Team:Dundee/HumanPractice/PoliticalCampaign

The M.O.P Campaign

It has been an incredible summer in much of the UK this year and the sun has been shining even here in Scotland. Just outside Dundee in mid-July a record breaking temperature of 28.9C (84F) was reported. The weather has been great for our vitamin D levels but it has been very bad for our local ponds, reservoirs and lochs. After reading multiple stories in the local news about “hazardous” algal blooms springing up around the city we decided to speak to the Senior Countryside Ranger George Potts. George worked at Clatto Reservoir in Dundee for many years and you can find an interview with George and a case study of the reservoir here (LINK TO CLATTO PAGE). Clatto has been affected by algal blooms for several years and recreational water sport activities have now ceased entirely. This has resulted in a decline in visitor numbers to the surrounding country park, thus, impacting on the local economy.

We specifically asked George about why there are sign posts up at Clatto urging the public to avoid entering the water. We were told that the water has been deemed as potentially unsafe. He explained a little bit about how the water is tested and what the regulations are outlining water safety in regards to algal blooms. It turns out that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is responsible for testing water affected by algal blooms. The tests involve calculating the number of cyanobacterial cells per ml of water. SEPA follows the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation that a concentration of 20,000 cells per ml has a relatively low probability of causing adverse health effects and a concentration of 100,000 cells per ml has a moderate probability of causing adverse health effects. SEPA tests the water at Clatto once a month (SEPA do offer additional testing) and having failed the test Clatto has been sign posted as unsafe. However, due to the erratic behaviour of cyanobacteria the abundance of the organisms can fluctuate on an hourly basis, so a monthly test may not be ideal. Additionally, it has been estimated that for each algal bloom there is a 60-70 % chance that it is actually toxic. These current regulations are of course in place to keep the public and their pets as safe as possible but we question whether the regulations are entirely appropriate.

Our MOP device and Detector aims to deal with this problem by targeting the toxin specifically instead of the cells. Additionally, our Moptopus device aims to give real-time information to track the dynamic process of algal bloom formation.

Our Campaign

We spoke to our local representative Joe Fitzpatrick who is a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP). We explained our concerns regarding the current regulations governing water safety in relation to algal blooms. In response Joe wrote a letter to the Head of Ecology at SEPA, Roger Owen. Through this contact SEPA invited us to observe the sample analysis process in action.

Visiting SEPA

On the 15th of August 4 members of our team visited the Angus Smith Building (SEPA ‘head quarters’) to observe the process of sample analysis that SEPA carry out. We also discussed current regulations with Jan Krokowski, SEPA’s Senior Specialist Ecologist. This was an essential step for us to understand the safety considerations that have led to the current set of regulations that are in place. Jan and the rest of his team described how, using microscopy techniques, they count the cells and classify the cyanobacteria according to a variety of keys. Pauline Lang from SEPA, very kindly, provided us with some pictures of cyanobacteria that were found in samples taken from our own Clatto Reservoir in Dundee (Fig. 1 and 2).

Figure 1: An image obtained of a water sample from Clatto Reservoir using an inverted microscope. The species is Microcystis aeruginosa the species which produces the toxin microcystin.

Figure 2: An image obtained of a water sample from Clatto Reservoir using an inverted microscope. The species is Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. Both toxic and non-toxic forms of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae exist in freshwater environments.

Jan and the rest of his team at SEPA were also very interested in our project to try and mop up microcystin. They expressed concerns regarding the application of genetically modified organisms in the environment and emphasized that any steps to combat the problem have to be proportional to the risk that the toxins pose to the health of humans and animals.

The Conference

After speaking to Senior Countryside Ranger George Potts a few issues were raised about the current guidelines governing water safety. We thought it would be a good idea to bring together a number of experts in order to have a constructive debate regarding the current regulations. The debate entitled: A Discussion on Algal Blooms, Clatto and Synthetic Biology was held at the University of Dundee.

The following people attended the debate:

• Senior Countryside Ranger - George Potts
• Biochemist and Park Ranger - Dr Kate Treharne
• Dundee City Council- John Pratt
• Cyanobacteria expert –Dr Christine Edwards (Robert Gordon University)
• Friends of the Earth – Andrew Llanwarne
• Synthetic Biologist – Ciaran Kelly
• Dundee iGEM Team member – Philip Rodger
• Dundee iGEM Team member – Craig Johnston (Craig had spent time with Clatto residents in order to represent their views).

It was a real privilege to have Dr. Edwards in attendance. To open the debate Dr. Edwards explained what Cyanobacteria are and the reasons that they pose a threat to the health of humans and animals. George Potts then went on to talk about Clatto. He had many questions for Dr. Edwards regarding possible methods for clearing up the water body. We also discussed our project and its possible applications. I believe it is fair to say that all of our attendees were impressed with our progress and wished us the best of luck in our attempts to use a new approach (synthetic biology) to an old problem (toxic algal blooms). Andrew Llanwarne from Friends of the Earth made some excellent points regarding safety and the assessment of risk which is essential for any new application of technology, especially where the health of our environment is concerned. Additionally, Ciaran Kelly, Dr. Edwards and Dr. Treharne even suggested improvements to our project for which we are extremely grateful.