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Water pollution Testing

Water pollution

There’s no doubt that water is important.  Water covers 70.9% of the earth’s surface, and is vital for all known forms of life which depend on water. As such testing for water pollution to ensure it is fit for use is important!

Life on earth has been distressed by the growing number of ecological problems that are mostly caused by humans themselves (factories, sewage treatment plants, underground mines, oil wells, oil tankers and agriculture, acid deposition from the air, traffic, pollutants that are spread through rivers or pollutants that enter the water through groundwater).  Water pollution takes place when pollutants are released directly or indirectly into bodies of water without sufficient treatment to eliminate damaging compounds.

Water pollution

  • affects drinking water, rivers, lakes and oceans all over the world. This consequently harms human health and the natural environment.
  • is the second most imperative environmental concern along with air pollution.
  • is any change or modification in the chemical, physical or biological quality of water that has a harmful effect on any living thing that drinks or uses or lives (in) it.
  • may not damage our health immediately but can be harmful after long term exposure.
  • can also make water unsuited for the desired use.
  • involves the contamination of surface waters and groundwater which may set off a series of diseases referred to as water pollution diseases.

Water pollution can occur in many ways. There are two main sources of contamination – bacterial and chemical.

Bacterial contamination is usually measured by the fecal coliform levels in the water. Fecal coliform is an indicator organism; it is easily measured and can signal the presence of other harmful bacteria in water. This sort of bacterial contamination can occur as a result of improper water treatment (for example, not chlorinating water from a wastewater treatment plant properly), as a result of rotten or corroded piping allowing bacterial growth in pipes, or as a result of poor water storage.

Polluted water is unfit, unhealthy, and dangerous for drinking and for other consumption processes. It is also not suitable for agricultural and industrial assistance. This water pollution is harmful to human beings, plants, animals, fish and birds. Contaminated water also houses and contains viruses, bacteria, intestinal parasites, and other harmful microorganisms, which can originate waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, and typhoid.

MBL Laboratories can help you to determine the level of bacterial contamination in the water. Our laboratory specializes in bacterial analysis of waters – wastewaters, lakes, rivers, ponds, storm waters, ground waters. If you need to determine the level of fecal coliforms, E.coli, total coliforms, heterotrophic plate count, Legionella or other type of bacteria in the water call our Mississauga office at 905-290-9101 or our Burnaby office at 604-435-6555.

Listeria: How to avoid food poisoning caused by Listeria

Public awareness of the bacterium Listeria, an opportunistic pathogen, has been on the rise in recent years as the number of reported cases of listeriosis continues to grow. Listeriosis is an infection caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. The number of reported cases in Canada rose from 85 in 2003 to 239 in 2008. 

Listeria
Listeria

 

In 2008, a widespread outbreak of listeriosis originated from a Maple Leaf Foods Bartor Road facility in North York, Ontario which caused infection in 57 people and took the lives of 23 of them (Table 1). In other words, 40% of the people affected in this outbreak died of this serious illness. 119 meat products produced by Maple Leaf Foods Bartor Road plant were recalled. It is believed that contamination with L. monocytogenes likely occurred during packaging.

Table 1. Listeria monocytogenes outbreak 2008

Province

Confirmed Cases

Deaths where Listeriosis was the underlying or   contributing cause*

Ontario

41

16

BC

5

2

Alberta

2

1

Saskatchewan

2

1

Manitoba

1

0

Quebec

5

2

New Brunswick

1

1

Total

57

23

*As recorded on death certificate or as assessed by attending physician.

 

Occurrence

Most healthy individuals exposed to Listeria are usually at low risk of infection because our immune systems are strong enough to clear the bacterium from our bodies. Some healthy individuals and children can become infected but, they rarely become seriously ill. In fact, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada, of the 11 to 13 million annual cases of food-related illness in Canada, listeriosis cases are in the low hundreds. However, although this infection is rare, it causes serious health effects to those at risk and is responsible for ¼ of the deaths of all reported foodborne illnesses. The population at highest risk for listeriosis are infants, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune symptoms.

