#856: Dr Nicholas Ashbolt 2017: Plumbing, Pathogens and Probiotics

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Dr. Nicholas Ashbolt is a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta.

He’s now three years into his seven year appointment as the Alberta Innovates Translational Health Chair in Water.

His research is focused on reforming the regulatory framework for water services.

And he’s investigating better ways to manage risks from pathogens in our drinking water.

DR NICHOLAS ASHBOLT:  I’m talking about initially the drinking water that arrives to our buildings, so through our main conveyance systems, the distribution systems of drinking water, (It) comes to us as very good quality clean water here in Alberta.    But in our buildings it can sit and stagnate in quite small diameter pipes where there’s a lot of slime or biofilm on the walls of those pipes.  And in certain cases that can lead to growth of organisms like Legionella pneumophila and other respiratory pathogens.  So when we turn on the shower or turn on our spa baths, we can inhale these sorts of pathogens through aerosols.  

According to Dr. Ashbolt, one solution to controlling pathogens in water and cleaning up our plumbing may be the introduction of probiotic micro-organisms.
  
Thanks today to ALBERTA INNOVATES

Learn more at INNOVATION ANTHOLOGY.com

I’M CHERYL CROUCHER

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Alberta Innovates

Alberta Innovates is a provincially funded Corporation with a mandate to deliver 21st century solutions for the most compelling challenges facing Albertans. We do this by building on our province’s research and technology development strengths in the core sectors of health, environment, energy, food and fibre and platforms such as artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and omics. We are working with our partners to diversify Alberta’s economy, improve our environmental performance and enhance our well-being through research and innovation. 

The Alberta Innovates system has roots stretching back almost 90 years

In March, 2016 the consolidation of Alberta Innovates was announced and on November 1, a single, integrated innovation powerhouse, Alberta Innovates, was formed. Two applied research subsidiaries – Innotech Alberta and C-Fer Technologies –  serve public and private sector interests.

The Alberta Innovates system was first created in January 2010, as part of an overall innovation framework developed within the Alberta Research and Innovation Act. At that time, four corporations were established:

  • Bio Solutions
  • Energy and Environment Solutions
  • Health Solutions
  • Technology Futures.

The Alberta Innovates system has a 90-year legacy. Our expertise is built on the successes of:

  • Alberta Institute for Agriculture
  • Forestry and the Environment
  • Alberta Agricultural Research Institute
  • Alberta Forestry Research Institute
  • Alberta Life Sciences Institute
  • Alberta Ingenuity
  • Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research
  • Alberta Research Council
  • iCORE
  • nanoAlberta
  • Alberta Water Research Institute (AWRI)
  • Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI)
  • Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority (AOSTRA).

 

Program Date: 2017-03-28