Water Contamination Emergencies: Enhancing our Response (Special Publications) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0854046585 ISBN 13: 9780854046584

Verlag: Springer-Verlag GmbH, 2006

Inhaltsangabe

Contamination of water supplies and the immediate availability of appropriate emergency responses to chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) events which result in contaminated water are becoming increasingly relevant and significant issues in the water industry and in the wider world. Consequently, new strategies and technologies are being constantly evolved and refined by leading experts in the field in order to achieve rapid and effective responses to water contamination events. Water Contamination Emergencies: Enhancing our Response brings together contributions from leading scientists and experts from both academia and industry in the field of water contamination and emergency planning. The book covers a wide range of topics including responses to water contamination emergencies, impacts on public health and commerce, risk assessment, analysis and monitoring, emergency planning, control and planning and threats to the water industry. This book is ideal for specialists in the field of water contamination and emergency response planning, especially researchers and professionals in industry and government who require an authoritative and highly specialised resource on water contamination management. The reader will gain an appreciation of the activities supporting the development of responses to contamination events; emergency actions required in response to the contamination of drinking water; and incident management. Also discussed are the importance of communication between organisations and the public; consumer perceptions and the need for robust and rapid screening of samples taken in response to potential contamination events in order to help answer the key question "Is this water safe to drink?"

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Over the last 35 years, Prof. Thompson has gained very broad experience in the management of environmental laboratories. He has managed laboratories at both Severn Trent and Yorkshire Water. He is currently Chief Scientist of ALcontrol UK. ALcontrol Laboratories employs 1200 staff in the UK and 1100 staff in the Netherlands, France and Sweden. It has 12 laboratories in the UK and Eire and is one of the largest contract water, soil air and food analysis laboratory organisations in Europe. John Gray has been involved with water treatment and the provision of safe drinking water over the last 35 years. He was responsible for assuring the quality of water supplies, managing a number of water company laboratories. He also was responsible for providing scientific advice to a group of water supply companies before joining the Drinking Water Inspectorate as a Principal Inspector in 1993. He is currently Deputy Chief Inspector (Operations), deputising for the Chief Inspector in respect of her powers and duties under the legislation. He is responsible for developing and managing the process of technical audit of water companies' supply operations, including analytical services. He has particular responsibility for security matters affecting or potentially affecting drinking water quality and works closely with the UK water industry. He has been instrumental in developing international links and cooperation to ensure the effectiveness of the Inspectorate's research programme in security related matters.

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Water Contamination Emergencies

Can we Cope?

By K.C. Thompson, J. Gray

The Royal Society of Chemistry

Copyright © 2004 The Royal Society of Chemistry
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-85404-658-4

Contents

Opening Address to the Water Contamination Emergencies: Can We Cope? International Conference, 17 March 2003 R. Anderson, 1, 
The City of Milwaukee Cryptosporidium Outbreak: What Really Happened and How Vulnerable are We? D.E. Huffman, 6, 
The WEM Incident M. Furness, 11, 
The Hungerford Fish Mortality G. C. Brighty, 16, 
The Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak 2001 G. Bateman, 26, 
Burnscrooks Diesel Incident J. Fawell, 35, 
Problems, Perceptions and Perfection -The Role of the Drinking Water Inspectorate in Water Quality Incidents and Emergencies C. Jackson, 38, 
Dealing with Company, Public and Media Perception M. Scott, 44, 
Water Related Chemical Incidents and their Toxicological Management V.S.G. Murray and J. Gray, 48, 
Water and Public Health D. Clapham, 65, 
Environment Agency Analysis Overview on Contamination Monitoring M. Cooper, 73, 
Contamination Monitoring: Screening vs Targeted Analysis A. Clark, 77, 
Field Laboratory Analysis for Detection of Unknown Deliberately Released Contaminants G. 0'Neill, C. Ridsdale, K. Clive Thompson and K. Wadhia, 100, 
Microbiological Analysis: How Soon Can We Have the Results? D.P. Sartory, 110, 
Rapid Toxkit Microbiotests for Water Contamination Emergencies G. Persoone, K. Wadhia and K. Clive Thompson, 122, 
Overview of Handling Emergencies: Some Cautionary Tales R.A. Deininger, 131, 
Radiological Issues O.D. Hydes, 139, 
Communications C.B. Buckley, 145, 
Testing The System - Exercise is Good For You! W.T. Sutton, 156, 
Can We Cope? P. Mills, 161, 
Summary of Workshop Outputs M. Furness, 167, 
Subject Index, 172, 

CHAPTER 1

OPENING ADDRESS TO THE WATER CONTAMINATION EMERGENCIES: CAN WE COPE? INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, 17 MARCH 2003.

