Many parts of the world require strict testing standards to
ensure safe drinking water. However, sometimes even water
that passes stringent tests and that is in compliance with
conventional microbial water quality indicators may host pathogens.
The most common of these are Giardia and Cryptosporidium, which
can cause a variety of gastrointestinal maladies in the general
population. Although these illnesses are usually of short duration
and are not serious to most people, these organisms can cause life threatening
conditions in at-risk populations, including children, the
elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.
This existence of pathogens that resist regular chlorine
disinfection led the authors to further research this topic. The
underestimation of waterborne diseases calls for the need for
better surveillance and reporting systems and also for adequate
detection of pathogens or surrogates. This article provides additional
incentives to design and operate treatment plants that
encompass multiple barriers. As the authors purport, if disinfection
procedures haven't been preceded by effective physical
removal of particle-bound pathogens, health risks will be only
partially abated.
Includes 42 references, tables.
| Edition : | Vol. 95 - No. 5 |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 360 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 11 |
| Published : | 05/01/2003 |
