Water is a vital resource that should be guarded, protected, and available to everyone. In Mexico, the country's average volume of renewable water per capita is 4,028 meters per inhabitant per year. However, the differences in the country's water distribution are very notable. In the north-central area of the country, where there is more population, there is less water available for human consumption. In addition, 22.7% of surface water is contaminated. On the other hand, more than 30 rivers and the country's largest and most crucial lake, Chapala lake, are located in the state of Jalisco.

The first commitment we decided to make with this project was to generate a change in our communities by trying to solve a problem that will most likely become a much lesser threat. Indeed, we believe synthetic biology should be a tool that allows us to innovate solutions within reach of our society, generating a tangible impact on the community. The second commitment we aim to accomplish is to make science available to everyone. In Mexico, unfortunately, there is a huge gap in society regarding opportunities and quality of life, with 82% of Mexicans between the ages of 25 and 64 not having university studies (Proceso, 2020). By creating an accessible project, we will promote an efficient biosensor attainable to the entire Mexican population, from marginalized communities to large cities, to reduce this inequality gap and improve the quality of life.

The contamination of water bodies in Jalisco affects the entire population, especially the most marginalized communities that consume water that has not been previously made drinkable. In Mexico, few studies or information are available describing the presence of chemical contaminants and their potential risk to the environment. The adverse effects on other organisms remain unknown. The lack of methods for detecting and quantifying these emerging contaminants caught our attention. Our team was inspired by a social and moral obligation to use our scientific knowledge to help the community. The focus of our work is to enhance through synthetic biology the access to water that has not been polluted with hazardous contaminants.

We have created our project with values such as inclusion, respect, and social commitment. Our approach centers on informing the community about the water pollution crisis and promoting science. Our motivation to take action to generate solutions to the problem and catalyze an inspiring community is to sow the seeds of help and social commitment in the community. Making the community part of the solution, listening and learning from it, being a source of inspiration for other communities, and informing about the actual situation of emerging contaminants are the essence of our Human practices.

Our objectives:

Promote SynBio power!
Engage with the community
Inform about the risks of water pollution
Inform our understanding of emerging contaminants
Encourage diversity in the scientific community
Create alliances
Encourage interest in STEM

We encountered different paths to follow while conceptualizing the idea of a detection system for emerging contaminants. At a first stage, it was necessary to dive deeper to define and empathize with the problem. Key points to map out during this stage were associated with the following: the users undergoing the effects of the problem, consequences catalyzed by the situation, stakeholders involved, considerable research of existing solutions, and existent obstacles to improve these solutions.

It was found that, currently, there are several techniques for the detection of emerging contaminants, such as chromatography and extraction techniques (García-Corcoles et al., 2018). However, these techniques are expensive and very time-consuming. The population living nearest to water bodies commonly are marginalized communities, so they do not have the economic resources to access these techniques. Therefore, our project is based on the development of an inexpensive highly efficient biosensor capable of detecting these emerging contaminants.

A profound investigation was conducted to determine the most significant emerging contaminants in Mexico. After engineering our initial experimental designed the mapping of our stakeholders was directed to pesticide and antibiotic class contaminants.

For the design of the biosensor, a profile was made according to the needs of the user, in addition to prioritizing factors such as accessibility, being a portable device that anyone can use to take a water sample and evaluate the presence of emerging contaminants; In the same way, the impact that the device would generate for users was taken into account; In addition, it represents a project with an innovative alternative and a potential proof of concept. On the other hand, to ensure that we prioritize the correct values in the project context, we visited neighboring communities such as Chapala and Tuxpan, where we directly approached the affected people we interviewed and obtained important information about their state of health. Furthermore, they explained to us how the water quality had changed over the years, and they told us about the main reasons why the water is contaminated. Similarly, the exhaustive analysis of journalistic notes detailing health issues from the city and nearby communities helped us as a resource to have a broader vision of what the problem means for the most vulnerable social groups.

Since our project is focused on water contamination, our specific sector would be the bodies of water and surrounding communities. Moreover, it could be inferred that we are leaving behind communities that do not have direct access to a water body. However, this project would benefit everyone since water is a necessary resource for everyone, and by focusing on making our project as wide-ranging as possible, from marginalized communities to cities, it would practically be something that would benefit everyone.

This argument helps us to identify our potential stakeholders in our product, which would be people who work in the primary sector industry, such as ranchers and farmers, and people who live near a body of water. Companies in the industrial sector that require evaluations of the water quality used for their production processes and government institutions that are dedicated to wastewater treatment are also insightful stakeholders.

