Septic Systems and the Environment

A septic system is an underground wastewater treatment structure that works by using a combination of both nature and technology to treat wastewater from household plumbing produced by bathrooms, kitchen drains, and laundry. By maintaining your septic system, you will save money, protect your property, and keep you and surrounding areas healthy. 


The first step in maintaining the septic system is locating it. The easiest way to do that is find the direction the pipe goes through the basement wall. “Back outside, the inspector will use aninsulated probe inserted into the soil to locate the buried piping. Once thesystem components are found, be sure to sketch a map and keep it on hand tosave time on future service visits.” The next step is to inspect the ports of the system. By flushing the toilets, running the water in the sinks, running the washing machine, etc. are all ways to check if the household plumbing is working correctly. Next it is important to scum and sludge layers with specific tools inserted through the port. “If the sludge depth is equal to one thirdor more of the liquid depth, the tank should be pumped. Also, the tank needs tobe pumped when it is 1/3 full.” Next, the tank and drain field need to be checked for cracks or any sign of failure.  “The average household septic system should be inspected at leastevery three years by a septic service professional.” It is important to avoid chemical drain treatments for clogged drains. Avoid pouring grease or oils down the drain, and limit the use of a garbage disposal. By not maintaining the septic system, it poses dangers to the environment.

Total & Fecal Coliform Bacteria

Total coliform bacteria are a collection of relatively harmless microorganisms that live in large numbers in soils, plants and in intestines of warm-blooded (humans) and cold-blooded animals. Coliform aids in digestion of food. Coliform can be found in soils, plants and in animal and human waste. Some types grow at higher temperatures than others and can be found in the fecal waste of warm-blooded animals. There are six species of fecal coliform bacteria found in animal andhuman waste. E. coli is one type of the six species of fecal coliformbacteria. Finding coliform in your water does not always mean the person in contact will become sick. However, if these organisms are around there is a chance other disease-causing organisms may also be present. Health symptoms related to drinking or swallowingwater contaminated with fecal coliform bacteria generally range from no illeffects to cramps and diarrhea (gastrointestinal distress). 

When fecal coliform is present in drinking water, there is an urgent concern to check for other diseases.  Since coliform bacteria usually persist in water longer than most disease- causing organisms,the absence of coliform bacteria leads to the assumption that the water supply is microbiologically safe to drink. Therefore, the drinking water standard requires that no coliform bacteria be present in drinking water. Fecal coliform and E. coli bacteria should also be totally absent from drinking water. Coliform contamination can be prevented through the upkeep of groundwater. Underground drinking water in a properly constructed well should have little to no coliform bacteria. If coliform are found in a well it generally means bacterial and mineral slimes have built up and your well needs to be professionally cleaned by a registered private water system contractor. There are devices that treat, disinfect, and filter the water to remove coliform bacteria.

Comparing Air Pollution in Cincinnati versus Cleveland

Comparing Air Pollution in Cincinnati versus Cleveland

Air pollution is the presence in or introduction into the air of a substance, which has harmful or poisonous effects. It affects areas differently based on the causes and source of the pollution. Most air pollution is the direct result of the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, natural gas, and gasoline to produce electricity and power our vehicles. Cincinnati and Cleveland are both metro areas that often times have high levels of air pollution. Cincinnati has been known to have a problem with severe ozone pollution and has been under several air quality advisories this past summer. “Ozone air pollution at ground level where we can breathe it (inthe troposphere) causes serious health problems.” Spending time outdoors while the ozone pollution levels are high leaves people at risk for breathing problems and other harmful health defects.

In Hamilton County, where Cincinnati is, the current map says the air quality is good which means that it is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk however these levels are always changing.

In Cuyahoga County, where Cleveland is, the current map says the air quality is also good.

 “The Cleveland area remains one of the worst performers in thecountry for air quality, despite significant improvements over the past 15years according to the annual State of the Air report from the American LungAssociation. The metropolitan area still suffers from high levels ofparticulate pollution, or soot, in the air year-round due to vehicle exhaustand has too many days with high ozone levels. High ozone level days havedropped to almost one-third of their 2000 levels, but remain above acceptable limitsfor health of residents.” 

