Contaminated Water

CURRENT RESEARCH: CONTAMINATED WATER

All communities should have access to clean and safe drinking water, but unfortunately in many places around the world that isn’t always, or hasn’t always been, the case. Researchers at the UAlbany School of Public Health study public health problems related to water to provide further insight into health concerns.

EXAMINING PFAS AND HEALTH

Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are man-made chemicals that have been used in many industries around the world, including in the United States, for many decades.

Researchers at the School and NYSDOH received funding from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry of the CDC to study PFAS and their possible relationship to health among those exposed to PFAS-contaminated drinking water in Newburgh and Hoosick Falls, New York. PFAS have been measured in the drinking water of many communities across the United States.

“We are pleased to partner with NYSDOH and the residents of Hoosick Falls and Newburgh on this national effort so that we may better understand the impact of PFAS on the health of people living in affected communities,” says Erin Bell, professor of Environmental Health Sciences.

This important work will help address the concerns of community members and provide data for advancing the understanding of the consequences of PFAS exposure.

PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM CHOLERA

Cholera is an illness caused by infection of the intestine after drinking water or eating food contaminated with the cholera bacterium. While there are multiple approved vaccines against cholera, none are currently licensed for use in children under two years of age— leaving this population particularly vulnerable. However, research from the Mantis Lab at the Wadsworth Center is exploring options to protect this group in cost-effective ways.

Nicholas J. Mantis, professor of Biomedical Sciences, and Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. graduate Danielle Baranova recently published a study in Pathogens and Immunity looking at cholera antibodies for protection against cholera infection.

Their research shows that mice expressing an antibody against cholera protects suckling offspring from cholera infection. The long-term goal of this work is to generate goats or cows that express this antibody so that their milk could be used to protect human populations from infection.