To obtain validation of the project from both the technical-scientific and social aspects, we collected different points of view on the development of our project from different researchers in the area to receive feedback and shape the project. At the same time, we took on the task of conducting a survey of the general public to assess the impact that the project would have on our environment.

The survey we carried out intended to study and analyze the general conditions and the context in which the Mexican population finds itself concerning the issue of water contamination by emerging contaminants. For the elaboration of the survey, we took into account four criteria: user information (age and educational level), water contamination, emerging contaminants, use of drugs and pesticides.

The questions asked in each of the sections are as follows:

User information

Age (numbers only):
Level of study:

Water contamination

Do you live near any body of water?
Are you concerned about the current water quality in Mexico?
On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is not at all and 10 is a lot, how polluted do you think the water for daily use is?

Emerging contaminatns

Do you know what emerging pollutants are?
According to the previous description, do you consider that emerging pollutants are dangerous?
On a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is not at all and 10 is a lot, how dangerous do you consider them to be in the future for the environment and human beings?
Would you be interested in learning more about emerging pollutants?

Use of drugs and pesticides

Do you or a family member take any medication regularly?
Which?
- Ibuprofen
- Diciofenac
- Naproxen
- Bezafibrate
- Tetracycline
- Clonazepam
- Dezamethasone
- Paracetamol
- Carbamazepine
- Penicillin
- Omeprazole
- Ampicillin
- Ketoprofen
- Ciprofoxation
- Lidocaine
Do you know how to properly dispose of medications?
On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is not at all and 10 is a lot, how concerned are you about the use of pesticides?
On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is not at all and 10 is a lot, how concerned are you about the use of pesticides?

What did we realize?

From the results obtained in the survey we made an analysis that allowed us to validate the social part and verify if our project was really going to generate an impact and solve a problem that really is a focus of urgency that needs to be resolved. We obtained approximately 200 answers, which ranged in the ages between 15 and 70 years old.

It was determined that 55.4% of the users who answered the survey live near a body of water, which indicates to us that there is a large sector of the Mexican population to whom contamination by emerging contaminants can become a serious problem in the future.

Speaking now of emerging contaminants, an important piece of information we obtained was that 54.8% of the people surveyed do not know what emerging contaminants are. Misinformation about emerging pollutants represents a threat, since it is not possible to solve a problem that is not even known, so this represents for us an area of opportunity to attack the problem.

The consumption of medications in Mexico is a fundamental aspect to analyze the impact of our project. 76.3% of the population use some medication regularly. In turn, we learned that the most used medications are paracetamol, ibuprofen, omeprazole, diclofenac, and naproxen. Together with our investigations and real data obtained, this confirmed us which contaminants we should focus on, and profile in the project according to the hazard that each one represents.

Finally, another perception we wished to explore was the awarenes for adequate drug disposition. The survey indicated that 73.1% of the population do not know how medicines should be disposed of correctly. One of the sources s of water pollutants is the incorrect disposition of drug reisudes. We can conclude that in Mexico this represents a serious threat, since the majority of the population does not know how to dispose of them.

Conducting this survey was a great help for us to know if we were on the right track, which based on the data, we were. A large sector of the population in Mexico lives near some bodies of water, which are destined for daily consumption. Contamination by emerging pollutants represents a great danger not only due to the possible consequences to human health. The misinformation that exists about their existence, use, and management of these, in addition the number of people directly affected by living near a body of water, represents a concerning crisis that must be mitigated.

Feedback from experts

We contacted various academic and social experts to receive feedback about the impact of the problem and technical advice regarding our prototype. Some of the most valuable insights we received from them were the following:

The importance of detecting emerging contaminants is increasing, nowadays is essential to document precisely the consequences they might bring. On the other hand, conceptualizing with detail, a functional prototype will determine its execution and impact on the user. Depending on the design of the prototype, adjustments will have to be made, during testing phase, to the enzymatic system to preserve and guarantee the correct functioning of all of its components.

Interview with Harvey Shear, Ph.D. https://static.igem.wiki/teams/4447/wiki/entrevista-al-dr-harvey.pdf

Interview with Ricardo Fabián Ortíz MSc https://static.igem.wiki/teams/4447/wiki/entrevista-al-ingeniero-ricardo-fabi-n-ort-z-versi-n-en-espa-ol.pdf

Interview with Maribel Contreras Ph.D. https://static.igem.wiki/teams/4447/wiki/entrevista-a-la-doctora-maribel-versi-n-en-ingl-s.pdf

Interview with Elizabeth León Ph.D. https://static.igem.wiki/teams/4447/wiki/entrevista-a-la-doctora-elizabeth-le-n-versi-n-en-espa-ol.pdf

References:

