Australian Drinking Water Guidelines
New Research Projects
US Information Collection Rule
Conference Reports
Epidemiology spot
The revised Australian Drinking Water Guidelines have received final endorsement by the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Agricultural and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand. The revision process has taken more than 3 years to complete, and the resulting documentation is much more comprehensive than previous versions.
Chapters on System Management, System Performance and Small Water Supplies have been included, and information on individual substances is presented in the form of "Fact Sheets". The Guidelines take the form of a 2-part loose leaf document, comprising a 40 page summary, and a much larger main document. This format will allow easy insertion of new sections as research knowledge increases and updates are issued. The Guidelines are largely similar to the 1993 World Health Organisation Drinking Water Guidelines, but have also been significantly influenced by the input of specialist panels representing Australian and New Zealand water authorities, state and federal departments of health and water resources, CSIRO, universities and private industry.
For the first time, the Guidelines outline a suggested approach to community consultation to ensure adequate public participation in the decision making processes of water authorities. Community involvement should be sought in deciding the levels of service to be provided, and the time frame during which the necessary changes in treatment or distribution systems are to be implemented. While public health considerations must remain paramount, the financial implications of change will impact on the operation of water authorities, and each community will need to decide its own priorities for the allocation of resources.
In addition to the Water Filter Study (featured in our last issue) three more research projects have been approved under Program 1 of the CRC for Water Quality and Treatment.
Cyanobacterial bloom occurrence in drinking water sources and
health effects.
Project Leader - Dr Louis Pilotto, NCEPH.
This study aims to identify the location and nature of historic bloom data for cyanobacterial occurrence in Australia's waterways, and then to identify, from available data, the sources and types of drinking water for defined geographical areas that have been associated with and without cyanobacterial bloom
Then using a geographic coding of place of residence, state health data collections (eg. cancer registry, mortality register) will be matched with bloom data to investigate possible associated health outcomes. Rates of appropriate biochemical tests (eg. liver function tests and bilirubin) and their rates of abnormality for the identified geographical areas will also be determined from the records of pathology laboratory services in these geographic areas.
The NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation at Parramatta; Australian Water Quality Centre at Adelaide, South Australia; Murray-Darling Basin Commission, ACT; Brisbane City Council; and the South-East Queensland Water Board have agreed to participate by providing available bloom occurrence and toxicity information. The Pregnancy Outcome Unit of the South Australian Health Commission, the NSW Perinatal Data Collection Unit of the NSW Health Department, and the Victorian Perinatal Data Collection Unit have already given in-principal agreement to provide access to their data. It is anticipated that states will provide similar access to cancer registry data. Unit record mortality data will be purchased from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The correlation of cyanobacterial bloom occurrence with health outcomes will explore possible associations between exposure and disease. Currently there is very little information available from epidemiological studies to assist with assessing dangers from algal exposure. This study will identify the nature and extent of current cyanobacterial monitoring in drinking water supplies for the South-Eastern part of Australia, evaluate the usefulness of these systems, and lay the groundwork for future, more rigorous analytic studies.
This project has been funded by the Commonwealth Environment Protection Agency and the CRC WQT. The project is expected to commence shortly and will take about 12 months to complete.
Cyanobacterial Tumour Promotion.
Project Leader - Prof Ian Falconer, University of Adelaide.
This project will investigate the interactions between cyanobacterial toxins, common dietary and environmental carcinogens and tumour growth using animal models. Four specific sub-projects will be carried out:
(i) Interaction between aflatoxin B1, andMicrocystis toxins
in initiation and growth of cancers.
(ii) Interaction between nitroso-compounds as dietary carcinogens
and Microcystis toxins in initiation and growth of cancers.
(iii) Investigation of the potential role of cylindrospermopsin
toxin from the tropical cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, as a carcinogen.
(iv) Investigation of the underlying mechanisms of tumour promotion
by microcystins.
Projects (i) and (ii) will employ mice, which will be exposed to microcystins in their drinking water for the duration of the test period. Oral exposure will be used to replicate the most likely human exposure route, and in particular to explore gastrointestinal tumour growth when directly exposed to microcystins.
The carcinogens to be applied to initiate cells into tumourigenic potential have been selected to mirror possible environmental exposure. Aflatoxin Bl is a well recognised fungal carcinogen in the diet, and has been epidemiologically linked to hepatocellular carcinoma in human populations. As a fungal metabolite present in grain and nut products as a result of spoilage, intermittent human exposure is likely, even in a regulated situation like Australia.
