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PubMed1985

Successful abatement of lead exposure from water supplies in the West of Scotland.

A major problem has existed in the West of Scotland for at least the past century associated with lead uptake by water from leaden water distribution systems. Initial studies in Glasgow from 1969 to 1976 and in Ayr in 1980/1981 showed that not only were water supplies soft, acid in consequence highly plumbosolvent, and that water lead levels were, on average, unacceptably high but that blood lead concentrations were also in excess of acceptable limits. A decision was therefore made by Strathclyde Water Department to carry out remedial water treatment to adjust the water pH. The success of this venture was proven by the parallel rapid falls in blood lead and water lead concentrations in the city of Glasgow. This encouraged the Water Department to institute a similar scheme in the town of Ayr. Work on this commenced in 1981, and in a study of the participants in a previous blood lead survey, a highly significant fall in blood lead concentrations was observed. The equation linking these two parameters was found to follow a curvilinear relationship where blood lead varied as the cube root of the water lead with a highly significant coefficient of correlation. This relationship has been shown to hold across a wide range of water lead concentrations down to 1 microgram/liter. This detailed information allows accurate calculation of acceptable limits of lead exposure from specific sources based upon acceptable blood lead concentrations.

Female↗
PubMed1975

Removal of trace levels of 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) from wastewater.

An adsorption system is described for the removal of part per billion levels of the chemical carcinogen, 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF), from industrial wastewater. The system consists primarily of filters and activated carbon and non-ionic polymeric adsorbents arranged in tandem. It is highly efficient, operates at low cost, and requires minimal attention. The chemical monitoring of the raw and/or cleaned-up wastewater is based on a highly sensitive and specific spectrophotofluorometric method that allows acceptance or rejection of samples at the 0.2 part per billion level. The system is presented as a model for evaluating the removal of traces of organic chemicals from wastewater prior to recycling or discharging it into the environment. Results of laboratory evaluations of several other approaches to the purification of 2-AAF-containing wastewater are also presented.

2-Acetylaminofluorene↗
PubMed1994

Effect of plumbing systems on lead content of drinking water and contribution to lead body burden.

Stable lead isotopes and lead contents in drinking water from a number of Australian cities have been measured to determine the contribution of drinking water to body burden. Lead contents are generally < 2 micrograms/l and thus contribute an insignificant amount to the lead budget in humans in Australia. First-flush and running water samples taken at intervals of up to 10 min show that equilibrium is reached within 1 min or approximately 10 l by volume. There is, however, large variability in both lead content and isotopic composition within the first minute which brings into question the reliability of the recommended sampling time of 30 s. Extremely large isotopic differences between individual dwellings within the one city and between dwellings and the storage tanks for the water supply are attributed to differences in lead residing in the plumbing within the dwellings, usually from lead solder in brass fittings. Isotopic analysis of solder and water from two dwellings confirm this relationship.

Australia↗
PubMed1986

Control of Legionella in hospitals.

Legionellas are present in water distribution systems and cooling towers of many hospitals. No firm data are available regarding the need for prophylactic disinfection of these contaminated systems. Disinfection of water systems and cooling towers is an accepted and effective means of ending nosocomial Legionnaires' disease, but it should be performed in conjunction with good epidemiological and microbiological studies to pinpoint environmental reservoirs and disseminators. Chlorination, pasteurization, or both, are the only means of disinfection found to be effective in disease outbreaks. Prospective surveillance of immuno compromised patients with pneumonia is probably the most effective means to determine if a hospital is a source of Legionnaires' disease and, therefore, requires further investigations and disinfection.

Cross Infection↗
PubMed1989

Endemicity of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 3 in a hospital water supply.

A microbiological and epidemiological investigation at the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Turin, Italy, demonstrated Legionella pneumophila serogroup 3 at 10(2) to greater than 4 X 10(3) cfu l-1 from 24 of 32 hot water samples collected from hand-basins in six separate buildings. A sample taken from the public water supply, and a hot water sample (80 degrees C) collected from hot water tanks, did not yield legionellas. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 3 was found in samples taken at the first point of mixed hot and cold water (50 degrees C) at 3 X 10(2) cfu l-1. 12 of 26 samples from the shower-heads yielded 10(3) to 2.5 X 10(5) cfu l-1 and one of 12 water samples from oxygen bubble humidifiers tested yielded 1.6 X 10(4) cfu l-1. No other legionellas species or serogroups of Legionella pneumophila were isolated during the study. No cases of nosocomial pneumonia were detected among 3653 patients' records, nor was there serological evidence of Legionella infection in the 180 patients tested.

Environmental Monitoring↗
PubMed1989

Legionella pneumophila serogroup 12 pneumonia in a renal transplant recipient: case report and environmental observations.

We describe the first reported case of pneumonia due to Legionella pneumophila serogroup 12 in the UK. This hospital-associated infection occurred in an immuno-incompetent patient and coincided with a change in character of the local environmental strains of legionellas. The patient produced a serological response both to her own isolate and to L. pneumophila serogroups 1-6. Thus serodiagnosis was attainable using the usual screening antigens.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

The efficacy of control measures for eradicating legionellae in showers.

The efficacy of secondary control measures on showers colonized with legionellae was assessed. Hyperchlorination of shower heads and angle valve strainers had only a short-lived effect on legionellae. Automatic drain valves fitted to showers were ineffective in maintaining a reduction in the number of legionellae in shower water. Regular flushing of showers reduced legionellae to below detectable levels. Removal of dead-legs from the feed-pipes supplying hot water to showers, resulted in a decrease in legionellae in these sites but an increase in legionellae colonizing mixer valve components.

Baths↗
PubMed1991

Legionella in hospitals: a review.

Although epidemics of nosocomial Legionnaires' disease attract great attention, up to 30% of sporadic cases of hospital-acquired pneumonia are caused by legionellae. Legionellae are ubiquitous contaminants of potable water and can achieve high numbers in the hot-water systems of large buildings such as hospitals. They are present in the mains water supply in small numbers but are amplified considerably in the hospital's hot-water system. This is encouraged by water temperatures below 50 degrees C, areas of stagnation and sludge formation, the presence of amoebae and other bacteria and the materials used in the piping. Formation of aerosols from contaminated water is a major mode of spread of legionellae, but there is evidence to suggest that aspiration is also a mode of entry. Safe levels of legionellae in cooling towers have been defined, but not for hot-water systems. A combination of culture and antigen detection by immunofluorescence offer the best method for enumerating legionellae in environmental samples. Control involves a mixture of physical (heat, UV irradiation, sanitation) and chemical (hypochlorite, ozone) methods combined with good plumbing practice (e.g. arrangement of pumps and calorifiers, elimination of dead-legs). Adequate control can be costly and requires considerable attention to detail.

Air Conditioning↗
PubMed1991

An outbreak of Salmonella urbana infection in neonatal nurseries.

An outbreak of neonatal infection with Salmonella urbana in three neonatal wards of a teaching hospital in Bangkok, Thailand is described. The outbreak lasted for 5 days. Fifty-seven neonates had gastrointestinal infection, 37 had diarrhoea, and three had bacteraemia. The attack rates were 43% for infection, 29% for diarrhoea, and 2.3% for bacteraemia. Epidemiological evaluation suggested that a contaminated wash basin in the labour nursery was the source of infection. Delay in controlling this outbreak occurred because the staff assumed that person-to-person transmission was the mode of spread, thus ignoring epidemiological data that would have led to the identification of the source of infection.

Cross Infection↗