Revision as of 21:15, 17 October 2018

PLACEHOLDER

WLC iGEM 2018 | Investigations

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. 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).

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.

Our team also investigated the need for water testing systems in developing countries where water sanitation regulation may be lacking.

In developing countries, water contamination is a more prevalent issue when compared to first world countries. In some developing countries, resources are often allocated for other issues besides water management and testing, so water contamination can be overlooked.

This often means that water testing is performed intermittently, if at all even on important potable water sources. If contamination is not accurately identified indicating some source, there are often few choices for remediation and individuals continue to be impacted. Without sufficient testing or proper education about water safety and the properties of bacterial infections, people continue to utilize potentially dangerous water supplies.

Besides testing and supply management, another vitally important component of ensuring safe water practice is education. People need to aware that unseen dangers reside in the waters they drink and use every day. Accepting the existence and understanding the dangers of microscopic organisms is difficult without prior education on the subject. Visual readout water testing can be an effective way to teach people about the contents of their drinking water.

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 <p>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. </p>
+<p>Our team also investigated the need for water testing systems in developing countries where water sanitation regulation may be lacking. </p>
+<p> In developing countries, water contamination is a more prevalent issue when compared to first world countries. In some developing countries, resources are often allocated for other issues besides water management and testing, so water contamination can be overlooked.</p> <p> This often means that water testing is performed intermittently, if at all even on important potable water sources. If contamination is not accurately identified indicating some source, there are often few choices for remediation and individuals continue to be impacted. Without sufficient testing or proper education about water safety and the properties of bacterial infections, people continue to utilize potentially dangerous water supplies. </p>
+<p>Besides testing and supply management, another vitally important component of ensuring safe water practice is education. People need to aware that unseen dangers reside in the waters they drink and use every day. Accepting the existence and understanding the dangers of microscopic organisms is difficult without prior education on the subject. Visual readout water testing can be an effective way to teach people about the contents of their drinking water.</p>
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Difference between revisions of "Team:WLC-Milwaukee/Human Practices"

Revision as of 21:15, 17 October 2018

Investigations and Impact

Community and Global Needs