For Members
Clean Water: What is Acceptable Microbial Risk? 2007
We would welcome you sharing our report. If you do, please link to this page, and not the PDF.
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Prepared by Mark Lechevallier and Merry Buckley It is a familiar scenario experienced around the world: an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness suddenly emerges in a community, and no one knows where it came from or how to stop it. At the start of the outbreak, only a few people are affected, most often the very old and the very young. As the outbreak worsens, more and more people fall ill, and people who were weak or unwell may develop life-threatening complications. Such outbreaks sometimes originate from a source that most people in the United States and other developed countries trust unquestioningly: drinking water. This report examines the risks related to pathogens in the water supply and puts forth recommendations for areas of research, communication needs, and methods of microbial risk assessment. |
A Global Decline in Microbiological Safety of Water: A Call for Action, 1995
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Prepared by Timothy E. Ford, Ph.D., and Rita R. Colwell, Ph.D., D.Sc. Discusses issues in identification of the current extent of waterborne disease outbreaks, the future threat of waterborne outbreaks, and epidemics (and potential pandemics) within both developed and developing countries. Provides a framework for addressing these water quality issues globally. |
Marine Microbial Diversity: The Key to Earth's Habitability, 2005
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Prepared by: Jennie Hunter-Cevera, David Karl, and Merry Buckley. The report outlines how life on Earth may owe its existence to tiny microorganisms living in oceans, but the effect of human-induced change on the vital services these microbes perform for the planet remains largely unstudied. |
Reevaluation of Microbial Water Quality: Powerful New Tools for Detection and Risk Assessment, 2001
View/Download this ReportWe would welcome you sharing our report. If you do, please link to this page, and not the PDF.
 Prepared by Joan B. Rose, Ph.D., and D. Jay Grimes, Ph.D. Evaluates current status of water quality, discusses new and emerging issues, and examines shortcomings of current practices. Outlines gene probes, genotyping, antibody, and PCR (polymerase chain reaction) techniques that stand to replace outdated testing methods. Makes specific recommendations for risk assessment, technology use, data collection, research collaboration, and evaluation and development of best practices. |