Effect of rinsing with water immediately after APF gel application on enamel demineralization in situ

This double-blind crossover in situ study evaluated the effect of rinsing with water immediately after the application of acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) on enamel demineralization. APF application was followed by: no rinsing or consuming of liquids or solids for the next 30 min; immediately washing with water jet or drinking of a glass of water. All treatments showed a statistically significant decrease in enamel mineral loss compared to the control (p < 0.05), but the differences among treatments were not significant (p > 0.05). The data suggest that the recommendation of asking patients to refrain from drinking water following professional APF application does not seem to have an influence on the anticaries effect of fluoride. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Impact of an environmentally realistic intake of water contaminants and superoxide formation on tissues of rats

Water contaminants have a high potential risk for the health of populations and for this reason their toxic effects urgently should be established. The present study was carried out to determine whether an environmentally realistic intake of water contaminants can induce tissue lesions, and to clarify the contribution of superoxide radical (O-2(.-)) formation to this effect. Male Wistar rats were given drinking water from the Tiett River (group A) and from the Capivara River (group B). The increased creatinine, glucose, alanine transaminase and amylase levels in serum reflected the toxic effects of river-water contaminants to renal, pancreatic and hepatic tissues of rats. As changes in lipoperoxide were observed in rats after river-water intake while superoxide dismutase activities decreased in these animals, it is assumed that the superoxide anion elicits lipoperoxide formation and induces tissue damage. There is evidence that oxygen tension reflects water pollution, since river-water with a-low oxygen tension induced more elevated toxicity in rat tissues. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

TOXIC EFFECTS OF WATER EUTROPHICATION ON PANCREATIC, HEPATIC AND OSTEOGENIC TISSUES OF RATS

Pollution, industrial solvents, concentrations of metals and other environmental agents are widely related to biochemicals values which are used in disease diagnosis of environmental toxicity. A rat bioassay validated for the identification of toxic effects of eutrophication revealed increased serum activities of amylase, alanine transaminase (BLT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in rats that received algae, filtered water and nickel or cadmium from drinking water. Serum Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase activity decreased from its basal level of 40.8 +/- 2.3 to 26.4 U/mg protein, at 7 days of algae and at 48 hr of nickel and cadmium water ingestion. The observation that lipoperoxide concentration was not altered in rats treated with filtered water, while amylase, ALT and ALP were increased in these rats and in those treated with nickel or cadmium, indicated that pancreatic, hepatic and osteogenic lesions by eutrophication were not related to superoxide radicals, and might be due to a novel toxic environmental agent found in filtered and non-filtered algae water.

Performance of constructed wetland system for public water supply

The project is being conducted in the town of Analândia, São Paulo, Brazil. The constructed wetlands system for water supply consists of a channel with floating aquatic macrophytes, HDS system (Water Decontamination with Soil - Patent PI 850.3030), chlorinating system, filtering system and distribution. The project objectives include investigating the process variables to further optimize design and operation factors, evaluating the relation of nutrients and plants development, biomass production, shoot development, nutrient cycling and total and fecal coliforms removal, comparing the treatment efficiency among the seasons of the year; and moreover to compare the average values obtained between February and June 1998 (Salati et al., 1998) with the average obtained for the same parameters between March and June 2000. Studies have been developed in order to verify during one year the drinking quality of the water for the following parameters: turbidity, color, pH, dissolved oxygen, total of dissolved solids, COD, chloride, among others, according to the Ministry of Health's Regulation 36. This system of water supply projected to treat 15 L s-1 has been in continuous operation for 2 years, it was implemented with support of the National Environment Fund (FNMA), administered by the Center of Environmental Studies (CEA-UNESP), while the technical supervision and design were performed by the Institute of Applied Ecology. The actual research project is being supported by FAPESP.

Faecal contamination (viral and bacteria) detection in groundwater used for drinking purposes in São Paulo, Brazil

This project has been developed to evaluate the possible relationship between the cesspit (pit latrine) in as far as it degrades the quality of underground water. Its importance is due to the fact that in the rural communities in the State of São Paulo (Brazil) this type of cesspit is very common as a means of sewage disposal and these communities use underground water for their supply of drinking water. Rural properties distributed over the rural area in the municipality of São José do Rio Preto were selected. A preliminary study was then set up to determine the social situation and health of the households as well as qualitative evaluations on the type of water supply and sewage disposal of these communities. Campaigns of water sampling then followed and laboratory analyses of water taken from wells were carried out. Parameters were set up to evaluate the potability according to Brazilian legislation (2004) paying attention to microbiologic (coliforms, Crytosporidium sp., and adenovirus). The analyses showed evidence of possible interaction between the wells and the sewage effluents and drainage in these communities. A PCR reaction to detect adenovirus showed a presence in 53.3% of the samples. The tests for the detection of Cryotosporidium sp all showed a negative result.

