Dragonfly gazette, 41395

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May 2013

When Water is a
Health Hazard

IN THIS ISSUE:
Water-Borne Diseases WET in the Classroom Next Educator Trainings River of Words Upcoming Events WET Awards NEW! Standards Database Updates from WET USA
More information on this topic!

Water-borne bacterial growth (EPA)
As we all know, water is essential for life on Earth. Although it seems that the water planet has plenty of the stuff, the amount of clean, usable fresh water is very limited. It has become a tough job to make sure that our drinking water supply, food production and recreational water is of the highest quality because our water is constantly threatened by the presence of infectious agents, toxic chemicals, and radiological hazards.
Water-borne Diseases
According to the WHO (World Health Organization), 80% of all

diseases are water-related. Most cause intestinal track infections and the usual cause of death is from dehydration due to diarrhea and vomiting. There are a few other water-borne diseases that can cause malnutrition, skin infections, pneumonia, and organ damage. Most cases occur in developing countries where there is unsafe water, poor sanitation, and insufficient hygiene.
What are they?
1. DISEASES caused by microorganisms and chemicals in drinking water;
2. DISEASES caused by parasites which have part of their lifecycle in water;
3. DISEASES like malaria with water-related vectors (such as mosquitoes);
4. and DISEASES such as legionellosis transmitted by sprays or air blasts containing certain microorganisms.
There are four major agents:

Agent

Sources

General Symptoms

PROTOZOA

Untreated water containing manure, sewage; or contamination by flies

Intestinal and digestive track disturbances

PARASITES

Water contaminated with eggs or larvae of parasite

Varies from blood in urine, or intestinal problems, to blood infestations, or hyperactivity or insomnia

BACTERIA

Mostly in water contaminated by animal or human feces or urine

Varies, but mostly causes intestinal problems, some very severe

VIRUSES

Water contaminated with animal or human feces

A serious collection of diseases including SARS, Polio, Hepatitis A, and Polyomavirus disease

See our website for a list of water-borne diseases with links to more information and great photos!
How common are they here?

Water-borne diseases in USA, 1991-2000
From the 3rd World Water Forum: The causes of almost 40% of waterborne disease outbreaks are undetermined. Among water-borne pathogens, parasitic protozoa are reported to cause the greatest percentage of disease outbreaks, followed by bacteria and viruses.
The three most common water-borne diseases in the US -Legionnaires' disease, cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis -- are caused by three very different microbes according to the International
Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Legionnaires' disease is caused by Legionella bacteria, named for a 1976 outbreak at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia. It causes pneumonia and kills between 5-30% of patients, sending between 8,000 and 18,000 people to the hospital each year. It can be treated with antibiotics.
Giardiasis is caused by the parasite Giardia intestinalis, found on surfaces or in soil, food, or water that has been contaminated with the feces from infected humans or animals. It causes diarrhea and there are several drugs to treat it.

Cryptosporidiosis also causes diarrhea linked to fecal contamination of water and is caused by Cryptosporidium parasites. There is currently no drug that can cure cryptosporidiosis although most healthy people recover within two weeks.
Contamination in drinking water is not common in the U.S. The current protocols in municipal water treatment are very effective at eliminating pathogens from water. It only occurs because of a local, temporary problem with water treatment. Then it can lead to serious or sometimes fatal situations, particularly for susceptible groups. From 1971 to 2002, there were 575,457 cases of illness and 79 deaths from contaminated drinking water. (Read the NIH article)
The Good News: Implementing healthy practice
4% of global disease can be prevented by improving sanitation, water supply, and hygiene There is growing knowledge on how to improve water quality to maximize health benefits There are better tools and procedures used to improve and protect drinking-water quality at the community and urban level There are new, simple and inexpensive ways to treat and safely store water at the household-level EDUCATION! Knowledge is power
How about offering your students a UNIT on water-related health threats incorporating Project WET 2.0 Activities and
Adopt-A-Stream testing procedures?

Add information, research and creative problem-solving elements or invention to assure critical thinking is involved.
Start with these Project WET activities: *Super Sleuths (page 113) Students learn about the diversity of waterborne diseases and role of epidemiology in disease control. Try having the students role-play the doctor, patient, and interns for a dynamic variation. *A Drop in the Bucket (page 257) By estimating and calculating the % of available fresh water on Earth, students understand that this resource must be used and managed carefully. *Poison Pump (page 107) Through a series of clues, students solve a historic mystery to discover that water can also produce negative effects for people. *Reaching your Limits (page 371) By playing a game of limbo, students gain a better understanding of the effort involved in meeting drinking-water quality standards, especially when water quality declines. *Urban Waters (page 413) - Students learn about different water resource occupations and place them in a sequence, from source water to delivery into homes, businesses and schools. *Germ Busters (page 57) - Young students learn a song to correctly practice hand washing and others ways to stay healthy. Ironically, clean water is used to wash off the effects of dirty water in many cases! (Georgia education standards for all activities can be found here.)
Go further with this topic
1. See the news at CDC Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch http://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dfwed/waterborne/
2. Read about drinking water contamination http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18020305
3. Go to Disease Information Links and Photos http://gaprojectwet.org/gawet_gazette.asp

To find more Project WET workshops visit EEinGeorgia.org

4. Make a global map that shows concentrations of a particular waterborne disease. Discover the cause and ways to control it.
5. Research or create new inventions and innovations that prevent water-borne disease or the spread of diseases.
6. Discover healthy practices that keep you safe.
7. Visit DiscoverWater.org to create clean water campaign posters so students can get into ACTION EDUCATION!

