Health risks associated with sewage-contaminated recreational waters are of important public health concern. Reliable water monitoring systems are therefore crucial. Current recreational water quality criteria rely predominantly on the enumeration of bacterial indicators, while potentially dangerous viral pathogens often remain undetected. Human enteric viruses have been proposed as alternative...

OBJECTIVE Anti-infectives are constantly discharged at trace levels in natural waters near urban centers and agricultural areas. They represent a cause for concern because of their potential contribution to the spread of anti-infective resistance in bacteria and other effects on aquatic biota. We compiled data on the occurrence of anti-infectives published in the last 24 years in environmental ...

The present barium content of Southern California coastal waters was determined to be 11 to 22 micrograms per kilogram of seawater. These values may be used as base-line concentrations to monitor marine contamination during future off-shore oil and gas explorations.

The swimming behavior of the calanoid copepod Centropages hamatus is used as a very sensitive real-time screening tool to assess hydrocarbon contamination in marine waters. A behavioral stress index based on the complexity of swimming sequences is suggested as a potential tool to critically assess behavioral responses to natural and anthropogenic forcing in the marine environment.

Biocide contamination of receiving waters is generally linked with agriculture. However, recent studies have shown that urban contributions should be also considered [1,2]. One of the suspected biocide sources in the urban environment is building paint. Biocides like diuron, irgarol, terbutryn, carbendazim, etc., are conventionally used in paint to control fungi, algae, bacteria and other micro...

More than 760 Tampa Bay (Florida, U.S.A.) sediment samples have been analyzed for organic contaminants (PAHs, organochlorine pesticides, and PCBs) since 1993. Data were analyzed to assess status by habitat (defined by overlapping salinity zones and sediment type). The habitats most degraded by PAHs and pesticides were generally located in lower salinity, fine-grained sediment habitats, which ar...

BACKGROUND: Legionella spp. in groundwater sources have been reported to be the cause of waterborne infections, specifically Legionnaire’s Disease and Pontiac Fever. Legionellae are known to be ubiquitous in surface waters, but much less is known about their occurrence in groundwater, which is the source of potable water for millions in North America. Federal drinking water regulations may not ...

Microbial Source Tracking within your watershed can provide important information regarding the Point Source (structures, pipes, sewage outfalls) and Non-Point Source (runoff, animals) contamination present in your service area. Determination of human, ruminant and other fecal inputs into surface source or ground waters can provide a scientific basis for watershed management decisions and can a...