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III. Environmental Setting, Impacts,and Mitigations L. Public Health and Safety can cause infection or disease if humans are exposed to viable organisms. The survival time of these organisms in soil can range from a few days to several years. The human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). HIV is spread through direct contact with the body fluids of an infected individual such as blood,semen,vaginal secretions,and breast milk. It is very unlikely that viable HIV virus particles would be present in MSW. HIV is a relatively fragile and short-lived virus outside of the human body. No documented cases of HIV infection have occurred through environmental transmission(Venture County Resource Management Agency, 1991). A vector is an animal capable of carrying pathogenic microorganisms(disease)from one host to another. The vectors of greatest concern are flies and rats because of their ability to reproduce rapidly and disperse from the site. Other vectors of concern include birds and other insects. Flies are known to spread intestinal worms and pathogenic microorganisms such as those causing diarrhea,dysentery,typhoid,cholera,eye infections,yaws,anthrax,and tularemia(Edeling, 1978). Flies spread disease by feeding or breeding on excrement or other contaminated material and picking up microorganisms on their bodies and then contacting human food or drink. The common House Fly(Musca domestica)has a range of one to four miles. The Calliphoridae fly family(blow and bottle flies)are stronger fliers than the house fly and may travel from four to twenty miles. Mosquitoes,though carriers of pathogens such as malaria in tropical climates, are primarily a nuisance concern in California. Stagnant pools of water are ideal for mosquito breeding. Excessive application of water combined with improper drainage at a landfill can lead to the formation of stagnant pools of water. Discarded tires can collect water and provide habitat for mosquitoes. Rats are also a concern to human health as they are transmitters of many diseases. Rats have been responsible for outbreaks of bubonic plague. Food contaminated with rat excrement can cause food poisoning and amoebic dysentery. Fleas from infected rats can spread murine typhus. Rat bites frequently cause rat-bite fever. The two common species of rats in California are the Norway rat(Rattus norvegicus) and the roof rat(Rattus rattus). The Norway rat;also known as the brown,house,wharf,or sewer rat,is the larger of the two species with an adult weight of 0.75 to 1.25 pounds. It is known to nest in III.L.11