Manasvi Patel

Comments

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Science, In Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

at Dyson School of Arts and Science

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) are major sources of pollutants such as microbial pathogens, total suspended solids (TSS), oxygen depleting substances, toxicants, and nutrients. Untreated wastewater contains parasites like Giardia, Cryptosporidium and Entamoeba which impact human health. Cryptosporidium is the leading cause of diarrheal diseases which spreads through contaminated water supplies. Our research on Coney Island in Brooklyn investigated the amount of Cryptosporidium oocysts found in the water and bivalves/shellfish tissue and to supports a parallel study examining both people's use of waterways around Coney Island (for religious ceremonies, fishing, foraging, swimming, etc.) and their perceptions of how polluted the waterways are. Water and tissue samples were collected from three different waterfront areas around Coney Island supporting different activities that put people in contact with the water and with bivalves/shellfish in Summer 2021. All the water samples had >50 oocysts and no significant differences were found in oocyst quantity between sample locations and dates, including sampling dates when little to no rain had fallen in the days and weeks prior to sampling. Further, all of the bivalve tissue samples collected contained oocysts. Water and tissue samples were collected from waterways that both did and did not have CSOs. This could suggest that CSOs bringing oocysts in the water are carried out by flushing and tides to recreational areas where no CSOs are found. My findings are concerning because those areas were used by people for fishing, swimming and boating on a daily basis in Coney Island could result in those people coming in contact with Cryptosporidium. Further, the fact that a fecal indicator bacteria (Escherichia coli, or E. coli) is being used to confirm the safety of water use in Coney Island for recreation may mean that true risk of exposure to disease-causing organisms is not adequately captured in this location. Although E.coli levels typically are reduced to acceptable levels a few days following a rain event, Cryptosporidium appears to persist in water and bivalve tissues, posing a potential risk to people using Coney Island waterways.

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