In September, Hurricane Maria devastated the U.S. island of Puerto Rico, ravaging it with 150 mile per hour winds and more than 20 inches of rain. In the aftermath of the storm, three million people are still without power,
In September, Hurricane Maria devastated the U.S. island of Puerto Rico, ravaging it with 150 mile per hour winds and more than 20 inches of rain. In the aftermath of the storm, three million people are still without power, and one million are without running water. Contaminated wells and surface water are creating a public health crisis, spreading cholera and diarrheal diseases.
Joe Brown, assistant professor in Tech’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, agrees that Puerto Rico faces a number of challenges around microbial exposures following the disaster. Brown studies pathogenic microbial exposures – microscopic organisms that can hurt humans – and sees the most urgent public health issue facing Puerto Rico as the spread of sanitation-related pathogens, including pathogenic viruses, bacteria and protozoa.
“The island’s infrastructure sustained widespread severe damage, so there will be significant challenges to recovery,” said Brown. “Access to safe water is still quite limited in some parts of the island, partly because lack of water pressure leads to contamination of sources. Our studies show that interruptions in water supply can be major causes of disease outbreaks.”
Brown’s research is largely focused on water contamination and its impact on public health. He travels to communities around the world measuring microbes in each environment to gather exposure data and determines what it means for the health and safety of residents. In a recent trip to India, Brown found aerosolized Giardia and Salmonella, pathogens not normally known to be transmitted via air. This discovery creates a new challenge in environmental engineerin