A second significant source of dietary carcinogens are the nitroso-compounds present in preserved and smoked meat and other foods, and as a result of nitrate/nitrite metabolism outside and inside the body. Endogenous nitroso-compounds are sources of carcinogen exposure throughout life, and have been associated with incidence of gastrointestinal and bladder cancer in the population.
In Project (iii) preliminary experiments will be done to evaluate the biological effects of various oral dosages of cylindrospermopsin. Once the dose levels have been established, a chronic exposure trial will be carried out for up to 12 months in Swiss albino or C57 mice, focussing on tumour incidence. Tumour growth will be measured postmortem, using computer analysis of histological sections.
For Project (iv) the effects of microcystin on cell-cycle control in C3H infant mouse hepatocytes will be investigated using flow cytometry and measurements of DNA replication. Enzyme and structural changes will be correlated to microcystin exposure. In the second phase of the project the previous carcinogens will be used to initiate cells to tumourigenic potential, and the growth potentiation by microcystin will be explored.
The results of this project will provide a greater understanding of public health risks from cyanobacterial toxins, particularly with reference to chronic low level exposures and their possible effects on cancer risks. The project has already commenced and will run for about 3 ½ years.
Environmental arsenic exposure and human absorption - the EnvAs Study.
Project Leader- Dr Malcolm Sim, DEPM.
At least fifteen rural areas in central and north eastern Victoria
have been found to have high levels of arsenic in soil and groundwater,
in some cases several orders of magnitude in excess of current
national and international guidelines, making these areas unique
in terms of arsenic exposure in developed countries. The main
source of this arsenic is waste from old gold mining activities
and arsenic-based pesticides.
Environmental data gathered during a Pilot trial in 1995 confirmed high concentrations of arsenic in water and soil. There is therefore great potential for human absorption of arsenic through inhalation and ingestion, particularly in children. The number of residents in these areas potentially exposed to increased concentrations of arsenic from environmental contamination, is in the order of 200,000 people. This provides a unique opportunity to study the degree of human absorption following exposure to arsenic in several different environmental media present in a large range of concentration levels.
In the study to be commenced in 1996, 240 residents will be recruited in communities which have four distinct patterns of arsenic contamination in the environment. These four distinct areas will include high soil arsenic concentrations, high water arsenic concentrations, both high water and soil arsenic concentrations and no known environmental arsenic contamination. Residents in these areas will be asked to complete a questionnaire and provide samples of urine, hair and nails for arsenic analysis to document the degree of arsenic absorption. An ecological study, using cancer registry data from these areas is also underway.
Following evaluation of the environmental data, a small intervention study will be carried out involving 20 subjects identified as having the highest concentration of arsenic in their drinking water. These people will be asked to drink bottled water for a short period, and the effect on urine arsenic levels will be examined.
The Pilot study was funded by a PHRDC Small Grant, and a grant has now been obtained from the Department of Human Services (formerly Health and Community Services), Victoria to fund the main study. This project has been recognised as falling within the scope of CRC WQT research Program 1 as it will yield valuable information on the contribution of drinking water to the body burden of arsenic. The field work phase of the main study will start soon, and the project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 1997.
The "Information Collection Rule" governing compulsory monitoring of microbial contaminants and disinfection byproducts was officially signed by the US EPA Administrator on May 2nd and published in the US Federal Register on May 14th. The ICR specifies the monitoring and data reporting required for public water supplies serving different population sizes. Some water utilities will also be required to carry out bench or pilot scale studies and cost estimates on one of two treatment methods (granular activatedcarbon or membrane processes) for disinfection byproduct removal. The program is scheduled to commence early in 1997, and the data collection process will be continued for 18 months. It is planned to carry out a preliminary data analysis and make the data available to the public after 8 months.
The ICR is one component of a regulatory process that has been developed in an attempt to provide the optimum balance between health risks from microbial contamination and health risks from disinfection byproducts. The ICR was proposed in early 1994 but its promulgation was delayed by uncertainty over the performance of the testing method for Giardia and Cryptosporidium. This method (immunofluorescent assay) gave disappointing results in laboratory and field tests, and there was some speculation that testing for protozoa would be omitted from the ICR. However, the EPA has decided to include the test with due recognition of its limitations. Criteria for laboratory approval have been made more stringent, and the population limit for this type of test has been raised so that fewer water authorities will be required to conduct the tests. The EPA will also carry out its own surveys of Cryptosporidium in large and small water supplies to supplement the compulsory ICR testing program.
