Difference between revisions of "Team:WLC-Milwaukee/Human Practices"
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<p>We began by researching and compiling data establishing the importance of water testing and water safety, and the need for new water testing systems for the direct public consumer. | <p>We began by researching and compiling data establishing the importance of water testing and water safety, and the need for new water testing systems for the direct public consumer. | ||
Water testing is incredibly important for the reduction of water contamination worldwide. In the United States, the Center for Disease Control (the CDC) recommends various standards for water testing and safety that are then regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). </p> </div> | Water testing is incredibly important for the reduction of water contamination worldwide. In the United States, the Center for Disease Control (the CDC) recommends various standards for water testing and safety that are then regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). </p> </div> | ||
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<p>In spite of the significant infrastructure and strict requirements for water purification and usage in the United States including potable water standards, wastewater effluent requirements, and recreational water usage standards, incidents of individuals being impacted by various forms of water contamination are reported each year. For example, high amounts of lead were found the drinking water of Flint, Michigan, just 4 years ago in 2014. In 1993, 69 people died and an estimated 400,000 people were sickened as a result of the Cryptosporidium parasite in the water in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Regular water testing is a necessity even when adequate filtration systems and regulations are in place. In rural areas, however, it becomes much more difficult to ensure the safety of water supplies through testing and management as in many cases, individual homes are fed by wells that can be contaminated, and while generally only impacting small numbers of people, contamination of well water can still be dangerous not just for those individual well users, but also for other individuals with wells that tap into the same deep aquifers. The CDC recommends that well water should be tested annually for water borne illnesses but in many areas, especially agricultural communities, Nitrates and micro-organisms are known to contaminate well water through sewage and fertilizers. This market of small town well water users is one that is of great interest to the WLC-Milwaukee iGEM team as it would be an ideal niche in which to implement our project and target as a market for our kit. There are currently a variety of biological contaminant test-kits on the market for private consumers to use in their own homes. Unfortunately, however, these test kits are marketed as requiring 24-48 hours until a result is ready. The 2017 WLC-iGEM Team, specifically Elise Sloey, tested a variety of these test kits on the market using blind-study methods for whether a sample contained bacterial contaminants or was a control to determine the accuracy of these kits (see …. for more information on testing methods and results analysis). The results of this testing indicated that not only do many of these test kits require a significant amount of time, many of them are quite inaccurate (data table courtesy of WLC-Milwaukee iGEM 2017). | <p>In spite of the significant infrastructure and strict requirements for water purification and usage in the United States including potable water standards, wastewater effluent requirements, and recreational water usage standards, incidents of individuals being impacted by various forms of water contamination are reported each year. For example, high amounts of lead were found the drinking water of Flint, Michigan, just 4 years ago in 2014. In 1993, 69 people died and an estimated 400,000 people were sickened as a result of the Cryptosporidium parasite in the water in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Regular water testing is a necessity even when adequate filtration systems and regulations are in place. In rural areas, however, it becomes much more difficult to ensure the safety of water supplies through testing and management as in many cases, individual homes are fed by wells that can be contaminated, and while generally only impacting small numbers of people, contamination of well water can still be dangerous not just for those individual well users, but also for other individuals with wells that tap into the same deep aquifers. The CDC recommends that well water should be tested annually for water borne illnesses but in many areas, especially agricultural communities, Nitrates and micro-organisms are known to contaminate well water through sewage and fertilizers. This market of small town well water users is one that is of great interest to the WLC-Milwaukee iGEM team as it would be an ideal niche in which to implement our project and target as a market for our kit. There are currently a variety of biological contaminant test-kits on the market for private consumers to use in their own homes. Unfortunately, however, these test kits are marketed as requiring 24-48 hours until a result is ready. The 2017 WLC-iGEM Team, specifically Elise Sloey, tested a variety of these test kits on the market using blind-study methods for whether a sample contained bacterial contaminants or was a control to determine the accuracy of these kits (see …. for more information on testing methods and results analysis). The results of this testing indicated that not only do many of these test kits require a significant amount of time, many of them are quite inaccurate (data table courtesy of WLC-Milwaukee iGEM 2017). | ||
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Revision as of 20:47, 17 October 2018
Investigations and Impact
Our team started researching and seeking to understand the implications of water contamination, water testing, test affordability, and water safety early in our project and continued to analyze the role of our system within the scope of this research throughout the year. As a part of understanding the niche and scope of our kit, we consulted with experts in various fields to receive feedback both on water safety as a whole, substrates we could use in our kit, and how we could improve our test kit to fill an appropriate role within the water testing industry.
Community and Global Needs
We began by researching and compiling data establishing the importance of water testing and water safety, and the need for new water testing systems for the direct public consumer. Water testing is incredibly important for the reduction of water contamination worldwide. In the United States, the Center for Disease Control (the CDC) recommends various standards for water testing and safety that are then regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
In spite of the significant infrastructure and strict requirements for water purification and usage in the United States including potable water standards, wastewater effluent requirements, and recreational water usage standards, incidents of individuals being impacted by various forms of water contamination are reported each year. For example, high amounts of lead were found the drinking water of Flint, Michigan, just 4 years ago in 2014. In 1993, 69 people died and an estimated 400,000 people were sickened as a result of the Cryptosporidium parasite in the water in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Regular water testing is a necessity even when adequate filtration systems and regulations are in place. In rural areas, however, it becomes much more difficult to ensure the safety of water supplies through testing and management as in many cases, individual homes are fed by wells that can be contaminated, and while generally only impacting small numbers of people, contamination of well water can still be dangerous not just for those individual well users, but also for other individuals with wells that tap into the same deep aquifers. The CDC recommends that well water should be tested annually for water borne illnesses but in many areas, especially agricultural communities, Nitrates and micro-organisms are known to contaminate well water through sewage and fertilizers. This market of small town well water users is one that is of great interest to the WLC-Milwaukee iGEM team as it would be an ideal niche in which to implement our project and target as a market for our kit. There are currently a variety of biological contaminant test-kits on the market for private consumers to use in their own homes. Unfortunately, however, these test kits are marketed as requiring 24-48 hours until a result is ready. The 2017 WLC-iGEM Team, specifically Elise Sloey, tested a variety of these test kits on the market using blind-study methods for whether a sample contained bacterial contaminants or was a control to determine the accuracy of these kits (see …. for more information on testing methods and results analysis). The results of this testing indicated that not only do many of these test kits require a significant amount of time, many of them are quite inaccurate (data table courtesy of WLC-Milwaukee iGEM 2017). DATA TABLE. The cost-effective, time efficient method of water testing that the WLC iGEM team has been developing will make water testing more convenient for well owners increasing the likelihood that well owners will follow the CDC recommendation for annual water checks. Increased testing regularity and additional testing options may reduce infection risks by alerting consumers of possible contaminants before they reach dangerous levels.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiucol-smod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit a nim id est laborum.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiucol-smod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit a nim id est laborum.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiucol-smod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit a nim id est laborum.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiucol-smod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit a nim id est laborum.
