IEUBK Modeling of Children's Blood Lead Levels in Homes Served by Private Domestic Wells in Three Illinois Counties.

Lead is known to impair neurocognitive development in children. Drinking water is routinely monitored for lead content in municipal systems, but private well owners are not required to test for lead. The lack of testing poses a risk of lead exposure and resulting health effects to rural children.

A Framework for Evaluating Local Adaptive Capacity to Health Impacts of Climate Change: Use of Kenya's County-Level Integrated Development Plans.

Background: Health National Adaptation Plans were developed to increase the capacity of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to adapt to the impacts of climate change on the health sector. Climate and its health impacts vary locally, yet frameworks for evaluating the adaptive capacity of health systems on the subnational scale are lacking. In Kenya, counties prepare county integrated development plans (CIDPs), which contain information that might support evaluations of the extent to which counties are planning climate change adaptation for health.

Prevalence and predictors of chronic kidney disease of undetermined causes (CKDu) in Western Kenya's "sugar belt": a cross-sectional study.

Background: Epidemics of chronic kidney disease of undetermined causes (CKDu) among young male agricultural workers have been observed in many tropical regions. Western Kenya has similar climatic and occupational characteristics as many of those areas. The study objectives were to characterize prevalence and predictors of CKDu, such as, HIV, a known cause of CKD, in a sugarcane growing region of Kenya; and to estimate prevalence of CKDu across occupational categories and evaluate if physically demanding work or sugarcane work are associated with reduced eGFR.

Repeated home drinking water sampling to improve detection of particulate lead spikes: a simulation study.

Background: Lead can be present in drinking water in soluble and particulate forms. The intermittent release of lead particulates in drinking water can produce highly variable water lead levels (WLLs) in individual homes, a health concern because both particulate and soluble lead are bioavailable. More frequent water sampling would increase the likelihood of identifying sporadic lead "spikes," though little information is available to aid in estimating how many samples are needed to achieve a given degree of sensitivity to spike detection.

A Web-Based Interactive Map to Promote Health-Care Facility Flood Preparedness.

Objectives: Little is known about how flood risk of health-care facilities (HCFs) is evaluated by emergency preparedness professionals and HCFs administrators. This study assessed knowledge of emergency preparedness and HCF management professionals regarding locations of floodplains in relation to HCFs. A Web-based interactive map of floodplains and HCF was developed and users of the map were asked to evaluate it.

Predictors of Water Lead Levels in Drinking Water of Homes With Domestic Wells in 3 Illinois Counties.

Context: Millions of US homes receive water from private wells, which are not required to be tested for lead (Pb). An approach to prioritizing high-risk homes for water lead level (WLL) testing may help focus outreach and screening efforts, while reducing the testing of homes at low risk.

Objective: To (1) characterize distribution of WLLs and corrosivity in tap water of homes with private residential wells, and (2) develop and evaluate a screening strategy for predicting Pb detection within a home.

Decentralized solar-powered drinking water ozonation in Western Kenya: an evaluation of disinfection efficacy.

Decentralized drinking water treatment methods generally apply membrane-based treatment approaches. Ozonation of drinking water, which previously has only been possible at large centralized facilities, can now be accomplished on a small-scale using microplasma technology. The efficacy of decentralized solar-powered drinking water treatment systems has not previously been described.

Slow adoption of rapid testing: Beach monitoring and notification using qPCR.

In 2012 the US Environmental Protection Agency published new Recreational Water Quality Criteria, which for the first time, included criteria values and beach action values for quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) measurements or estimates of enterococci. The qPCR method makes it possible to generate indicator bacterial test results within several hours, and notify the public immediately, rather than the following day, which would be the case if culture methods were used. The BEach ACtion and Closing Online Notification (BEACON) data demonstrates that less than 1% of microbial beach water results for the years 2014-2018 were generated using qPCR.

Solar Powered Microplasma-Generated Ozone: Assessment of a Novel Point-of-Use Drinking Water Treatment Method.

Ozonation is widely used in high-income countries for water disinfection in centralized treatment facilities. New microplasma technology has reduced the energy requirements for ozone generation dramatically, such that a 15-watt solar panel is sufficient to produce small quantities of ozone. This technology has not been used previously for point-of-use drinking water treatment.

A Pilot Study of Chicago Waterways as Reservoirs of Multidrug-Resistant (MDR-Ent) in a High-Risk Region for Community-Acquired MDR-Ent Infection in Children.