La crisis del agua en México provoca que 12 millones de personas no tengan acceso a agua potable | iAgua. (n.d.). Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://www.iagua.es/noticias/conacyt/crisis-agua-mexico-provoca-que-12-millones-personas-no-tengan-acceso-agua-potable

Diagnósticos del agua. (n.d.). Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://www.aguas.org.mx/sitio/panorama-del-agua/diagnosticos-del-agua.html

El agua de Jalisco | IIEG | Strategos. (n.d.). Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://iieg.gob.mx/strategos/el-agua-de-jalisco/

Secretaria de medio ambiente y recursos naturales & Comisión Nacional del Agua. (2018). Diagnóstico de calidad del agua de la Región Hidrológica Lerma Santiago Pacífico. CONAGUA. https://www.google.com/url?q=https://files.conagua.gob.mx/conagua/generico/calidad_del_agua/diagnostico_lerma_santiago_pacifico_2012-2018.pdf&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1664499707722403&usg=AOvVaw2wolfD5sQtCkxvSd5ExmUE

García-Córcoles, M. T., Rodríguez-Gómez, R., de Alarcón-Gómez, B., Çipa, M., Martín-Pozo, L., Kauffmann, J.-M., & Zafra-Gómez, A. (2018). Chromatographic Methods for the Determination of Emerging Contaminants in Natural Water and Wastewater Samples: A Review. Critical Reviews in Analytical Chemistry, 1–27. doi:10.1080/10408347.2018.1496010

Proceso. (2020, 13 enero). El 82% de mexicanos de entre 25 y 64 años no tiene estudios de educación superior: OCDE. Proceso. Recuperado 3 de octubre de 2022, de https://www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/2020/1/13/el-82-de-mexicanos-de-entre-25-64-anos-no-tiene-e

Arguello-Pérez, M. ( 1 ), Tintos-Gómez, A. ( 1,3 ), Ramírez-Ayala, E. ( 1 ), Godínez-Domínguez, E. ( 1 ), Silva-Bátiz, F. A. ( 1 ), & Mendoza-Pérez, J. A. ( 2 ). (2019). Ecotoxicological analysis of emerging contaminants from wastewater discharges in the Coastal Zone of Cihuatlán (Jalisco, Mexico). Water (Switzerland), 11(7). https://0-doi-org.biblioteca-ils.tec.mx/10.3390/w11071386

Castro-Pastrana, L., Baños-Medina, M., López-Luna, M. & Torres-García, B. (2015, 3 julio). Ecofarmacovigilancia en México: perspectivas para su implementación. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Farmacéuticas, 46(3), 16-40. https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=57945705003

Mahmood, T., Momin, S., Ali, R., Naeem, A., & Khan, A. (2022). Technologies for Removal of Emerging Contaminants from Wastewater. In M. Ince, & O. K. Ince (Eds.), Wastewater Treatment. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104466

Pan, M., Lyu, T., Zhan, L., Matamoros, V., Angelidaki, I., Cooper, M., & Pan, G. (2021). Mitigating antibiotic pollution using cyanobacteria: Removal efficiency, pathways and metabolism. Water Research, 190. https://0-doi-org.biblioteca-ils.tec.mx/10.1016/j.watres.2020.116735

Arguello-Pérez, M. ( 1 ), Tintos-Gómez, A. ( 1,3 ), Ramírez-Ayala, E. ( 1 ), Godínez-Domínguez, E. ( 1 ), Silva-Bátiz, F. A. ( 1 ), & Mendoza-Pérez, J. A. ( 2 ). (2019). Ecotoxicological analysis of emerging contaminants from wastewater discharges in the Coastal Zone of Cihuatlán (Jalisco, Mexico). Water (Switzerland), 11(7). https://0-doi-org.biblioteca-ils.tec.mx/10.3390/w11071386

Castro-Pastrana, L., Baños-Medina, M., López-Luna, M. & Torres-García, B. (2015, 3 julio). Ecofarmacovigilancia en México: perspectivas para su implementación. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Farmacéuticas, 46(3), 16-40. https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=57945705003

Mahmood, T., Momin, S., Ali, R., Naeem, A., & Khan, A. (2022). Technologies for Removal of Emerging Contaminants from Wastewater. In M. Ince, & O. K. Ince (Eds.), Wastewater Treatment. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104466

Pan, M., Lyu, T., Zhan, L., Matamoros, V., Angelidaki, I., Cooper, M., & Pan, G. (2021). Mitigating antibiotic pollution using cyanobacteria: Removal efficiency, pathways and metabolism. Water Research, 190. https://0-doi-org.biblioteca-ils.tec.mx/10.1016/j.watres.2020.116735

Introducing Integrated Human Practices Background