 

Health Effects and Treatment

Most foodborne related bacteria, such as Salmonella cause infection within 12-72 hours after eating contaminated food. However, Listeria is unusual in that it can take 3 to 70 days (with a median of 3 weeks) for a mild or invasive infection to start. Once an infection occurs in humans, 1 out of 5 people die. Another difficulty when dealing with Listeria is that early symptoms of listeriosis can easily be mistaken for the flu. Generally, listeriosis is not diagnosed until laboratory reports of L. monocytogenes have been cultured from blood, cerebrospinal fluid or amniotic fluid.

The most common symptoms of listeriosis are:

  1. Sepsis (blood stream infection): infection results in high fever and very ill appearance. Infection of the heart valves and other organs can occur.
  2. Infection of the central nervous system (typically meningitis): results in high fever, intense headaches, neck stiffness, altered consciousness and convulsions.
  3. Miscarriage, still birth or premature delivery of a newborn. The infected pregnant mother may have a mild flu-like illness however; it can affect newborns by penetrating the endothelial layer of the placenta. If the baby is infected at the time of birth, it can develop a blood stream infection or meningitis.

Antibiotics such as ampicillin, ciprofloxacin and azithromycin are usually given intravenously to treat listeriosis. In spite of treatment however, 20-30% of cases results in death.

 

Disease Transmission

The majority of listeriosis cases reported are foodborne and result from eating food contaminated with L. monocytogenes. Listeria has been found in uncooked meats such as cold cuts/deli meats and hot dogs, raw and smoked fish, raw vegetables, fresh fruit such as cantaloupes, unpasteurized (raw) milk, unpasteurized dairy products and soft cheeses like feta, Brie or Camembert. Listeria can also be found in soil, stream water, sewage, and plants. Vegetables and plants can become contaminated with Listeria from soil, water or manure-based fertilizers. Farm animals that appear healthy can carry Listeria to contaminate meats and dairy products.

Listeria monocytogenes can grow in temperatures from 4ºC (refrigerator temp) to 37ºC (body’s internal temp).

 

Prevention

Everyone has a role to play in ensuring the consumption of safe foods. Manufacturers of foods such as the Maple Leaf Foods Bartor Road plant must go above and beyond to ensure the necessary measures are taken to prevent another outbreak. From the CEO to the night janitor, all involved have a part to play. Ensuring proper sanitation and removal of all possible sources of Listeria growth and, monitoring and auditing of safe practice procedures must be performed daily. Manufacturers of food processing equipment are responsible for the proper design of food processing equipment that will enable thorough cleaning and disinfection as well as efficient and complete disassembly and assembly for effective cleaning.

Preventing Listeria growth requires effective sanitation of food contact surfaces. The four main types of sanitizers used in the meat industry are hot water, chlorine, iodophors and quatnerary ammonia. Quaternary ammonia and iodophors are the most effective when combined with post-processing steam and heat treatments. Alcohol alone is also effective against Listeria. Increasing the duration of contact time on food contact surfaces will improve sanitization procedures.

Precautionary measures need to be taken when preparing foods likely to contain Listeria such as ensuring raw vegetables are thoroughly washed before eaten. Those especially at risk should avoid consumption of refrigerated pâtés, smoked seafood, unpasteurized milk and milk products. Risks groups should also avoid eating luncheon meats, deli-meats and hot dogs unless they are steaming hot. Listeria can even survive and grow in vacuum-packed products. Thus, refrigerated foods in the home should be kept below 4 ºC to discourage Listeria growth.

The fluids from packages such as hot dogs contain more Listeria than hot dogs themselves. Steps should therefore be taken to avoid the fluid from coming into contact with other foods, cutting boards, utensils, dishes and food preparation surfaces. Hand washing can greatly reduce the spread of contamination.

