January 29, 2007—Ten universities have received grants from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for research to develop better methods for detecting harmful organisms in drinking water, including viruses, bacteria, and protozoa. The grants, awarded through EPA’s Science to Achieve Results (STAR) research grants program, are aimed at ensuring that the US has “the safest drinking water in the world.”
EPA’s sponsored research will reportedly result in faster and more sensitive tests for local drinking water facilities to use in detecting pathogens. The sooner a contaminant is identified, the faster a facility can act to contain the problem, and thereby reduce any health risks to the public, notes EPA.
For specific information on the grants visit EPA’s NCER site.