This will be part of a 5 year, $50 million research program to be conducted by the EPA and other research organisations. The data derived from the ICR and these research programs will be used as the basis for future revisions to the US drinking water regulations.
The Royal Australian College of Physicians Conference, Canberra.
Three members of the CRC WQT were invited to present papers at
the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Royal Australasian College
of Physicians which was held in Canberra on 7-10th May. This
conference brings together medical specialists from the Faculties
of Public Health, Rehabilitation Medicine, Occupational Medicine,
General Medicine and Geriatric Medicine.
Bob Douglas, Ian Falconer and Louis Pilotto each gave a presentation
in the session entitled:
The abstracts from these talks are reproduced below by permission of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. The fourth speaker in the same session was Dr Graham Rouch of the Department of Human Services, Victoria, who spoke on the topic "Viruses in water".
Ian Falconer's talk at the RACP meeting was the subject of an article in The Advertiser newspaper (Adelaide) on Saturday May 11th. The article by medical writer Barry Hailstone outlined the health issues associated with blue green algal toxins and Prof Falconer's studies into their possible relationship to cancers of the stomach and bowel.
CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS AND GIARDIASIS: NOT ONLY IN AIDS. R.M.Douglas, S.Buetow. National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT.
Cryptosporidium and Giardia are protozoan parasites and common causes of diarrhoeal illness in humans. Both can cause life threatening disease in immunocompromised individuals, and both are commonly present in Australian surface waters. Both are transmissible in cyst form through contaminated water or food, or from human to human through the faeco-oral route.
Both parasitic cyst forms are difficult to destroy through conventional water disinfection, and both are present in the catchments of many Australian water authorities, giving concern that episodes like the famous Milwaukee epidemic of cryptosporidiosis in 1993 which infected 400,000 individuals in one city in the course of a few days, could occur here.
The incidence and source of gastrointestinal infections with these parasites in Australia is poorly documented, and a major uncertainty facing health and water authorities relates to the contribution which their presence in reticulated water, makes to background gastrointestinal disease rates in the community. A primary water source could be complicated by secondary spread through family or preschool contact by food or faeco-oral contact. The problem relates both to the relatively infrequent investigation of clinical cases of diarrhoea by stool microscopy, and to the fact that routine monitoring of water supplies for cyst forms is cumbersome, insensitive and costly.
An added concern is the growing population of water consumers who are immunosuppressed and therefore particularly at risk of overwhelming systemic infection with these organisms.
BLUE-GREEN ALGAE - ARE HUMANS AT RISK? Ian R. Falconer, Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA 5005
That domestic animals are at risk has been clearly understood for over a century, as widespread livestock deaths on the shores of Lake Alexandrina in South Australia were described as due to the poisonous green paint-like scum on the lake by George Francis in Nature (London) 1878. The dead animals included pigs, sheep, cattle and horses, as the toxicity is no respecter of style of gastrointestinal tract.
Death of pets and farm animals from consuming cyanobacteria have been reported worldwide, and toxicity falls into three general classes. The major cause is hepatotoxicity from a family of cyclic peptides, the microcystins and closely related nodularin. In Australia the Darling River algal bloom of 1990, which killed thousands of sheep and cattle, had paralytic shellfish poisons as the main toxins. The Palm Island community poisoning in 1979 was by a toxin of widely damaging effects, cylindrospermopsin.
Reports of human injury have come from varied sources, from trainee soldiers doing Eskimo rolls in canoes in a blue-green scum, to ordinary drinkers of a chlorinated tap water supply. In the latter cases (almost always) the water authority had treated a blue-green algal scum with copper sulphate to improve the taste and smell - and consequently released the toxins into the water supply! Of greatest current interest is the experimentally demonstrated promotion of tumour growth by the peptide hepatotoxins, and supporting epidemiological evidence from China of correlation with hepatocellular carcinoma.
DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCTS IN DRINKING WATER AND CANCER. LS Pilotto. National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, 0200.
Chlorine, commonly used to disinfect drinking water in Australia and overseas, produces by-products known to be carcinogenic and mutagenic. A literature review was conducted to examine evidence for the association between drinking water chlorination and cancer in humans.
A number of epidemiological studies have found exposure to chlorinated drinking water to be associated with cancers at various sites, including colon, rectum, urinary bladder and kidney. However, most of these studies were ecological in nature, or relied on case-control designs based on death certificates. Interpretation of results arising out of these studies is limited. Individual levels of toxicant exposure and many potential confounders and effect modifiers are unable to be accounted for in the analysis. At best, these studies generate hypotheses that require more definitive investigation. Misclassification of individuals based on inaccurate assessment of true level of exposure is probable.
