Comment on FR Doc # 2010-19132

Water related diseases are responsible for 80% of all illnesses and deaths in the developing world. An estimated 1.5 billion cases of diarrhea occur each year, resulting in the deaths of nearly two million children. Worldwide, about 1.3 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water, including nearly half of the population of Sub-Sahara Africa. Boiling water is often recommended to make water safe to drink. However contaminated water and milk can be pasteurized at temperatures well below boiling. In areas such as eastern Kenya where women may walk 4-6 hours every other day to gather fuel, this knowledge of pasteurization is of significant importance and can save much time and fuel. Disease-causing organisms in water and milk are killed by exposure to heat through pasteurization. Water heated to 149 degrees F (65 degrees C) for a short period of time rather than 212 degrees F or (100 degrees C) is free from microbes, including E coli, Rotaviruses, Giardia and Hepatitis A virus. An inexpensive, simple and reusable water pasteurization indicator (WAPI) helps users determine when water has reached pasteurization temperatures. While there is much focus on treating contaminated water, there are few simple and inexpensive methodologies available to the populations of developing countries to conduct ongoing testing of their water for E coli. One effective method for testing water has been assembled from food and water industry components by microbiologist Dr. Robert Metcalf, president of the NGO, International Water and Health Alliances (IWHA). That tool is the Portable Microbiology Laboratory (PML). The PML provides a dramatically simple, inexpensive and effective way to create awareness about the relationship between fecal contamination and water borne diseases. This system for testing water for e-coli can be taught to most people regardless of their educational background. The process can be utilized in remote areas of developing countries or in urban areas and provide results overnight without the need for permanent laboratory facilities or expensive test equipment. The PML allows institutions to easily add valuable technical skills to staff through one and two day workshops. It also relieves the burden of limited water testing facilities within countries that are also often under funded. The PML can multiply the effectiveness and numbers of water tests that can be carried out in developing countries. The ability to conduct regular tests of water sources on site by members of the community can significantly decrease the occurrence of water borne diseases. Training in the field and within institutions utilizing the PML and WAPI has taken place in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, the Philippines and Honduras. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) staff from ten African countries and UN-Habitat staff from six African countries have also been trained. Training was conducted at the International Water Association (IWA) conference in Mexico City in 2009 and will be presented at the 2010 IWA conference in Montreal. Dr.Metcalf who developed the PML was asked by UN-Habitat to make a presentation at the World Water Week in Stockholm in September 2010. We welcome opportunities to increase awareness of these life saving technologies.