Health Stream Issue 56

is now available via the web site of Water Quality Research Australia http://www.wqra.com.au



Contents of this Issue:

* Endemic Waterborne Disease Study - A recently published study from the US has found that point-of-use water treatment reduced the incidence of gastrointestinal illness in people aged 55 years and older by 12% although the tap water supply met current US water quality standards.

The results of the study once again raise the issue of endemic waterborne disease due to pathogens in treated drinking water, and the adequacy of current methods of defining drinking water safety. There are some puzzling aspects to the results however, as the protective effect was apparently confined to men and not observed in women.



* Report on Colorado Outbreak - The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has released a report detailing the investigation of the waterborne Salmonella outbreak in the town of Alamosa in March 2008. The outbreak caused about 1,300 cases of illness and one death among the population of 9,800 residents. Investigators concluded the most likely cause was ingress of faecal contamination from small animals or birds through holes and cracks in a ground level water reservoir that provided 75% of the town’s undisinfected water supply.



* Industrial Exposures To Legionella - UK health authorities have identified Legionella cases associated with exposure to water aerosols from degreasing/rinsing equipment at a factory manufacturing construction and agricultural equipment. Testing of similar equipment at other sites identified Legionella bacteria in four out of five sites tested.



* From the Literature - summaries in this issue include recent papers on:

Arsenic, Bottled Water, Cancer, Cryptosporidium, Disinfection Byproducts, Drinking Water Quality, Giardia, Helicobacter pylori, Household Interventions, Kidney Stones, Naegleria fowleri, Outbreaks, PCE (perchloroethylene), Perfluorinated Compounds, Public Perception, Water Quality Management, Water Treatment.