TOP

Happy News! Georgia students

won big at the State and National

level in River of Words this

year. We had 2 National Grand

Prize Winners in Art and 11

National Finalists! Then we had

our State Contest and selected 38

Georgia

art

and

poetry

winners. Over 175 students, teachers, and family members showed

up

at

our

awards

ceremony

in

Decatur.

See the winning entries with the link below.

Note: the address for ROW entries has changed! Send your entries to PO Box 5060, Moraga, CA 94575

Get your students involved next year! Entries are currently being accepted and the deadline is Dec. 1. GAProjectWET.org/River of Words

With great pride we announce our: 1. Project WET Organization of the Year--
LLALC (Lake Lanier Aquatic Learning Center), a floating water education classroom
a collaboration between the Chattahoochee River Keeper and the Elachee Nature Science Center in Gainesville.
2. Project WET Educator of the Year--
Sheila Humphrey for her life-long water education work. Sheila is currently at Smithgall Woods Conservation Center in Helen
3. Project WET Facilitator of the Year--
Donna Barrett of Metro RESA in Smyrna, a champion of water education and teacher training
These folks were honored at the EEA Conference in March.
Nominate someone you believe in: Nomination (pdf form)

1) Teacher Conservation Educator Workshop (WET, WILD, and PLT!) Don't miss your chance to be a part of a great week-long training this summer! Join us for the Teacher Conservation Workshop: `Exploring Forestry and Wildlife in Georgia', to be held June 17-21, 2013. Open to Georgia educators of grades 3-12. Registration is limited to 30 participants. Register by May 17 here 2) Triple (WET, WILD, and PLT!!) Educator Workshop November 11-12, 2013; 8-6:00 Fortson 4-H Center, Hampton Contact Allen Nasworthy for details and registration; 770-946-3278. Find more workshops on EE in Georgia!
Have you seen our new searchable database for Standards? With it, all of the correlations are easy to access for WET 2.0 activities covering CCGPS, GPS, and National subject area standards. Try it out!

17th Annual Outdoor Learning Symposium October 4, 2013 Oatland Island Wildlife Center, Savannah GROW OUTDOORS: Outdoor Learning PreK-12 Join educators from across Georgia for a day of hands-on sessions that focus on engaging students in outdoor settings. Learn how to enhance your outdoor classroom or make use of any outdoor space that you have. Outdoor learning for all ages is what we are all about! They are currently looking for presenters! Please visit their webpage for more information.
30th Cullowhee Native Plant Conference July 17-20, 2013 Western Carolina University We are accepting scholarship applications until April 19! Applications and more information about the conference can be found at http://nativeplantconference.wcu.edu.
Monarchs Across Georgia Events Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County Plant Sale May 11 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Cobb County Water System, 662 South Cobb Dr, Marietta, Ga 30060 Monarchs Across Georgia will be selling milkweeds and pollinator plants at the MGVCC Plant Sale. Many of these plants are not available at garden centers. Learn more at www.eealliance.org/magevents.
ATEEG Scholarships Advanced Training in Environmental Education in Georgia. The application to receive one of the scholarships is simply the online registration form for the courses. All of the grant funds must be expended in the calendar year 2013. If you register and pay for all three courses in 2013, you will receive the full $140 scholarship provided funds are still available. Course fees include all materials, supplies and meals. ATEEG scholarships for formal and non-formal educators from south Georgia are available through the Murray H. Gaskins, Sr. Fund. These scholarships include both lodging and the course registration fee. Please contact ateeg@eealliance.org for more details. For more information about ATEEG courses and schedule, please visit

their webpage. 2014 EEA Annual Conference - Save the Date! March 28-29, 2014 Rock Eagle 4-H Center, Eatonton
From Project WET USA: Project WET Program 2.0 is now an Online Refresher Course! If you have been trained as a Project WET Educator in the last 5 years and do not have the new guide, you may be interested in taking this course online. The price is $75 and includes the new guide. http://store.projectwet.org/index.php/online-refresher-trainingcourse.html
Project WET Program 2.0 Online Refresher Course
Corrections have been made to the following student copy pages on the Portal:
Adventures in Density: 11 Is there Water on Zork: 31-32 Ocean Habitats: 80, 81, 83, 85, 87-94 On Track with Hydration: 106 Super Sleuths: 121 High Water History: 326 A Snapshot in Time: 385-386

My Water Footprint: 446 Water Quality? Ask the Bugs: 430 Discover the Waters of the National Parks: 506
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