Four incident case control studies, able to better estimate exposure, suggest a clear link between exposure to chlorinated drinking water and the development of urinary bladder cancer, and possibly rectal cancer. Based on these studies, an attributable risk for bladder cancer of between 10 and 15% and for rectal cancer of 20% would suggest that 200 - 300 cases of bladder cancer and 500 cases of rectal cancer annually may be associated with the consumption of chlorinated drinking water in Australia. However, no studies have been done in Australia, and our true level of risk is unknown. Considering the widespread use of chlorination in Australia, even a low risk would translate into yearly cases high enough to create public health concern that warrants further investigation.
WaterTech Conference, Sydney.
Several members of the CRC WQT were co-authors of a paper presented
at the WaterTech Conference which took place in Sydney on 27 and
28 May. The paper, was presented by Christine Cowie of the NSW
Health Department. The abstract of the paper is reproduced below
by permission of the Australian Water & Wastewater Association
Inc.
A NATIONAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY DATABASE C Cowie (NSW Health Dept.), L Pilotto (NCEPH), R Douglas (NCEPH), D Bursill (SA Water Corp and CRC WQT), A Wade (ACTEW), C Reynolds (ACTEW), G Rouch (Dept of Human Services VIC), W Ho (NSW Dept. of Land & Water Conservation), M Chapman (Melbourne Water), D Bree (Power and Water Authority NT) and R Jones (SA Water Corporation).
The aim of this paper is to establish the need for and to promote the development of a standardised national drinking water database for health related research. There is currently no national coordinated database on drinking water quality that can be used for observational health studies, or linked with existing health data sources, such as comprehensive cancer registries and hospital statistics. Although all water supply authorities currently monitor and record drinking water quality in their supplies, these data, in their current form may pose major difficulties for health related research. Sampling and analytical methodologies vary across water authorities, accessibility of data is difficult, and data are stored in a variety of ways. It is timely to discuss the potential for standardising water quality monitoring and establishing a national drinking water quality database.
OZWater & OzWaste Trade Exhibition, Sydney.
The CRC WQT was one of several water related CRCs represented
in a joint display at the OZWater & OZWaste Trade Exhibition
held in conjunction with the WaterTech Conference. The display
was coordinated by the CRC for Freshwater Ecology.
Chlorine in Perspective - a case for sound science , Melbourne
.
This one day meeting on 11th June was sponsored by CSIRO Division
of Chemicals and Polymers, and the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.
Nine speakers presented topics ranging from the economic aspects
of chlorine use in Australia, to the effects on the atmosphere,
and new methods of waste disposal for chlorinated substances.
The meeting at CSIRO's Clayton branch was attended by about 80 people representing the chemical industry, water authorities, scientists, State and Federal environmental agencies and environmental activist organisations.
Dr Tony Priestley, Deputy Director of the CRC WQT spoke on "Chlorine and our Water System". Tony began with some interesting historical references with empirical advice on how to keep water "good", then went on to compare the characteristics of chlorination, chloramination and other methods of modern water treatment. Ms Andrea Hinwood spoke on the "Role of Scientists in the Montreal Protocol". Andrea is a currently studying for her PhD at DEPM Monash (on the EnvAs Study - see page 3). At this meeting she spoke in connection with her recent work with the United Nations Environment Programme on reduction of Ozone Depleting Substances. Andrea chaired the Technical Options Committee on Aerosols, Sterilants, Miscellaneous Uses and CTC, and was a member of the Technology and Economics Options Committee.
Professor Ian Rae, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Victoria University of Technology concluded the formal presentations with some thought provoking remarks on the need for more constructive engagement between the industry/science and the environmental/green camps. He noted that the speakers for the day had largely represented the "pro-chlorine" camp and that the opposing viewpoint had been aired only briefly in an impromptu presentation by Greenpeace representative Matt Ruchel. Professor Rae called for serious consideration by the scientific community of some recently described observations which may be related to chemical exposure (including but not necessarily limited to chlorinated compounds). In particular, the potential effects of chronic exposure on fertility and reproduction need to be thoroughly explored.
The meeting concluded after a general question time with the feeling that further meetings with invited "green" representatives as well as the "industry" group would be more productive in improving communications, identifying specific concerns and perhaps clarifying some misconceptions held by both parties.
