Feature Channels: Food and Water Safety

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The degree of pollution of rivers resulting from human activities is assessed using different biotic indices. The latter reflect the ecological status of a river based on the quantity and diversity of organisms selected as bioindicators, due to their ecological preferences and tolerance to pollution. This is the case of diatoms, algae consisting of a single cell surrounded by a silica skeleton, recommended by the European Union and Switzerland as one of the ideal bioindicators for rivers and lakes.

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When water comes in for a landing on the common catalyst titanium oxide, it splits into hydroxyls just under half the time. Water's oxygen and hydrogen atoms shift back and forth between existing as water or hydroxyls, and water has the slightest advantage, like the score in a highly competitive tennis game.

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​​​Recent extreme weather has put increased stress on California's aging water infrastructure and highlighted the fact that the state must invest billions to improve and repair its civil infrastructure.

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Aiming to greatly expand its use of recycled water, the University of California, Irvine is partnering with the Irvine Ranch Water District to convert the school’s central cooling plant to an environmentally friendly system that will conserve more than 50 million gallons of drinkable water per year.

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An insect infestation that is killing hemlock trees in New England forests is having a significant impact on the water resources of forested ecosystems that provide essential water supplies to one of the nation's most populous regions.

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Producing and distributing hydrogen peroxide is a challenge in many parts of the world. Now scientists at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have created a small device for hydrogen peroxide production that could be powered by renewable energy sources, like conventional solar panels.

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President Trump signed an executive order seeking to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, which regulates carbon emissions from fossil-fuel burning power plants, primarily those that fire coal.As the EPA takes next steps to replace the plan, an engineer at Washington University in St. Louis who studies fossil fuel combustion says this week’s move will make it difficult for power providers to plan ahead.

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A new review published in the Journal of Food Science defines the causes, contributors and consequences of malnutrition in older individuals and suggests new food product development might mitigate or address the negative consequences of poor food intake in older adults.

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Researchers at the University of Kansas have published findings showing weather whiplash in the American Midwest’s agricultural regions will drive the deterioration of water quality, forcing municipalities to seek costly remedies to provide safe drinking water to residents.

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Just one month after major research findings showed dangerous PFAS present in more than one-third of fast food packaging tested, UAB and Notre Dame created a new technique to track PFASs in the body.

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Researchers based their assessment on responses to a survey of 1,052 respondents. The poll shows 46 percent are “water considerate;” 44 percent of the participants are what researchers classified as “water savvy conservationists” and 9 percent are not concerned about water conservation.

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More than 2 million poisonings are reported each year to poison centers across the United States, and half those calls involve children under 6. As part of National Poison Prevention Week CHLA pediatric medical toxicologist Cyrus Rangan, M.D. shares tips for preventing poisoning in the home.

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The study, led by doctoral student Rachel Rubin, determined bacteria could play a significant role in increasing crop yields in the future, even in times of drought

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Researchers with expertise in a wide range of water-related issues will converge this month for the SEC Academic Conference to discuss the often complex issues related to the earth’s most life-giving resource.

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The Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP) has issued an open call for funding proposals to convene interdisciplinary teams tackling questions at the heart of sustainable economic development, human well-being, and natural resource conservation.

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While lead pipes were banned decades ago, they still supply millions of American households with water each day. A team of engineers at Washington University in St. Louis has developed a new way to track where dangerous lead particles might be transported in the drinking-water supply during a common abatement procedure.

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For decades, phosphorous has accumulated in Wisconsin soils. Though farmers have taken steps to reduce the quantity of the agricultural nutrient applied to and running off their fields, a new study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison reveals that a "legacy" of abundant soil phosphorus in the Yahara watershed of Southern Wisconsin has a large, direct and long-lasting impact on water quality.

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Using solar energy, Technion researchers have developed a new method for safely and efficiently producing hydrogen in a centralized manner, miles away from the solar farm. It could greatly reduce the cost of producing hydrogen and shipping it to customers.

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Features Chris Long and his work with providing clean accessible drinking water to rural communities in East Africa

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Writing in the Journal of Pediatrics, UB researcher says public health experts need to be more up front with parents in explaining that CDC dietary recommendations may not help children who have been exposed to lead.

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Scientists at Berkeley Lab and Caltech have—in just two years—nearly doubled the number of materials known to have potential for use in solar fuels. They did so by developing a process that promises to speed the discovery of commercially viable generation of solar fuels that could replace coal, oil, and other fossil fuels.