Community-acquired multidrug resistant (MDR-Ent) infections continue to increase in the United States. In prior studies, we identified neighboring regions in Chicago, Illinois, where children have 5 to 6 times greater odds of MDR-Ent infections. To prevent community spread of MDR-Ent, we need to identify the MDR-Ent reservoirs.

Multiple Sources of the Outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease in Genesee County, Michigan, in 2014 and 2015.

Background: A community-wide outbreak of Legionnaires' disease (LD) occurred in Genesee County, Michigan, in 2014 and 2015. Previous reports about the outbreak are conflicting and have associated the outbreak with a change of water source in the city of Flint and, alternatively, to a Flint hospital.

Objective: The objective of this investigation was to independently identify relevant sources of that likely resulted in the outbreak.

Evaluation of multiple laboratory performance and variability in analysis of recreational freshwaters by a rapid Escherichia coli qPCR method (Draft Method C).

There is interest in the application of rapid quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) methods for recreational freshwater quality monitoring of the fecal indicator bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli). In this study we determined the performance of 21 laboratories in meeting proposed, standardized data quality acceptance (QA) criteria and the variability of target gene copy estimates from these laboratories in analyses of 18 shared surface water samples by a draft qPCR method developed by the U.

Standardized data quality acceptance criteria for a rapid Escherichia coli qPCR method (Draft Method C) for water quality monitoring at recreational beaches.

There is growing interest in the application of rapid quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and other PCR-based methods for recreational water quality monitoring and management programs. This interest has strengthened given the publication of U.S.

Evaluation of rapid qPCR method for quantification of E. coli at non-point source impacted Lake Michigan beaches.

Most Great Lakes communities rely on culture-based E. coli methods for monitoring fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) at recreational beaches. These cultivation methods require 18 or more hours to generate results.

Minigrants to Local Health Departments: An Opportunity to Promote Climate Change Preparedness.

Context: Human health is threatened by climate change. While the public health workforce is concerned about climate change, local health department (LHD) administrators have reported insufficient knowledge and resources to address climate change. Minigrants from state to LHDs have been used to promote a variety of local public health initiatives.

Estimate of incidence and cost of recreational waterborne illness on United States surface waters.

Background: Activities such as swimming, paddling, motor-boating, and fishing are relatively common on US surface waters. Water recreators have a higher rate of acute gastrointestinal illness, along with other illnesses including respiratory, ear, eye, and skin symptoms, compared to non-water recreators. The quantity and costs of such illnesses are unknown on a national scale.

Spotted Fever Group Rickettsioses (SFGR): weather and incidence in Illinois.

The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of increasing incidence of Spotted Fever Group rickettsioses (SFGR) in Illinois, with a specific focus on weather variables. We analysed cases of SFGR reported to the Illinois Department of Public Health from 2004 to 2013. Surveillance definitions changed in 2008 and 2010, but those changes alone did not account for observed spikes in incidence in 2008, 2012 and 2013.

Monitoring urban beaches with qPCR vs. culture measures of fecal indicator bacteria: Implications for public notification.

Background: The United States Environmental Protection Agency has established methods for testing beach water using the rapid quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method, as well as "beach action values" so that the results of such testing can be used to make same-day beach management decisions. Despite its numerous advantages over culture-based monitoring approaches, qPCR monitoring has yet to become widely used in the US or elsewhere. Considering qPCR results obtained on a given day as the best available measure of that day's water quality, we evaluated the frequency of correct vs.

Hospitalizations for heat-stress illness varies between rural and urban areas: an analysis of Illinois data, 1987-2014.

Background: The disease burden due to heat-stress illness (HSI), which can result in significant morbidity and mortality, is expected to increase as the climate continues to warm. In the United States (U.S.

Water recreation and illness severity.

The health endpoint of prior studies of water recreation has been the occurrence of gastrointestinal (GI) illness. This dichotomous measure fails to take into account the range of symptom severity among those with GI illness, and those who develop GI symptoms but who do not satisfy the definition of GI illness. Data from two US cohort studies were used to assess use of ordinal and semi-continuous measures of GI symptoms, such as duration of GI symptoms and responses to those symptoms such as medication use, interference with daily activities, and utilization of healthcare service.

Estimated Costs of Sporadic Gastrointestinal Illness Associated with Surface Water Recreation: A Combined Analysis of Data from NEEAR and CHEERS Studies.

Background: The burden of illness can be described by addressing both incidence and illness severity attributable to water recreation. Monetized as cost, attributable disease burden estimates can be useful for environmental management decisions.

Objectives: We characterize the disease burden attributable to water recreation using data from two cohort studies using a cost of illness (COI) approach and estimate the largest drivers of the disease burden of water recreation.