Mosquitoes biting? The ‘Sewer Monster’ is on the case.
<p>Justin Harbison lowers a long stick with a cup into a stormwater catchbasin to scoop up a sample of sewer water.</p><p>He lifts up what he calls his “dipper” and then uses his finger to sift through the murky water.</p><p>“I see some larvae swimming around,” he says.</p><p>Harbison, a Loyola University researcher, associate professor and self-described “Sewer Monster,” hopes that a chemical treatment placed in the sewer in June will kill the newly hatched mosquitoes, preventing them from growing into adult biters.</p><p>The insects that everyone hates aren’t just annoying, in Illinois they also can carry the potentially deadly West Nile virus, an illness that sickens thousands of people across the country every year. There have been no human cases reported in Chicago this year but health officials expect that may change.</p><p>Harbison, who wears a shirt displaying his “Sewer Monster” nickname, is passionate about protecting public health.</p><p>Maybe he was destined?
Reported by 1 outlet — Chicago Sun-Times. See all sources ↓
<p>Justin Harbison lowers a long stick with a cup into a stormwater catchbasin to scoop up a sample of sewer water.</p><p>He lifts up what he calls his “dipper” and then uses his finger to sift through the murky water.</p><p>“I see some larvae swimming around,” he says.</p><p>Harbison, a Loyola University researcher, associate professor and self-described “Sewer Monster,” hopes that a chemical treatment placed in the sewer in June will kill the newly hatched mosquitoes, preventing them from growing into adult biters.</p><p>The insects that everyone hates aren’t just annoying, in Illinois they also can carry the potentially deadly West Nile virus, an illness that sickens thousands of people across the country every year. There have been no human cases reported in Chicago this year but health officials expect that may change.</p><p>Harbison, who wears a shirt displaying his “Sewer Monster” nickname, is passionate about protecting public health.</p><p>Maybe he was destined? As a kid in the early ‘80s, instead of a ghost buster, he dressed up as a “bug buster.”</p><p>“I was also kind of the kid who always liked to gross out people," he says. "When I first got into sewer work I kind of loved it because no one else was doing it.
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- <p>Justin Harbison lowers a long stick with a cup into a stormwater catchbasin to scoop up a sample of sewer water.</p><p>He lifts up what he calls his “dipper” and then uses his finger to sift through the murky water.</p><p>“I see some larvae swimming around,” he says.</p><p>Harbison, a Loyola University researcher, associate professor and self-described “Sewer Monster,” hopes that a chemical treatment placed in the sewer in June will kill the newly hatched mosquitoes, preventing them from growing into adult biters.</p><p>The insects that everyone hates aren’t just annoying, in Illinois they also can carry the potentially deadly West Nile virus, an illness that sickens thousands of people across the country every year. There have been no human cases reported in Chicago this year but health officials expect that may change.</p><p>Harbison, who wears a shirt displaying his “Sewer Monster” nickname, is passionate about protecting public health.</p><p>Maybe he was destined?
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- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
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- 2m ago.
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Mosquitoes biting? The ‘Sewer Monster’ is on the case.
Sources1TypeCoverageChicago Sun-Times