Dani J. Barrington

Acute Toxicological Response of Daphnia and Moina to Hydrogen Peroxide

AbstractHydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is suggested to be an environmentally benign chemical that may be used for wastewater purification. A recent study on the application of H2O2 in a wastewater stabilization pond (WSP) showed that H2O2 is a promising method to decrease high amounts of potentially toxic cyanobacteria. However, WSPs are complex biological systems that require healthy bacterial, phytoplankton, and zooplankton communities for optimal performance. Therefore, if H2O2 is to be regularly used in WSPs, its effect on all components of a healthy WSP food web, including zooplankton, must be assessed. This study quantifies the acute toxicity of H2O2 to Moina and Daphnia, two zooplankton genera that are common in WSPs in Western Australia’s Mediterranean climate. The results indicate that Daphnia carinata is less susceptible to H2O2 than Moina sp., as mean survival time was significantly higher at concentrations ≥2  mg H2O2/L. Additionally, the LC50 was 5.6  mg  H2O2/L in Daphnia and 2  mg H2O2/L in Moina...

Development of a new risk-based framework to guide investment in water quality monitoring

An innovative framework for optimising investments in water quality monitoring has been developed for use by water and environmental agencies. By utilising historical data, investigating the accuracy of monitoring methods and considering the risk tolerance of the management agency, this new methodology calculates optimum water quality monitoring frequencies for individual water bodies. Such information can be applied to water quality constituents of concern in both engineered and natural water bodies and will guide the investment of monitoring resources. Here we present both the development of the framework itself and a proof of concept by applying it to the occurrence of hazardous cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater lakes. This application to existing data demonstrates the robustness of the approach and the capacity of the framework to optimise the allocation of both monitoring and mitigation resources. When applied to cyanobacterial blooms in the Swan Coastal Plain of Western Australia, we determined that optimising the monitoring regime at individual lakes could greatly alter the overall monitoring schedule for the region, rendering it more risk averse without increasing the amount of monitoring resources required. For water resources with high-density temporal data related to constituents of concern, a similar reduction in risk may be observed by applying the framework.

A Transdisciplinary Approach to Managing Emerging and Resurging Mosquito-Borne Diseases in the Western Pacific Region

Mosquitoes transmit a number of harmful diseases that have an impact on local communities and visitors, and many pose a threat to neighboring countries. As federal monitoring budgets shrink across the world, the increasing importance of citizen scientists in monitoring and identifying invasive species, as well as acting to prevent these diseases, are discussed. Examples of past mosquito management programs are provided, and future directions are discussed with an emphasis on the Western Pacific Region.

Development of Toxicological Risk Assessment Models for Acute and Chronic Exposure to Pollutants.

Alert level frameworks advise agencies on a sequence of monitoring and management actions, and are implemented so as to reduce the risk of the public coming into contact with hazardous substances. Their effectiveness relies on the detection of the hazard, but with many systems not receiving any regular monitoring, pollution events often go undetected. We developed toxicological risk assessment models for acute and chronic exposure to pollutants that incorporate the probabilities that the public will come into contact with undetected pollution events, to identify the level of risk a system poses in regards to the pollutant. As a proof of concept, we successfully demonstrated that the models could be applied to determine probabilities of acute and chronic illness types related to recreational activities in waterbodies containing cyanotoxins. Using the acute model, we identified lakes that present a ‘high’ risk to develop Day Away From Work illness, and lakes that present a ‘low’ or ‘medium’ risk to develop First Aid Cases when used for swimming. The developed risk models succeeded in categorising lakes according to their risk level to the public in an objective way. Modelling by how much the probability of public exposure has to decrease to lower the risks to acceptable levels will enable authorities to identify suitable control measures and monitoring strategies. We suggest broadening the application of these models to other contaminants.

Inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene in the South Pacific: how might it be impacting children?

Abstract It is detrimental to anyone’s health to live with conditions of inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH). Research suggests that the impact is greatest on children, and that poor WaSH conditions during the formative years can lead to decreased physical, mental and social well-being throughout one’s life. Little research has investigated how such poor WaSH conditions are negatively impacting children in the South Pacific region, and hence contributing to disease and social burden. To increase children’s opportunities to develop physically and intellectually in a healthy and sustained manner, it is important that practitioners take a holistic approach to improving WaSH by acknowledging it as a core component of environmental health.

Implementing the United Nations’ sustainable development goals for water and beyond in Australia: A proposed systems approach

ABSTRACT The 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) form an internationally-agreed agenda for development, and include a dedicated goal for water and sanitation (SDG 6). Yet, the presentation of the SDGs potentially invites appraisal and response ‘goal-by-goal’- to the possible neglect of the mutual influences between them.We applied a systems approach to understand the interrelationships in an Australian context. While there are multiple potential ‘readings’ of these interrelationships, our approach is intended to initiate debate around the SDG commitments. We found the SDGs for global partnerships (SDG 17) and climate action (SDG 13) are enabling influences for the other goals, and the SDG for health (SDG 3) is influenced by all the other goals. Within SDG 6, we found that integrated water resources management target (SDG 6.5) is key to achieving the other targets. Inter-sectoral collaboration by government agencies will be essential to progress achievement of the SDGs.

Markets and marketing research on poverty and its alleviation: summarizing an evolving logic toward human capabilities, well-being goals and transformation

Marketing practitioners and business scholars now view some of the world’s poorest communities as profitable growth markets. Hence a market-based approach to poverty alleviation has gathered momentum. This article traces the evolution of such a market-based approach over four decades and highlights a gradual trend away from a deficit-reduction approach (focused on constraints and justice) towards an opportunity-expansion approach (focused on capabilities and well-being). This trend is summarized in an analytical framework of human capabilities, well-being goals and transformative impact evolved from the literature. The framework is then used to analyse the practice of sanitation marketing, which has emerged as a key method in one of the highest priority domains in international development discourse – sanitation. The article concludes with a discussion of how contemporary work can further take forward the key tenets of the framework and guide the development of ‘good markets’ for the poor.

Learning by design: lessons from a baseline study in the NAMWASH Small Towns Programme, Mozambique

This paper examines the design and application of a baseline study for a comprehensive water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) intervention in Mozambique. The study was developed to investigate the relationships among key parameters of interest both for comparison to post-implementation data and to contribute to planning the WASH intervention itself. We use this study to discuss key issues surrounding baseline studies. This includes providing guidelines for designing a WASH baseline survey, determining an appropriate sample size, and highlighting key considerations in analysing the survey data, such as incorporating the study design in statistical analyses, post-stratifying, and utilizing geospatial data. We also show how statistical analyses from a baseline survey can be used to inform subsequent surveys. For example, results from this study suggest that in future WASH studies, self-reporting by households should be supplemented by observational or population data to remove or quantify reporting bias, and care must be taken to reduce respondent fatigue.

Incontinence in Zambia: initial investigation into the coping strategies of sufferers and carers

There is little information on the management of incontinence in low-income settings. This article provides some initial insights, of particular relevance to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and health practitioners, into the coping strategies used by sufferers and carers in Zambia. Incontinence is rarely reported to medical professionals in Zambia, possibly due to a reluctance to disclose as a result of the stigma associated with the condition. Management and treatment of incontinence is subsequently limited, and both coping strategies and treatment received are determined by affordability and accessibility. If the global community is to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of universal sanitation (Goal 6) and well-being (Goal 3), future studies and programmes on incontinence in Zambia will need to involve collaborations between WASH and health practitioners that investigate how to reduce the stigma associated with the condition and increase awareness, and how to improve the availability and af...