Waste Water Monitoring
PodcastDX
Wastewater monitoring is a valuable, efficient, and robust tool that public health officials can use to guide public health decision making across the nation. When we turn on the tap or flush the toilet, we often don’t think about where all that water goes. Wastewater, the used water from our homes, schools, and businesses, holds valuable information about the health of our community. Wastewater monitoring can help cities manage wastewater effectively and also creates a safer, healthier, and more responsive living environment for their communities. This blog takes a closer look at five...
info_outline
Health & Human Services
PodcastDX
The Public Health Agencies are created to deliver on the Government's commitment to help protect the health and safety of all people and communities in whatever country they live in. For example: Canada's activities focus on: promoting health, well-being and equity protecting against threats to public health preventing and reducing diseases and injury Health Canada is responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health. It ensures that high-quality health services are accessible, and works to reduce health risks. The UK supports ministers in leading the nation’s...
info_outline
Fluoride and Healthy Teeth
PodcastDX
Fluoride has been in the news recently with some people questioning the worth of adding this vital mineral to the water supplies in the United States. Fluoride repairs and prevents damage to teeth caused by bacteria in the mouth. Bacteria in the mouth produce acid when a person eats or drinks. The acid dissolves minerals in a tooth's surface, making the tooth weaker and open to cavities. Fluoride replaces the minerals lost from a tooth due to acid breakdown. Some fluoride can replace minerals in the tooth surface, making the outer enamel layer harder to dissolve. Fluoride also may...
info_outline
Cannabis and the Heart
PodcastDX
Many people assume that ingesting cannabis — whether through edibles, oils, or tinctures — eliminates the cardiovascular risks associated with smoking it. While it's true that edibles avoid the harmful byproducts of combustion (such as carbon monoxide and tar), ingested cannabis still carries significant heart health risks due to the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), its main psychoactive compound. When THC is absorbed through the digestive system, it can cause substantial increases in heart rate and blood pressure — sometimes more dramatically than when cannabis is smoked or...
info_outline
Stress and the Immune System re-run
PodcastDX
This week we have re-posting a brief insight to the fact that stress can play havoc on the immune system and we hope to have a new guest soon to discuss this weighty problem. If you are a member of the health care community and would like to be a guest on our show to discuss how stress affects the immune system, please drop us a line at . Remember chronic stress = excessive cortisol and too much cortisol = a host of medical ailments. Poor sleep Cortisol levels are supposed to drop at nighttime, allowing your body to relax and recharge. But if your...
info_outline
Navigating the VA
PodcastDX
This week's episode is very special for all of the veterans out there... We welcome back three previous guests to discuss receiving healthcare at the Veteran Health Administration (VHA) a component of the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). Our main guest (from left to right above) is Mark Frerichs, a Navy veteran who was held captive by the Taliban while working as a government contractor in Afghanistan. His battle didn't end with his eventual release and he was home trying to get the health care services he deserved. Supporting him are: Kristal Kent, an Army veteran...
info_outline
Dangers of Nitrous Oxide
PodcastDX
Nitrous oxide, also sometimes known as “laughing gas,” is used in medicine for its sedative and anesthetic (pain prevention) properties. Joseph Priestley, an English chemist, and multidisciplinary scholar, first synthesized nitrous oxide, which has the chemical formula N2O, in 1772. After Priestley’s initial discovery of this substance, fellow chemist Humphry Davy performed various tests on the substance, including breathing the gas alone, with oxygen, and with air. Through this testing, it became clear that nitrous oxide had psychogenic properties, including as a sedative and...
info_outline
Vaccine Safety
PodcastDX
Vaccination is one of the best ways to prevent diseases. Over the past 50 years, essential vaccines saved at least 154 million lives (1). During the same period, vaccination has reduced infant deaths by 40%. Together with governments, vaccine manufacturers, scientists and medical experts, WHO's vaccine safety program is constantly helping monitor the safety of vaccines. This helps ensure that vaccines are safe for you and your family. In the United States, a number of safeguards are required by law to help ensure that the vaccines we receive are safe. Because vaccines are given to millions...
