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August 15, 2001
Especially during hurricane season, it's worth noting that a heavy rainstorm can do far worse than dampen your mood. In the first nationwide study of its kind, Johns Hopkins researchers announced on Jul. 31, 2001 that 68% of waterborne disease outbreaks reported over a 47-year period were preceded by precipitation events in the top 20% of volume for the affected watershed. Reported outbreaks (which may be only about 10% of actual outbreaks) occurred throughout the US.
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Frank Curriero, 410-614-5817. For a faxed copy of the study (published in the August 2001 American Journal of Public Health), Johns Hopkins media: Ming Tai, 410-955-6878.
The new research could paint a gloomier picture of global climate change, which some researchers predict will increase the number of heavy-precipitation events. US Natl. Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change, health sector.
Along with bacteria and viruses, antibiotic-resistant organisms are spreading through watersheds. See TipSheet, June 20, 2001.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Parasitic Pathways -Drinking Water, Chuck Fallis, 404-639-3286.
- The NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection has found that increased rainfall consistently leads to significant increases in potentially harmful organisms such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Tom Atherholt: 609-984-2212.
- The Natl. Water Research Inst. is conducting studies on waterborne disease, examining urban factors such as residential irrigation, feral and domestic animals, and impervious pavement. Ronald Linsky: 714-378-3278.
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