Bottled
Water Safety and Quality
The safety and quality of bottled water
is important for all consumers who drink it, and especially important
for those with health concerns or compromised immune systems. One of the
main concerns about overall drinking water safety is microbial
contaminants such as Cryptosporidium. Cryptosporidium is the parasite
that contaminated the Milwaukee water system in 1993 and was responsible
for making more than 400.000 people ill and killing more than 100 immuno-compromised
people.
WHAT IS CRYPTOSPORIDIUM ?
Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite that is found in the feces of
infected humans or animals such as cattle, sheep, cats, dogs, rabbits
and squirrels.
HOW DOES IT GET INTO THE WATER STREAM ?
Untreated surface water is more likely to contain Cryptosporidium and
other pathogenic microorganisms because of the possibility of direct
contamination with animal feces, treated and untreated human sewage, or
fecal run-off from adjacent land after heavy rain or snow melt.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE DRINKS WATER
CONTAMINATED WITH CRYPTOSPORIDIUM ?
When a human ingests water that is contaminated with Cryptosporidium,
the egg-shaped oocyst releases its internal contents called sporozoites.
These sporozoites invade the inner lining of the gastrointestinal tract
and can cause an illness called cryptosporidiosis.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS ?
For people with generally healthy immune systems. the parasite may cause
flu-like symptoms; for those with weakened immune systems, such as
HIV-infected individuals, cancer patients, the elderly and infants, the
disease can last for months and can even be fatal.
WHY IS BOTTLED WATER CRYPTOSPORIDIUM-FREE
?
Since Cryptosporidium is primarily a surface water-contaminant, water
originating from a natural, underground water source is unlikely to
contain Cryptosporidium. Most bottled water comes from natural sources
like springs or wells that originate from deep within the earth. These
protected sources are inspected, tested and certified by the state or
country of origin to be of sanitary quality. In addition, all bottled
water produced by ABWA members is protected by a multi-barrier approach
which may include steps such as source protection and monitoring,
reverse osmosis, micron filtration, distillation, ozonation, the
application of ultraviolet light or other appropriate processing
measures.
Some bottled waters may also come from
treated municipal supplies. All ABWA members that use municipal supplies
are encourage to employ at least one of the three processing methods
recommended by the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for
effective removal of microbial (surface water) contaminants, including
Cryptosporidium. These processing methods are reverse osmosis, one
micron absolute filtration and distillation. Ozonation may also prove to
be an effective treatment for Cryptosporidium removal.
Since bottled water is strictly
regulated as a food product by bottled water companies must adhere to
Good Manufacturing Practices, Labeling and Quality Standards and any
additional country and industry regulations. All ABWA members must meet
or exceed the extensive country and industry regulations.
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