Tag: Human Waste

What’s Really ‘Fueling’ Harmful Algae in Florida’s Lake Okeechobee?

sarah JonasResearch Results

Historically, Lake Okeechobee was thought to be impaired only by phosphorus, focusing efforts on reducing agricultural runoff. However, new comprehensive sampling across the Lake Okeechobee Waterway and its connected estuaries shows that toxic algal blooms also are driven by rising nitrogen levels from human waste and urban runoff. Increased nitrogen, worsened by extreme rainfall, significantly fuels bloom severity. Findings underscore the need for integrated nutrient management and improved wastewater treatment to protect the lake and its estuaries.

WVU researchers sift through the smoke to see how burn pits make veterans ill

sarah JonasFeature

Researchers in the West Virginia University School of Medicine are using a customized stove in the University’s Inhalation Facility to safely examine the harm that burn pit exposure can do. The stove burns pellets the School of Forestry has made to resemble the composition of burn pits at Iraq’s busiest military bases.