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Researchers at The Ohio State University have discovered that food waste can partially replace the petroleum-based filler that has been used in manufacturing tires for more than a century. In tests, rubber made with the new fillers exceeds industrial standards for performance, which may ultimately open up new applications for rubber.

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Higher intake of foods containing isoflavones, estrogen-like compounds primarily found in soy, is associated with reduced all-cause mortality in women with hormone-receptor-negative breast cancer and women not treated with hormone therapy as part of cancer treatment.

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Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. citizens gets food poisoning every year, but very few report it. Twitter communications between the public and the proper government authorities could improve foodborne illness reporting as well as the steps that follow, according to a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

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If you’re sick, stay home. Wash your hands before preparing food. When preparing food, always wear gloves or do not touch the ready-to-eat food with bare hands. For food service workers, following this simple advice, which is part of the FDA Food Code, could drastically reduce the spread of norovirus, the most common type of foodborne illness. These results come from a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration study published in the latest issue of Risk Analysis, the scholarly journal of the Society for Risk Analysis.

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Wastewater from oil and gas operations – including fracking for shale gas – at a West Virginia site altered microbes downstream, according to a Rutgers-led study. The study, published recently in Science of the Total Environment, showed that wastewater releases, including briny water that contained petroleum and other pollutants, altered the diversity, numbers and functions of microbes. The shifts in the microbial community indicated changes in their respiration and nutrient cycling, along with signs of stress.

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In the case of emergencies affecting potable water supplies, New Mexico State University water expert Rossana Sallenave released a guide on how to properly treat and store water for long periods of time.

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Assistant Professor Shadi Wajih Hasan is Working to Develop Wastewater Treatment Systems for the Sustainable Production of High-Quality Water.

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The health of fish and aquatic insects could be significantly affected by withdrawals of fresh water from the rivers and streams across North Carolina according to a new scientific assessment.

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Listeria, a common food-borne bacterium, may pose a greater risk of miscarriage in the early stages of pregnancy than appreciated, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine studying how pathogens affect fetal development and change the outcome of pregnancy.

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Top experts in environmental sensing explored existing and potential applications for Waggle and other sensing technologies during a two-day workshop held at Argonne last year. From researching deforestation in the Amazon to improving air quality for manned space missions, attendees revealed unique ways to apply sensing technology to improve our understanding of Earth and human health – and a number of these applications employed Waggle.

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A school-to-work partnership involving the UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, the Water Council and local technical colleges provides a pipeline to jobs in the growing water industry..

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Allura Red, a synthetic food and pharmaceutical color widely used within the U.S., boasts special properties that may make it and other food dyes appropriate as sensors or edible probes to monitor foods and pharmaceuticals. A team of researchers -- from Rutgers University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Massachusetts -- recently made this discovery during an extension of their work identifying and characterizing molecules in foods or food ingredients that might provide signals of food quality, stability or safety.

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A Florida State University researcher has drawn a link between the impact of climate change and untreated drinking water on the rate of gastrointestinal illness in children.

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Cybersecurity researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new form of ransomware that can take over control of a simulated water treatment plant. After gaining access, they were able to command programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to shut valves, increase the amount of chlorine added to water, and display false readings.

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Robert T. Anderson, a law professor at the University of Washington, is an expert on property rights, American Indian law and water rights.

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A team of researchers is developing a robotic system of all-terrain rovers and aerial drones that can quickly and accurately gather and analyze data on the characteristics of crops.

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Sacramento State's innovative LID project is complete, and the American River is cleaner and safer because of it.

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Many herbal supplements contain hidden pharmaceutical ingredients that could be causing serious health risks, according to a team of experts from Queen’s University Belfast, Kingston University London and LGC.

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According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, SNAP benefits reduced the incidence of extreme poverty by 13.2 percent and child poverty by 15.5 percent between 2000 and 2009. Now, researchers from the University of Missouri have found that SNAP benefits also may be beneficial in reducing visits to the emergency room, saving money for families, health care facilities and taxpayers.

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Previous studies have linked the chemicals to kidney and testicular cancers, thyroid disease, low birth weight and immunotoxicity in children, among other health issues.

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First comprehensive analysis finds more than two dozen toxic highly fluorinated chemicals, including a phased-out substance.

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You’ve seen Bear Grylls turn foul water into drinking water with little more than sunlight and plastic. Academics added a third element — carbon-dipped paper — to create a highly efficient and inexpensive way to turn saltwater and contaminated water into potable water for personal use. The system could help address global drinking water shortages, especially in developing areas and regions affected by natural disasters.