Both cities have room for improvement as well as the rest of the world in terms of reducing our air pollution.

Roundup’s Effects on Humans

Roundup’s Effects on Humans

Roundup is the brand name of a herbicide produced by Monsanto typically used for spot treatment of gardens, lawns, paved areas, and some agricultural crops. It is often sprayed directly on a host of non-GMO crops. There is a lot of controversy with this product and whether or not this product is environmentally friendly. Glyphosate is the chemical in Roundup which is a systemic herbicide and an organophosphorus compound used to kill 

weeds. 

“Monsanto has falsified data on Roundup’s safety, and marketed it to parks departments and consumers as“environmentally friendly” and “biodegradable, to encourage its use it on road sides, playgrounds, golf courses, schoolyards, lawns and home gardens. A French court ruled those marketing claims amounted to false advertising.” The continuous exposure of this product has been shown to have health consequences in the food and water that we drink, and in the air. “In farming communities, there’s a strong correlation between Roundup exposure and attention deficit disorder(ADHD), likely due to glyphosate’s capacity to disrupt thyroid hormone functions.” It has also been known to correlate with Alzheimer’s disease, birth defects, Autism, brain cancer, breast cancer, as well as many other life-threatening health issues. Glyphosate, a chemical in Roundup, induces human breast cancer cells growth via estrogen receptors. The company has done absolutely nothing to improve their worldwide influence on human and environmental health. The harmful consequences of this product greatly outweigh the benefits and should be taken off the market. 

Nuclear Power Plant Explosions and the Environment

Nuclear Power Plant Explosions and the Environment

Nuclear power pants are in general thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. Not only do these explosions cause obvious physical damage from the fire and explosion itself, the radioactive material that is released can cause much more harm. Humans can be exposed to acute radiation syndrome, which affects most of the body. It has the ability to give you skin rashes, vomiting and diarrhea, to coma and death depending on the does. 

Following the Chernobyl nuclear reactor explosion inUkraine in 1986, more than 6000 people developed thyroid cancer, probably afterdrinking contaminated milk as children, according to an investigation bythe UN released in February. Radiation damages DNA and can even be fatal. In terms of the environmental effects, plant and animal health becomes at risk. After the Chernobyl explosion, many were killed by acute radiation. The dead pines were removed from the forests and buried and livestock was removed during the human evacuations. Oxidative stress and low levels of antioxidants have a had severe consequences on the development of the nervous system, including reduced brain size and impaired cognitive abilities.  Invertebrate populations (including bumblebees, butterflies,grasshoppers, dragonflies, and spiders) have significantly decreased. Nuclear power plant explosions release large quantities of radioactive particles into the atmosphere and have tremendous affects. 

Zika Virus- Prevention and Control

Zika Virus

The Zika virus is a disease that comes from the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. The symptoms commonly include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. There is currently no vaccine that exists to prevent the disease. Prevention for this disease is more reliant on your environment and precautions that can help you avoid the disease. One way is to avoid mosquito bites, which usually occur more during the daytime. When traveling to countries where Zika virus orother viruses spread by mosquitoes are found, take the following steps: wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, stay in places with air conditioning or that use windows and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside, sleep under a mosquito bed net if you are overseas or outside and are not able to protect yourself from mosquito bites and use insect repellent.

Control once someone has the Zika virus is a critical part to help stop the spread of disease.  Duringthe first week of infection, Zika virus can be found in the blood and passedfrom an infected person to another mosquito through mosquito bites. An infectedmosquito can then spread the virus to other people. The virus can be spread through semen from a man to his sex partners, however it is not known how long it is present in semen.  Preventionand control relies on reducing the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes andminimizing contact between mosquito vectors and people by using barriers (suchas repellents, insect screens), reducing water-filled habitats supportingmosquito larvae in and close to dwellings, and reducing the adult mosquitopopulations around at-risk communities. It is imperative for people traveling to high-risk areas to follow perceptions and protect themselves from the disease.