COHORT STUDIES Epidemiological studies can be divided into observational and experimental studies. In an observational study the researcher collects information about a group of subjects comparing the effect of an event(s) on the group but does not intervene nor influence the event(s). By contrast in an experimental study the researcher deliberately influences events and investigates the effects of the intervention.
A cohort study is an observational study where the researcher observes a group of individuals over time. The word cohort refers to the group of people under study. At the beginning of the study the group is defined on the basis of presence or absence of exposure to a suspected risk factor for a disease. At this time all potential subjects must be free of the disease under investigation. Eligible participants are then followed over a period of time to assess the occurrence of the disease being studied. The cohort may be subdivided at the outset into groups with different characteristics.
A good example of a cohort study was the British Doctors Study. In this study a group of doctors (the cohort) were followed over many years. The incidence of lung cancer (the disease outcome) was compared in both smokers (the exposure risk) and non-smokers. The group who smoked had a higher incidence of lung cancer compared with the non-smokers. This has been an influential study in establishing the relationship between lung cancer and smoking.
A cohort study can be prospective or historical:
Prospective cohort study - a group of subjects is identified
and followed prospectively perhaps for many years with detailed
information collected regularly.
Historical Cohort studies: - a past cohort is identified
and their experience up to the present is obtained. This is a
less common type of study because detailed records are often not
available. This lack of data makes it difficult to be sure about
an individual's level of exposure or even whether they did or
did not develop the disease under study. However, if good data
is available a retrospective cohort study can be extremely effective
and relatively inexpensive. An example of a good data source
would be the renal transplant registry which has collected information
on every person in Australia and New Zealand who ever had a kidney
transplant and their outcome. Detailed records are kept and updated
annually.
Advantages of a cohort study:
Within a group you can calculate the incidence of disease. Depending on how representative the group under study is compared to the general community the result can sometimes be extrapolated to the incidence of the disease in the community.
Disadvantages of a cohort study:
Cohort studies have unique advantages and disadvantages that must be taken into consideration when a study is being designed. If used properly a cohort study is an extremely valuable strategy to obtain a valid estimate of the association between an exposure and disease.
We would like to introduce some of the people working on the various projects in Program 1 - starting in this issue with the senior staff members for each CRC WQT "node".
Prof. John McNeil
John McNeil is Head of the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive
Medicine (DEPM), Monash University, a position he has held since
1986. His postgraduate qualifications include an MSc in Medical
Statistics and Epidemiology from the University of London and
a PhD in Clinical Pharmacology from the University of Melbourne.
Professor McNeil currently serves on several state and federal committees in the areas of Public Health, Toxicology and Therapeutics. He has carried out numerous of consultancies for federal and state health departments and private industry including environmental impact assessments, cost benefit studies and epidemiological investigations. His research interests include drug epidemiology, public health toxicology, cardiovascular drug therapy, risk assessment and aspects of water quality and public health. Professor McNeil is the Coordinator of Program 1 "Health Risk Assessment" of the CRC for Water Quality and Treatment.
Prof. Robert Douglas
Robert (Bob) Douglas is the founding Director of the National
Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health (NCEPH), at the
Australian National University. He was formerly Dean of the Medical
School of the University of Adelaide; former President of the
Australian and New Zealand Society for Epidemiology and Research
in Community Health; and the Foundation President of the Australian
Epidemiological Association.
Professor Douglas is a former member of the Council of the National Health and Medical Research Council, and has been a member of several hospital boards and a regional Board of Health. More recently, Professor Douglas has been responsible for the initiation and development of the Australian Health and Water Research Consortium, and is currently convenor of its steering group. Professor Douglas is a Subprogram Manager of Program 1 of the CRC for Water Quality and Treatment.
Prof Ian Falconer
Ian Falconer is Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), and a researcher
in the Department of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology of
the University of Adelaide. Prior to this, he was Dean of the
Faculty of the Sciences at the University of New England, Armidale,
and Professor of Biochemistry in the Department of Biochemistry,
Microbiology and Nutrition.
His main research field at present is the health effects of cyanobacterial (blue-green algal) toxins in drinking water, including the chemical nature of the toxins, the biological consequences of poisoning, effective water purification methods for toxin removal, long-term health impacts of toxin consumption, and most recently the cancer promoting properties of these toxins. As a Subprogram Manager of Program 1 of the CRC WQT, Prof Falconer will be continuing his research on cancer promotion by blue-green algal toxins in drinking water, and also participating in epidemiological studies of cyanobacteria in drinking water supplies.