 

Sampling of Listeria

Testing for Listeria is typically done using a swab, environmental sponge or the Microbial-Vac system((R)). Food contact surfaces (dairy board, stainless steel) or other non-food contact areas suspected of Listeria growth (such as brick, doorways, hall drains, floors, equipment panels, and aprons) can be tested. Specimens for sampling can also be taken from solid foods (such as cheese). Water from sources containing chlorine must be collected in a pre-sterilized bottle containing sodium thiosulfate. Samples must be collected and delivered to the laboratory as soon as possible.

 

Sample Handling and Storage

Optimal temperature conditions during transport and storage is below 4˚C. The holding time between collection and analysis must not exceed 48 h for water samples. All samples must be labeled according to the chain of custody.

 

Test Methods

Here at MBL we detect and enumerate Listeria spp. in environmental samples by the 3MTM petrifilm technique. 3MTM petrifilm plates are a thin, film, dehydrated, version of the conventional petri dish agar plate. Once a result is positive for Listeria spp., a confirmation step is performed. Benefits of this method are:

  1. It is a cost effective tool for the detection of environmental Listeria.
  2. Its quantitative results allow identification of hot spots in plant and you can track Listeria over time.
  3. Rapid turnaround time of results from sample collection; as little as 2-4 business days. Other methods of Listeria testing can take up much longer because of the increased number of steps and longer incubation times.
  4. It is safer and more reliable than other methods because it does not require an enrichment step which would increase exposure to potentially pathogenic Listeria and, it requires no culture transfers.

For more information on our Listeria testing or for a complete list of microbiological tests performed at Mold & Bacteria Consulting Laboratories, please call our Ontario, Mississauga Office at 905-290-9101 or the British Columbia, Burnaby Office at 604-435-6555.

 

References

“Controlling Listeria Contamination in Your Meat Processing Plant”. Government of Ontario. 27 February 2007. 

Health Canada. Sept 2006. MFLP-11: Enumeration of Listeria Species in environmental Samples using 3M Petrifilm environmental Listeria plates.

Maple Leaf Foods assessing Listeria-killing chemical. ctv.ca (ctvglobemedia). 2008-10-12. 

Pagotto, Franco, Karine Hébert and Jeff Farber. Feb 2011. Isolation of Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria spp.from foods and environmental samples.

 

Canadian Air Quality Testing Laboratory

Mold & Bacteria Consulting Laboratories (MBL) is a leading commercial Canadian air quality testing laboratory in North America. Serving mainly the Canadian market, MBL specializes in lab analysis of air and surface samples for fungi (yeasts and mold) and bacteria. MBL is accredited by the Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation (CALA). Routine tests at MBL include:

  •  Bacteria testing: All environmental bacteria including coliforms testing, E. coli testing and Legionella testing
  • Mold testing: Culturable air samples collected using BioCassette, Andersen, SAS, RCS, etc.
  • Mold testing: Direct Microscopic Examination including tape, bulk, swab, water and soil samples
  • Mold testing: Spore trap (or non-viable) samples such as Air-O-Cell, BioAire, and Micro5 cassettes, Allergenco, Burkard and BioSIS slides.
  • Algae: Water samples, etc.

For more information on our air quality testing laboratory or for a complete list of  microbiological tests performed at Mold & Bacteria Consulting Laboratories, please call our Ontario, Mississauga Office at 905-290-9101 or the British Columbia, Burnaby Office at 604-435-6555.

MBL, your indoor air quality testing laboratory. 

Mould Is A Major Problem In Many Homes In British Columbia

The damp climate in British Columbia is ideal for mould growth. It is recommended that homeowners or property managers regularly check their buildings for mould growth or water damage in order to correct the problem before it gets out of hand. For people looking for homes to rent or buy, it’s important that you check for signs of mould before moving into a place and take every step possible to prevent mould in your home. Some of the activities that may lead to mould growth include cooking, washing clothes or showering without venting out the moisture. As for tenants, finding mould may not be reason enough to break a tenancy agreement and move out of a place early. Furthermore, your landlord may blame you for causing the mould problem if mould growth was due to your lifestyle.

