The presence of waterborne pathogens in water supplies is an on-going problem for public health. The re-occurrence of these organisms in treated and untreated water has resulted in numerous outbreaks both nationally and internationally. Therefore, there is a need to develop and assess new water sterilisation methods which will effectively and repeatedly remove these harmful pathogens form water supplies. The presence of parasitic species in water supplies has been well documented, before and after the disinfection processes is implemented in water treatment plants. The resistance of these species to chemical disinfection such as chlorination aids in their pathogenicity and viability in the environment. Consequently, the aim of this study was to determine if a novel pulsed UV system provides a suitable means of disinfecting water with particular interest in parasite species. In order to achieve this goal a variety of techniques were unitised which include the identification of a suitable means to determine parasite viability in vitro using human derived cell lines. Therefore, this project reports on the use of an in vitro cell culture based PCR method for the determination of inactivation rates of the pathogenic parasites Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia using a novel pulsed UV system. Results show that the human derived HCT-8 cell line was more suitable for supporting parasite infection and pcr amplification, therefore it was used for all viability studies. Findings described herein highlight the effectiveness of this light system for the inactivation of a broad range of microbial test species and the parasitic organisms. Findings described show that this light system can be adapted for use as a flow through system sterilising water flowing at varying flow rates. Moreover, studies have identified a non-pathogenic harmless Bacillus endospore (Bacillus megaterium) which may be used as a surrogate for C. parvum inactivation studies as it shows similar inactivation rates to that of the problematic parasite. The use of such a surrogate will allow for more in depth studies on the removal of C. parvum from water supplies without risking further contamination issues. It is worth noting that G. lamblia proved more UV resistant than C. parvum. Furthermore, an extensive range of ecotoxicological studies showed that no harmful effects were caused to the treatment liquid following UV exposure, the system is therefore, deemed safe to use on water which is to be released into the natural environment. It was also found that the UV light system provided a more rapid and cost effective means of inactivating test species than the standard low pressure UV lamp system currently in use. A significant increase in microbial and parasite death was achieved with a much shorter treatment time using the pulsed UV system.
The growth of biofilm structures on water plant pipes which can harbour organisms such as viruses and parasite species may provide another route of transmission of unwanted pathogens. Pulsed UV light proved efficient at inactivating biofilm structures on pipe material at varying cell densities and temperatures.
Inactivation of test species using a flow through pulsed UV system was achieved for all flow rates and retention times assessed. Indeed B. megaterium vegetative and endospore cells were repeatedly inactivated highlighting its potential for the removal of C. parvum. Therefore, the findings of this research project conclude that the pulsed UV system may successfully be adapted for use in water treatment plants if used as a system with two or more lamps adjacent to each other and maximal operational parameters are adhered too.

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Garvey, M.   "Development of a pulsed light approach as a novel solution in drinking water treatment". Associated datasets and digitial information objects connected to this resource are available at: Secure Archive For Environmental Research Data (SAFER) managed by Environmental Protection Agency Ireland https://eparesearch.epa.ie/safer/resource?id=95284736-9d66-11e3-b233-005056ae0019 (Last Accessed: 2024-09-19)

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SAFER-Data Display URL	https://eparesearch.epa.ie/safer/iso19115/display?isoID=3048
Resource Keywords	Cryptosporidium, Giardia, infection, water treatment, UV light, inactivation, cell culture qPCR, chlorine resistance, biofilms, ecotoxicity, water treatment plant, public, safe water
EPA/ERTDI/STRIVE Project Code	2011-W-MS-5
EPA/ERTDI/STRIVE Project Theme	Water Quality
Resource Availability:	Public-Open
Limitations on the use of this Resource	Any attached datasets, data files, or information objects can be downloaded for further use in scientific applications under the condition that the source is properly quoted and cited in published papers, journals, websites, presentations, books, etc. Before downloading, users must agree to the "Conditions of Download and Access" from SAFER-Data. These appear before download. Users of the data should also communicate with the original authors/owners of this resource if they are uncertain about any aspect of the data or information provided before further usage.
Number of Attached Files (Publicly and Openly Available for Download):	2
Project Start Date	Saturday 1st September 2012 (01-09-2012)
Earliest Recorded Date within any attached datasets or digital objects	Saturday 1st September 2012 (01-09-2012)
Most Recent Recorded Date within any attached datasets or digital objects	Sunday 1st September 2013 (01-09-2013)
Published on SAFER	Monday 24th February 2014 (24-02-2014)
Date of Last Edit	Thursday 2nd July 2015 at 13:01:39 (02-07-2015)
Datasets or Files Updated On	Thursday 2nd July 2015 at 13:01:39 (02-07-2015)

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