Best practices in regulating State-owned and municipal water utilities

Includes bibliography

Network for Cooperation in Integrated Water Resource Management for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean No. 42

Editorial remarks.-- Open discussion: Conceptual change in regulation in a model of public service provision ; Policies and institutional frameworks for drinking water supply and sanitation ; Strategies for low-carbon development in megacities in Latin America ; Adapting to climate change in water management in the irrigation sector.-- Meetings: Towards a vision on natural resource governance for equality ; Water resources faced with uncertainty and the risk of climate change ; Regulation challenges in the water sector.-- News of the Network: Lessons to be drawn from the interprovincial Colorado River flow distribution agreement ; Rural drinking water programme in Chile ; Ecuador’s Act on Water Resources and Water Use and Exploitation.-- Internet and WWW News

Network for Cooperation in Integrated Water Resource Management for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean No. 43

Editorial remarks.-- Open discussion: Energy efficiency and economic regulation in water supply and sewerage services ; Policies and institutional frameworks for drinking water supply and sanitation.-- News of the network: The goal of food self-sufficiency of the countries of the cooperation council for de Arab States of the Gulf ; Narrowing the gaps in drinking water and sanitation: an opportunity for users ; Water Users'Organizations Act of Peru ; Commission for the Integrated management of the Tárcoles River Basin, Costa Rica ; Water and sanitation Management Unit in Panama.-- Courses: Course "Strategic aspects of irrigation".-- Internet and WWW news

Network for Cooperation in Integrated Water Resource Management for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean No. 38

Editorial remarks.-- Open discussion: Using performance indicators to monitor drinking water supply and sewerage services ; Implications of biofuel development for water management and use.-- News of the Network: Reflections of URSEA in Uruguay, 10 years after its creation ; National Environmental Sanitation Strategy of El Salvador.-- Meetings: Workshop on Transboundary Water Cooperation (Buenos Aires, Argentina) ; Importance of the value of water: lessons and challenges (Lima, Peru).-- Internet and WWW News

Network for Cooperation in Integrated Water Resource Management for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean No. 40

Editorial remarks.-- Open discussion: Regulation under the public model of service provision ; Regulatory progress and challenges in Argentina ; Twenty years of SUNASS: development, experience, lessons learned and challenges ; Possible conflict between efficiency and sustainability ; Best practices in regulating State-owned and municipal water utilities.-- News of the Network: Water use charge in the Province of Buenos Aires ; National Drinking Water and Sanitation Sector Policy of Guatemala ; Sanitation Services Modernization Law of Peru ; Internet and WWW News

Assessment of surface water in two Amazonian rivers impacted by industrial wastewater, Barcarena City, Pará State (Brazil)

No ano de 2007, águas superficiais foram coletadas a partir de 21 pontos de amostragem na cidade de Barcarena, Região Norte, Brasil: um ponto de amostragem localizado em um pequeno córrego que recebe descarga de resíduos a partir da indústria de beneficiamento do caulim e deságua no Rio Curuperê, três pontos de amostragens localizados próximos de fontes que emergem na margem esquerda e deságuam no Rio Curuperê, nove pontos de amostragem no Rio Curuperê, que deságua no Rio Dendê, e oito no Rio Dendê, afluente da margem esquerda do Rio Pará. Para todas as amostras de água foram quantificadas 14 variáveis físico-químicas e níveis de 12 metais. Os resultados nos pontos próximos das fontes do Rio Curuperê apresentaram perfil físico-químico e níveis de metais típicos para águas superficiais e esses valores foram utilizados como referência para comparar e identificar possíveis alterações nas características químicas para os demais pontos de amostragem. Quando os resultados das fontes do rio Curuperê foram comparados com os resultados do ponto próximo a descarga de resíduos industriais foram observadas fortes alterações nos valores de 6 variáveis físico-químicas (pH, condutividade elétrica (EC), total de sólidos suspensos (TDS), nitrogênio amoniacal (N-NH4), sulfato (SO4) e salinidade) e aumento em magnitude dos níveis de quatro metais (Al, Fe, Mn e Zn), caracterizando que esses resíduos eram descarregados no ambiente sem tratamentos adequados. Os resultados nos demais pontos de amostragem demonstraram que estas condições anômalas também foram encontradas ao longo dos Rios Curuperê e Dendê, principalmente durante a maré baixa. A partir desta caracterização química das águas foram identificadas condições prejudiciais aos ecossistemas aquáticos e potencial risco à saúde da população local que usa os rios para consumo, recreação e transporte.

Bone densitometry and calcium serum levels in chickens treated with filtered or unfiltered water

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Ti/TiO2 nanotubes enhance Mycobacterium fortuitum, Mycobacterium chelonae and Mycobacterium abscessus inactivation in water

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Using SPE-LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis to assess disperse dyes in environmental water samples

We have optimized an SPE-LC-ESI-MS/MS method and used it to monitor disperse azo dyes in environmental aquatic samples. Calibration curves constructed for nine disperse dyes-Red 1, Violet 93, Blue 373, Orange 1, Orange 3, Orange 25, Yellow 3, Yellow 7 and Red 13-in aqueous solution presented good linearity between 2.0 and 100.0 ng mL(-1). The method provided limits of detection and quantification around 2.0 and 8.0 ng L(-1), respectively. For dyes at concentrations of 25.0 ng mL(-1), the intra- and interday analyses afforded relative standard deviation lower than 6 and 13%, respectively. The recovery values obtained for each target analyte in Milli-Q water, receiving waters and treated water samples spiked with the nine studied dyes at concentrations of 8.0, 25.0 and 50.0 ng L(-1) (n = 3) gave average recoveries greater than 70%, with RSD <20%. Statistical evaluation aided method validation. The validated method proved to be useful for analysis of organic extracts from effluents and receiving water samples after an SPE extraction step. More specifically, the method enabled detection of the dyes Disperse Red 1, Disperse Blue 373 and Disperse Violet 93 at concentrations ranging from 84 to 3452 ng L(-1) in the treated effluent (TE), affluent and points collected upstream and downstream of the drinking water treatment plant of a textile dye industry in Brazil.

Welcome: Fourth Annual Water Law, Policy and Science Conference

It was Mark Twain who, in 1884, penned the words, and I quote, "Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over."