How To Control mould Growth

  1. Reduce Indoor Humidity By:
    • Venting showers and other moisture-generating sources to the outside.
    • Controlling humidity levels and dampness by using air conditioners and de-humidifiers.
    • Providing adequate ventilation to maintain indoor humidity levels between 30-60%.
    • Using exhaust fans whenever cooking, dishwashing, and cleaning.
  2. Inspect the home regularly for signs of mould, moisture, leaks, or spills. The following suggest possible mould growth:
    • Mouldy or musty odours.
    • Water stains or discoloration on ceiling, walls, floors, and window sills.
  3. Respond promptly when you see signs of moisture and/or mould, or when leaks or spills occur:
    • Clean and dry any damp or wet building materials and furnishings within 24-48 hours of occurrence to prevent mould growth.
    • Fix source of water problem or leak to prevent mould growth.
    • Clean mould off hard surfaces with water and detergent, and dry completely.
    • Absorbent materials such as ceiling tiles, that are mouldy, may need to be replaced.
  4. Prevent moisture condensation:
    • Reduce potential for condensation on cold surfaces (i.e., windows, piping, exterior walls, roof, or floors) by adding insulation.
  5. Frequently clean floor and carpet :
    • Remove spots and stains immediately, using the flooring manufacturer’s recommended techniques.
    • Use care to prevent excess moisture or cleaning residue accumulation and ensure that cleaned areas are dried quickly.
    • In areas where there is perpetual moisture problem, do not install carpeting.

If you live in British Columbia and have a mould problem, contact our office at 604-435-6555. We may be able to help you or direct you to people who can help.

Can Mold, Yeast, and Non-specific Bacteria Cause Bladder Problems?

Question: I love your blog and hope you can answer this mold question.

I worked at a beauty salon for 1 1/2 years. I started to have back to back urinary tract infections (Escherichia coli). I’ve had these infections a couple of times in my 40+ years on earth but nothing like I was experiencing this time around. It felt like someone lined my bladder with vicks vapor rub and added some pins. The antibiotics I was prescribed made the pain worse. A client of mine (she came every week and spent a long time under the dryer) was experiencing the same thing. About 2 weeks after the bladder pain started, I started having difficulty breathing (I was diagnosed with moderate lung obstruction) and I was placed on an inhaler. I then noticed a fungal rash on my arms I had to treat with Monistat (it cleared up in 6 days). My symptoms started in early June after a flood in the shop which I suspect could have caused mold growth. Dehumidifiers were bought in and ran all day for a couple of days. By August I had to leave because it was just too difficult to breath, take a flight of stairs etc. My urologist couldn’t find the cause of the pain and an internal view of my bladder found nothing. Can mold, yeast, and non-specific bacteria found in these reports cause bladder problems? The pain got significantly better a week after I left. The pain went away completely after about 2 months away from the salon.

The owner decided to have an air quality test for mold done because a girl that rented the room prior to me complained of breathing difficulties only when she was at work. I attached the mold report for you to look at.

Thanks!

Answer: Escherichia coli (E. coli in short) is a bacterium commonly found in the lower digestive tract of warm-blooded animals including humans. Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some strains, such as serotype O157:H7, can cause serious food poisoning. E. coli is also a common cause of urinary tract infections. Infection occurs when E. coli from the digestive tract find their way into the urethra and begin to multiply. The bacterium can move to the bladder and multiply there causing infection of the bladder. I have looked at the lab report that you had attached. The molds reported are unlikely to cause infection. A possible fungal infection of the bladder especially when one has been using antibiotics is Candida infection (candidiasis). Candida can infect other areas of the body including the mouth, throat, skin, scalp, genitals, fingers, nails, bronchi, lungs, and the gastrointestinal tract.

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Legionella pneumophila – Guidelines for Laboratory Interpretation

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The Indoor Mold Is An Early Warning Device

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