Category Archive: Water & Health

Apr 23

Hard to Tell the Good Guys From the Bad

There are thousands of different types of blue-green algae, and only a few produce harmful toxins. Tell your friends to listen to this: Blue green algae aren’t all bad. After all, there are about 6,000 different species… Boyer: And there are probably only a hundred or so that are known to make toxins that would …

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/toxic-contamination/hard-to-tell-the-good-guys-from-the-bad/

Apr 22

Climate Woes in Pennsylvania Waterways

Climate change is bringing warmer, wetter weather to the Keystone State. Shen: “If we were to summarize the changes that Pennsylvania is facing in two words, that would be warmer and wetter.” Chaopeng Shen of Penn State says climate change affects fresh water, in part because unusually warm weather helps foster algal blooms that can contaminate water …

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/stormwater-management/climate-woes-in-pennsylvania-waterways/

Mar 04

Microorganisms on medicine

When we take medication, some of it gets excreted in our waste. And from there, it often ends up in water. John Kelly of Loyola University Chicago says common pharmaceuticals can harm benthic microbes – microorganisms that grow in the sediment at the bottom of rivers. “The microbes are at the bottom of the food web …

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/toxic-contamination/microorganisms-on-medicine/

Feb 28

Human waste in water

In many parts of Milwaukee, stormwater is shuttled directly to rivers and Lake Michigan. Wastewater is dealt with separately and sent to a treatment plant for processing. But Sandra McLellan of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, says the infrastructure is aging. “Many of the pipes that are taking waste from our homes that should be …

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/stormwater-management/human-waste-in-water/

Feb 04

Fast Facts on Arsenic in Water

A naturally occurring chemical is stirring up trouble in water. Listen up: We all know that water is crucial to survival—but what happens when arsenic gets in the picture? Arsenic is a naturally occurring chemical component of many minerals, so it can leach into ground and surface water. The chemical can also enter water supplies …

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/toxic-contamination/arsenic-in-water/

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