E. Coli
The bacteria that forced the closure of many Great Lakes beaches in recent years may not be coming from people, birds or sewage. It may be from the sand.
A Central Michigan University report published in the Journal of Great Lakes Research confirms that E. coli can live and thrive in beach sand without a warm-blooded host. It has been widely believed that E. coli could come only from the warm-blooded animals, and that, if found in the environment, there must have been a recent source of excrement from one of those animals.
E. coli, while not necessarily a threat to human health, has been used as an indicator of other pathogens in excrement, such as viruses, that could make people ill. A study from Central Michigan University, says E. coli is growing in Lake Huron sand with no contribution from people, birds or animals.
E. coli even survived winter in the sand and during summer expanded to high numbers for several weeks with no new source.
August 2, 2006 7:38 AM | Category: Chemicals