Cryptosporidium Oocyst Properties & Control with Swim Diapers & Filters James E. Amburgey, Ph.D., Michael J. Arrowood, Ph.D. and Roy R. Fielding, B.A., M.Ed. - University of North Carolina - Charlotte

This presentation will describe some of the physical properties of Cryptosporidium oocysts with an emphasis on properties that affect their control in swimming pools. The waterborne disease outbreak threat posed by Cryptosporidium will be analyzed with respect to the tools that commonly available to swimming pools for combating this threat. The tools will include free chlorine, sand filters, and swim diapers. Research results will be presented to clarify the extent of the challenge faced by everyone involved with swimming pools. The potential benefits of “super-chlorination” and “super-filtration” will be described along with the limitations of each. Finally, suggestions will be made regarding the future direction of Cryptosporidium research for swimming pools

Biographical Information:

Dr. James Amburgey is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he teaches courses like Water Treatment Engineering and Environmental Chemistry. Dr. Amburgey earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He holds Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Georgia Tech in Atlanta, GA, and he completed two years of Post-doctoral research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an APHL Emerging Infectious Diseases Research Fellow.

He received a James H. Nakano Citation for an outstanding scientific paper published in 2005. He was a 2007 ASCE Excellence in Civil Engineering Education (ExCEEd) Fellow. Dr. Amburgey was named as one of the Aquatics International Power 25 in 2008 in recognition of the contribution of his research to the aquatics industry. His research has been published in numerous scholarly journals such as Water Research, ASCE Journal of Environmental Engineering, Journal American Water Works Association, and AQUA: Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology, Applied and Environmental  Microbiology, and Journal of Microbial Methods. He has invented and applied for patents on new water treatment technologies and operates his own company, Water Treatment Research, Inc., part-time