info_outline
Whooping Cough or Pertussis
PodcastDX
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. It's characterized by severe, persistent coughing fits, often ending with a high-pitched "whoop" sound. The disease can be very serious, especially for infants, and is preventable through vaccination. Whooping cough is an illness that can spread easily. It's also called pertussis. An infection with bacteria causes it. Many people with the illness get a serious hacking cough. Breathing in after coughing often causes a high-pitched noise that sounds like a...
info_outline
Summer Health and Safety
PodcastDX
What’s your plan for this summer? Enjoying the water? Going camping? Firing up the grill? Whatever you prefer, we have safety steps to follow. And don’t forget your furry friends. There are steps you can take to help keep them safe too. Skin safety Children's skin is more susceptible to sunburns and UV damage from the sun than adults. Before going outside, and dress your kids in protective clothing like rash guards and hats. Choose a sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30 with broad-spectrum protection that blocks both UVA and UVB rays. Sunscreen is only safe for children over 6 months...
info_outlineWastewater monitoring is a valuable, efficient, and robust tool that public health officials can use to guide public health decision making across the nation.
When we turn on the tap or flush the toilet, we often don’t think about where all that water goes. Wastewater, the used water from our homes, schools, and businesses, holds valuable information about the health of our community. Wastewater monitoring can help cities manage wastewater effectively and also creates a safer, healthier, and more responsive living environment for their communities. This blog takes a closer look at five important things to know about wastewater monitoring and how it can help city leaders ensure the health of their communities.
1. Wastewater is more than just water
Wastewater is a mix of bits and pieces that go down our drains – soap, food bits, medicines, toilet paper, and even poop. When this mix is let loose into the environment without proper cleaning, it can mess up our lakes, rivers, and oceans. And not only that, it can be bad for our health too.
2. Wastewater monitoring gives communities a health checkup
Just as doctors examine us to catch early signs of illness, experts examine wastewater to see what’s in it. They look for things like diseases that can affect our health. Wastewater monitoring data can help city leaders identify disease spread early and take steps to keep everyone safe.
3. Wastewater monitoring is an early warning system for disease spread
Wastewater holds clues about outbreaks of diseases like COVID-19, polio, flu, and more before they happen. When experts test wastewater, they can notice if diseases are starting to spread more. This helps them catch possible outbreaks early and take action to keep everyone safe. They don’t leave anyone out—every home, business, and neighborhood connected to the sewage system is included in the process.
4. Monitoring wastewater involves sampling, testing, and analysis
-
Sampling: Small amounts of wastewater are collected from different points in the treatment process. Experts use these samples to see what’s in the water.
-
Testing: Using various tools and equipment, they test the samples to find out the levels of chemicals, bacteria, and other substances.
-
Analysis: Experts analyze the data to understand the changes in disease spread and whether new diseases are starting to appear. Analysis results enable city leaders to make proactive decisions to protect community health and well-being.
5. Wastewater monitoring is a special tool for city leaders that benefits everyone
City leaders can use information from monitoring wastewater to make important decisions that protect the health of everyone in their communities. Wastewater monitoring data can help city leaders:
-
Talk to the public in better ways
-
Promote actions to keep the community safe (like wearing masks and staying apart)
-
Send medical tests, vaccines, and treatments to the people and places that need them the most
-
Make sure hospitals and clinics have enough staff
Wastewater might not be dinner table conversations, but it impacts our lives more than we realize. Wastewater monitoring is an important tool that can help city leaders make good decisions and take early action to prevent disease spread to keep the people they serve healthy. So, next time you flush, remember that what you send down the drain has important information that can help create and maintain healthy communities where everyone thrives.
About the authors:
Sara Zeigler and Aliyah Ali are freelance writers at the National League of Cities.
This article is a product of NLC’s partnership with WastewsterSCAN. The National League of Cities (NLC) is partnering with WastewaterSCAN, a national initiative to monitor wastewater for a growing list of infectious diseases including COVID-19 and its variants, flu, and RSV gives communities reliable, sensitive, and actionable data to help them make public health decisions. As a national partner, NLC is raising awareness about the important role of wastewater monitoring in guiding public health responses, creating learning opportunities for NLC members interested in wastewater monitoring, and sharing information with communities across the country about WastewaterSCAN.