R. Anderson

Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Ashdown House, 123 Victoria Street, London SWIE 6DE

1 INTRODUCTION

Looking through your agenda for the next three days and the list of delegates, I had two immediate thoughts. First, it is a real privilege to give this address. The range and depth of expertise represented here today is impressive. And, speaking personally, I must say pretty formidable. Second, the agenda and the range of expertise, brings home the complexity and numerous variety of challenges we face today.

I propose to offer a lay perspective – or, perhaps more accurately, a perspective based on a different kind of experience and responsibility. My concerns are the policies and the framework within which water supply and regulation operates in England. I hope, therefore, that you will see my presentation as contextual.

The title of this conference is Water Contamination Emergencies: Can We Cope? Our ability to cope will, in part, reflect the robustness of our day-to-day arrangements. The robustness of the basic structure for delivery of water services. And, in part, our ability to respond to the unexpected.

2 BASIC STRUCTURE

2.1 How are we doing on the basic structure?

For me, this starts with the standards to which water services are provided. We need to be confident about service levels, about monitoring arrangements, and about enforcement – where necessary. We also need to be realistic about the robustness the system to cope with potential risks.

2.2 Expectations are rightly high.

When I turn on the tap at home and fill my glass with water, I do so in the belief that it is safe to drink it. I make the same assumption here today. The consumer may not know the technical quality standard to which the water must adhere, but assumes that Government will have set out standards and processes that make it safe.

You will not need me to go into the detail of present UK standards for drinking water and for maintaining environmental quality. The key point is that they reflect current scientific advice and are, in almost all respects, common across the EU. The 1980 Drinking Water Directive introduced mandatory standards to protect public health and to ensure that water supplies were wholesome throughout the European Community. Those concerning the environment are set at a level which is proportionate to the risk of pollution posed, while being sufficiently stringent to ensure that there is no observable effect to sensitive aquatic ecosystems.

5 HORIZON SCANNING

It is not enough to rely on what we currently know, we must research and learn. And we must learn to listen. Our record in the UK in the past has not always been successful. We did not fully anticipate the threat from Cryptosporidium. BSE was equally unanticipated. In each case, I think there was a failure to scan the horizon and ask the right people the right questions.

We must engage with those at the fringes of the Department's activities, including those who might have conflicting objectives or opinions. Not just those at the heart of what we do. And not just those who agree with us. And this needs to be built into the research process.

With this in mind, my Department has now incorporated "Horizon Scanning" as a keystone of its science strategy. An open house invitation was extended to Individuals and organisations to comment on:

• Potential threats and opportunities, including socio-economic aspects;

• Vulnerabilities of sectors for which DEFRA has responsibility with a view to developing policies that reinforce resilience; and

• Novel or critical perspectives on current policies with a view to improving the robustness of the policy making process.

As a result, across the Department we are focussing on five priority themes:

• Future landscapes and the influence of land use and environmental planning;

• Environmental constraints and the impact of the reducing availability of natural resources;

• Re-thinking the food economy;

• Coping with threats – society's ability to adapt to environmental change and the impact of new diseases; and

• Meeting people's future needs.

These themes go much wider than water. But, by taking this broad interlocking approach, we seek to ensure that research on water issues is seen in a wider context.

4 RESEARCH EFFORTS

So, looking forward, where should we concentrate our research efforts? A substantial proportion of the drinking water research budget is likely to be devoted to characterising the possibility of risk amplification arising from the coincidence of different low frequency / low risk events. By way of example I will mention two areas.

One is storage of water for drinking within buildings. This might create conditions that favour the multiplication of bacterial species that would not normally present a risk via drinking water.

Another is low concentrations of disinfection by-products in water. Showering or swimming could give rise inhalation of volatile DBP and could present amplified risk at certain stages of pregnancy.

In the field of environmental water protection, the focus of current research is towards understanding and addressing challenges such as agricultural and urban diffuse pollution and climate change and towards underpinning the regulatory regimes relating, for instance, to dangerous substances.

As we learn more from...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Springer-Verlag GmbH
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2006
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0854046585
• ISBN 13: 9780854046584
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 384
• Herausgeber: Thompson K Clive, Gray John
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar