Exposure to Water:

Kristina D. Mena, Ph.D., assistant professor of environmental and occupational health,
School of Public Health El Paso Regional Campus

“Don’t drink the water” may sometimes be good advice on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Kristina D. Mena, Ph.D.

Mena is developing microbial risk assessment tools to estimate the impact on human health from exposure to various types of water, including drinking, surface, recreational, agricultural/irrigation, and reclaimed waters. She collects samples of water and fecal matter in the field and conducts laboratory analyses for microbial pathogens – including bacteria, enteric viruses and protozoan parasites – using both conventional culture and molecular detection methods.

“I use actual (quantitative) occurrence data of an infectious microorganism in water and then estimate the probability of someone becoming infected or ill from exposure,” Mena said. She calculates the risk using mathematical dose-response models and various assumptions regarding exposure.

To verify the accuracy of her estimates, she compares them to actual illness data where exposures were known.

“Although I have always been someone who disliked science and laboratory courses, I love microbiology and its application in public health,” she said. “I decided to work in this area due to this interest and because as a graduate student, I had the opportunity to work with the top people in this field.”