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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Parasites in soil/sludge systems. [Lethality of Ascaris eggs]

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5155552
Studies reported herein have shown that a treatment of 55/sup 0/C for 1 hour or more sufficiently reduces the number of viable Ascaris eggs in seeded sludge systems. An absorbed dose of 300 kilorads ..gamma.. radiation is more than adequate for the same purpose. However, before an unequivocal statement can be made about the effectiveness of either of these treatments in reducing viable ova in real systems, certain qualifying factors must be investigated. There are conflicting reports on the radiation sensitivities of Ascaris eggs in different stages of development. Also, irradiation of composted sludge using an electron-beam (which, for all practical purposes, is equivalent to ..gamma.. irradiation for a given absorbed dose) was unsuccessful in rendering all naturally-occurring Ascaris ova non-viable, even at 300 kilorads. The significant differences in radiation and heat sensitivities of Ascaris eggs in compost vs liquid systems points out the need to further investigate the effects of moisture levels on these sensitivities.
Research Organization:
Sandia Labs., Albuquerque, N.Mex. (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
EY-76-C-04-0789
OSTI ID:
5155552
Report Number(s):
SAND-77-1970C; CONF-780127-1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English