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RAPID HEALTH-BASED METHOD FOR MEASURING MICROBIAL INDICATORS OF RECREATIONAL WATER QUALITY - 2006 EPA SCIENCE FORUM
Citation:
BRENNER, K. P., R. L. CALDERON, A. P. DUFOUR, R. A. HAUGLAND, E. A. SAMS, T. J. WADE, AND S. SIEFRING. RAPID HEALTH-BASED METHOD FOR MEASURING MICROBIAL INDICATORS OF RECREATIONAL WATER QUALITY - 2006 EPA SCIENCE FORUM. Presented at 2006 EPA Science Forum, Washington, DC, May 16 - 18, 2006.
Impact/Purpose:
The objectives of this research are: (1) to evaluate rapid state-of-the-art measuement methods of pathogens that may indicate the presence of fecal pollution in recreational waters (beaches); (2) to obtain, jointly with a sister laboratory (NHEERL), a new set of water quality data and related health effects data at a variety of beaches across the U.S., in both marine and non-marine waters; (3) to analyze the research data set to evaluate the utility of the tested measurement methods, the new EMPACT monitoring protocol, and the health effects data / questionnaire, in order to establish a relationship between measured pathogens and observed health effects; and (4) to communicate the results to the Office of Water in support of their efforts to develop new state and/or federal guidelines and limits for water quality indicators of fecal contamination, so that beach managers and public health officials can alert the public about the potential health hazards before exposure to unsafe water can occur.
Description:
Because the current approved cultural methods for monitoring indicator bacteria in recreational water require 24 hours to produce results, the public may be exposed to potentially contaminated water before the water has been identified as hazardous. This project was initiated to evaluate rapid health-based methods that could obtain results the same day the water was collected. During the summers of 2003 and 2004, a freshwater recreational water quality study, using the rapid (results in < 2 hours) Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (QPCR) method for Enterococcus detection, and a swimmer health study were conducted concurrently at four freshwater Great Lakes beaches. Water samples were collected using a modification of the new EPA water sampling protocol. Swimmers were interviewed on the beach and telephoned 10-12 days later to determine their health status following the swimming event. The results of the study showed that the Enterococcus concentrations, obtained using the QPCR method, were significantly correlated with swimming-associated gastroenteritis. The data from this research study will be used by the EPA Office of Water to develop new health-based criteria and guidelines for recreational water quality based on "real time" monitoring. The rapid QPCR method, which produces results within 2 hours of sample collection, will allow beach managers and public health officials to alert the public about potential health hazards in a timely manner, thereby reducing illness from recreational water use.