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Emerging Chemical and Microbial Concerns in Water

This 18hr course has been designed in response to IWES feedback indicating a strong interest in emerging water quality issues. Participants will be introduced to a range of high-profile emerging contaminants that have presented unique difficulties and concerns for drinking water and wastewater management.

This will include an introduction to the principles of assessing chemical and pathogen risks, which will then be applied to a range of emerging contaminant risk contexts including: novel sanitation systems and reuse, opportunistic pathogens and engineered systems, and climate change.

The material is aimed at raising awareness regarding key issues particular to some of these emerging contaminants. These include potential environmental and public health risks, factors likely to lead to elevated concentrations and treatment process effectiveness.

Issues addressed

EMERGING CHEMICAL CONTAMINANT ISSUES

  • PFOS, PFOA and other perfluorinated compounds
  • Chlorinated and brominated flame retardants
  • Hormones and other endocrine disrupting chemicals
  • Pharmaceuticals and personal care products
  • Nanoparticles
  • Cyanotoxins
  • NDMA and other nitrosamines
  • Iodinated and brominated disinfection byproducts
  • Microplastics.

EMERGING MICROBIAL ISSUES

  • Introduction to pathogens in water
  • Assessment and management of microbial risk
  • Emerging behaviours: novel urban water systems and new exposures (incl. norovirus and Cryptosporidium)
  • Emerging environments: changes to the built environment and climate change (incl. Legionella spp. and Naegleria fowleri)
  • Emerging contaminants: how to assess and manage the risk of a new pathogen in water (incl. SARS-CoV-2)

AMR CONCERNS IN URBAN WATER CYCLE

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) claims at least 1.3 million lives per year, and it is estimated that AMR will cause 10 million annual deaths by 2050. Although AMR has been recognised as a major threat to human health worldwide, the related phenomenon occurring in urban water systems has been largely overlooked so far.
In this session, we will focus on learning:

  • What is AMR and how does AMR spread in the environment?
  • AMR fate in drinking water or wastewater treatment systems
  • Roles of various contaminants on the spread of AMR
  • Monitoring and detection methods of antibiotic resistance genes
  • Mitigation strategies against antibiotic resistance

What do you get

Access to three leading experts

  • Course book and digital course notes.
  • 18 CPD hours

Who should attend

Anyone with an interest in updating their knowledge of chemical and microbial water quality contaminants. This includes those responsible for environmental assessment, drinking water and wastewater treatment, laboratory analysis and stakeholder communications.

This course is available at these future events: