems to safely disperse treated household | wastewater into the soil and help to recharge | aquifers. But these systems have been associated with groundwater contamination and | are possibly a threat to public health. Our | knowledge of the performance of OWW | systems remains inadequate. Thus, we need | to enhance the public health perspective | on OWW systems by better understanding | their performance through | developing monitoring methodologies, | and | conducting epidemiologic studies to determine their impact on human health. | Most OWW systems in the United States | are conventional systems (see Figure 1). | Data on performance of these systems and | their components are limited. Hoover, Rubin, & Humenik (1998) reported that OWW | systems result in desirable levels of treatment. Only a few researchers, however, have | reported on the quality of wastewater entering or leaving septic tanks without assessing | performance of these systems (Valiela et al., | 1992; Viraraghavan & Hashem, 1986). Levels of solids, organic matter, nutrients, microorganisms, and other constituents of raw | wastewaters and effluents are unknown for | conventional and alternative OWW systems, | making it difficult to determine the overall | performance of these systems. |
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