Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
3.
Protect humans by eliminating or minimizing the effects of the pollutant
.
This affects water treatment, air conditioning, land-use planning, and occu-
pational protection.
At the same time, the air, sources of drinking water, food, aquatic plants,
fish and other wildlife, surface runoff, leachates, precipitation, surface waters,
and humans should be monitored. This should be done for potentially toxic and
deleterious chemicals, as indicated by specific situations. Table 1.4 also lists
characteristics of noninfectious diseases due to the ingestion of poisonous plants
and animals and chemical poisons in contaminated water or food.
INVESTIGATION OF A WATER DISEASE OUTBREAK
General
The successful outcome in the investigation of any disease outbreak, no matter
the source, depends on expedient execution of a preplanned process. Extensive
investigations are economically burdensome to all parties involved, and the tar-
get of the study (e.g., a municipal water supply) in the end is faced with a
public-relations problem in winning back the confidence of the community con-
cerning the safety of the drinking water.
Hunter
125
delineated a nine-step “cradle to grave” program for the conduct of
a waterborne outbreak study (Figure 1.4).
Each of the steps in the chronology of an investigation is elaborated on in the
following sections. Although investigation of a waterborne incident is described
here, the steps put forth would be applicable to a foodborne outbreak, also. Details
on foodborne outbreaks are presented in Chapter 3.
Preparation
Requisite to the investigation of an elevated incidence of disease,
there must be in place a team of individuals having the collective expertise to
handle all phases of the study. Ideally, this would include an epidemiologist, field
engineer, preferably trained in matters of public health, and assistants. Each of
the individuals must have an assigned role to play in the team effort to char-
acterize an outbreak and provide suggestions to solve the problem. Responsible
leadership, typically under direction of an epidemiologist, must be established
in order to monitor and coordinate team activities and seek approval of the plan
from pertinent pubic officials.
Detection
The first stage of a potential outbreak event is the unusual level of
sick individuals in the population requiring medical attention within a short time
frame. Similarity in patient symptoms and results of laboratory examinations of
specimens may provide preliminary evidence of the possibility of an outbreak.
However, it is imperative that prompt reporting of laboratory data to public
health authorities take place in order that there be an evaluation and dispensing
of information to appropriate individuals to confirm the existence of an outbreak.
