Article Title: Wading In Waste
Keypoints:
- Thanks to unchecked development along America's coasts, disease-causing microbes are increasingly fouling beaches and shellfish beds
- In recent years, millions of Americans have been moving to coastal areas, particularly in the Southeast, to take advantage of their balmy climate, recreational opportunities and natural beauty.
- Beaches and shellfish beds have been contaminated by disease-causing microorganisms coming from animal and human wastes.
- 2004: coastal states ordered 19,950 days of closures and pollution advisories affecting 1,234 ocean and freshwater beaches (1/3 of all the beaches regularly monitored by health officials)
- The waterborne microbes can cause liver disease, respiratory infections and potentially fatal gastrointestinal disorders.
- The construction of so many homes, roads, shopping centers and parking lots has disrupted the natural drainage systems in coastal areas, and wastes that were once filtered by forests or wetlands are now regularly fouling marinas and beaches
- The reason for 85% of beach closures and advisories is the detection of excessive fecal bacteria
- Large areas that used to be forests or farmland are being turned into resorts, residential subdivisions, strip malls, restaurants, office complexes and industrial parks.
- The asphalt that replaces soils does not absorb rain, and lets the water flow over the surface, picking up animal feces and other pollutants and washing them into drainage ditches or storm drains, many of which lead directly to urban lakes, coastal creeks or beach areas.
- Storm water runoff is classified as a nonpoint source pollution
- Although storm runoff contains pesticides, fertilizers, heavy metals and petrocheimcals, it is the microbes that cause the disease
- State agencies are required to post signs in polluted shellfish beds notifying the public that harvesting clams, mussels or oysters there is illegal
- Urban runoff was the most commonly cited source of the pollution invading shellfish beds
- Microbial pollution also poses a serious danger to people involved in common recreational activities such as swimming, surfing, wading, diving, snorkeling, waterskiing and boating
- Microbes can enter through the mouth, nose, eyes, or open wounds
- Waterborne bacteria that can cause diseases and infections: Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, etc.
- 1993: Cryptosporidium protozoa infected the Milwaukee drinking water system, leading to more than 100 deaths and 400k illnesses.
- Fecal microbes from septic systems in the Florida Keys can enter coastal waters within hours
- EPA recommends that states use Enterococcus bacteria as the safety indicator for ocean and bay water
- Bacteria can obtain carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus as they travel downstream
- Preserving wetlands is an effective way to guard downstream waters from microbial pollution
- Urban runoff and septic seepage are major causes of microbial pollution
- Developers need to stop clear-cutting and other destructive practices, and use better alternatives, such as smart-growth strategies
Summary:
Microbial pollution is a major issue along the coastline. It has become so bad that many beaches have been shut down due to high levels of fecal matter. People who do many recreational activities in the water have a higher chance of being infected by microbes, and they enter the body through the nose, mouth, open wounds, or eyes. The shellfish who filter feed on the microbe-infested water are no longer suitable to eat, and state agencies are required to post signs in polluted shellfish beds notifying the public that harvesting clams, mussels or oysters there is illegal. The destruction of forests and wetlands for the construction of roads, homes, shopping centers, etc., make it easier for runoff to get to the open water since the asphalt does not absorb any water. Developers need to stop clear-cutting and other destructive practices, and use better alternatives, such as smart-growth strategies.
My thoughts:
I am surprised by how deadly these little organisms can be to us. If we are not careful and we do not regulate the coastal waters, many people will continue to get diseases and infections from the microbes. The fact that 85% of beach closures are due to excessive fecal bacteria, we also need to be cautious on how we handle our waste water. Restoring wetlands and forests will help absorb some of that runoff, but that is not the case. Instead, we just continue destroying those ecosystems for our own benefit such as constructing roads, homes, and other modern civilization.
Microbial pollution is a major issue along the coastline. It has become so bad that many beaches have been shut down due to high levels of fecal matter. People who do many recreational activities in the water have a higher chance of being infected by microbes, and they enter the body through the nose, mouth, open wounds, or eyes. The shellfish who filter feed on the microbe-infested water are no longer suitable to eat, and state agencies are required to post signs in polluted shellfish beds notifying the public that harvesting clams, mussels or oysters there is illegal. The destruction of forests and wetlands for the construction of roads, homes, shopping centers, etc., make it easier for runoff to get to the open water since the asphalt does not absorb any water. Developers need to stop clear-cutting and other destructive practices, and use better alternatives, such as smart-growth strategies.
My thoughts:
I am surprised by how deadly these little organisms can be to us. If we are not careful and we do not regulate the coastal waters, many people will continue to get diseases and infections from the microbes. The fact that 85% of beach closures are due to excessive fecal bacteria, we also need to be cautious on how we handle our waste water. Restoring wetlands and forests will help absorb some of that runoff, but that is not the case. Instead, we just continue destroying those ecosystems for our own benefit such as constructing roads, homes, and other modern civilization.
So what?Microbes are dangerous and fatal to the body causing things such as liver cancer and more.
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Says who?Michael A. Mallin
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What if?microbes didn't exist in our coastal areas?
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This reminds me of...The magic school bus because they shrunk into a small microbe.
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