Dr Peter Nadebaum
Peter Nadebaum holds a PhD on Chemical Engineering and is Principal
of Environmental Management for CMPS&F Southern Region. He
has acted as senior adviser on many water quality and water treatment
projects for government departments and water authorities, including
new process research and development. Dr Nadebaum is recognised
as a leading expert in air pollution investigation and control
work, and has been involved in the investigation and design of
a large number of industrial air pollution control facilities,
hazardous waste incineration systems and municipal wastewater
odour control systems.
In the field of environmental management and assessment, Dr Nadebaum is a prominent consultant for governments and industries in Australia and New Zealand; including the development of national and state environmental policy guidelines, environmental audits, licensing and risk assessments. In the CRC WQT, Dr Nadebaum will continue work on the development and application of risk assessment methodology for the water industry.
Mr Mike Chapman
Mike Chapman is a Chemical Engineer with over twenty years experience
in the water industry. He has been involved in many water quality
and water treatment projects over this time, working initially
for consultants and then Melbourne Water. More recently he held
the position of Manager, Water Quality and Treatment Assets and
later Water Treatment Division Manager of Research and Development.
Treatment technology and water quality risks from catchment to
taps are the main focus of attention.
Mike Chapman was chairperson of one of the six panels (physical quality) who jointly developed the recently released NHMRC/ARMCANZ (1996) Drinking Water Guidelines. Mike initiated the Water Filter Study now being undertaken within the CRC WQT, and subsequently co-authored the project proposal with Professor John McNeil and Dr Malcolm Sim of Monash University. Mike was also instrumental in the development of the CRC WQT's Program 1 and was Melbourne Water's representative on the CRC Board during 1995. Mike recently left Melbourne Water and his role in the Water Filter Study has been assumed by Shane Haydon.
Dr Christopher Fairley
Christopher (Kit) Fairley is an infectious disease physician trained
in epidemiology. He undertook his PhD at Monash University studying
the epidemiology of human papillomavirus infection. Following
this he was awarded a NH&MRC Fellowship to support a post
doctoral position at the Communicable Diseases Surveillance Centre
in the UK where he worked primarily on the epidemiology of vaccine
preventable diseases.
On returning to Australia in late 1995, he took up his present position at DEPM where his prime responsibility is for the public health research aspects of the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Quality and Treatment. His current main research interests are waterborne diseases, clinical infectious diseases and vaccine preventable disease. Kit is Project Leader for the Water Filter Study.
Mr Grant Wilson
Grant Wilson holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree from Monash
University in civil engineering and has thirteen years experience
in the water industry. He has held a variety of positions in
this time including planning, operations, and construction roles
in water and wastewater areas.
Grant's current position is Manager - Water Quality Upgrade Division,
which involves the management of the capital works program for
the Water Group in Melbourne Water, and management of a program
of capital works to improve water quality across Melbourne and
the Mornington Peninsula.
As coordinator of the Water Filter
Study within Melbourne Water, Grant will oversee the project management
and contract management of water filter supply and maintenance
by Streamline Australia (the trading arm of Melbourne Water).
Dr Louis Pilotto
Louis Pilotto holds a science degree in Statistics, and an Honours
degree in Medicine from Sydney University, and a PhD in Epidemiology
from the ANU. He is NCEPH's principal epidemiologist in relation
to water pollution and health, and has worked in the area of occupational
and environmental epidemiology, particularly air and water pollution
for seven years.
Dr Pilotto is currently Chief Investigator on a project studying the health effects of recreational exposure to blue-green algae in NSW, SA and Victoria, and has played an integral role in the development of the Australian Health and Water Research Consortium. In the CRC for Water Quality and Treatment, Louis is continuing research into the effects of human exposure to cyanobacterial toxins.
Management Committee Meeting
The next meeting of the Management Committee of the CRC WQT will
take place on Monday 22nd July at the University of South Australia.
NOTE: this date has been altered from 15th July.
Board of Management
The next meeting of the Board of Management of the CRC WQT is
scheduled for Monday 16th September at the offices of the SA Water
Corporation in Adelaide.
Program 1 Advisory Group
The second meeting of this group will take place at the Australian
National University in Canberra on Monday 12 th August.
NOTE: this has been altered from 19th August.
Water Supply Health Workshop
Planning is underway for a workshop to be held in September (tentatively
scheduled for Wed/Thurs 4th and 5th) at a venue to be decided.
The workshop will address ways to rank health risks and prioritise
research targets.
Return to CRC Publications and Activities
Last updated 26 July 1996
Maintained by martha.sinclair@med.monash.edu.au