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The symptoms of drinking contaminated water vary depending on the contaminant ingested. The most common types of waterborne illnesses cause diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. The illness is similar to food poisoning. The food-poisoning-like illnesses have many different names, depending on the type of pathogen involved. For example, cryptosporidiosis is caused by ingesting cryptosporidium cysts. Oftentimes doctors cannot determine or even check for the pathogen involved unless the contaminant is known to be present in the public’s water supply. Cryptosporidium cysts are detected on a fairly frequent basis, although they are not tested for on a regular basis. According to the EPA, cysts may be present at any time and can even be found in bottled beverages. Their recommendation for high risk individuals is to invest in a purifier certified to filter down to one micron or boil everything they drink, use for tooth brushing or for washing fresh fruits and vegetables. For many years, the only purifier that was effective at cyst removal was reverse osmosis. Today, sub-micron filtration steps are available. They are less expensive and just as effective. The same symptoms of drinking contaminated water occur when floods or other damage to the community’s infrastructure allow bacteria of any kind to build up. Usually chlorine keeps bacteria counts low. E-coli are a common problem and can also be present in bottled beverages. Home purifiers cannot filter out e-coli. It takes boiling or using chemical disinfectants like chlorine to kill them. Depending on the amount of bacteria present in the supply, a treatment facility may use several different disinfection methods. Ozone, oxygen, bromine, UV light and many other disinfectants have been developed over the years. These disinfectants protect against the acute symptoms of drinking contaminated water; diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, etc. But when any kind of disinfectant interacts with bacteria or other life forms, compounds called trihalomethanes (THMs) are released. You will see THMs listed on the annual report released by your public treatment facility. The compounds are listed, because long term exposure is known to increase a person’s lifetime risks of various kinds of cancer. Exposure can occur when the chemicals become airborne during a shower or whenever hot water is used. They are inhaled and pass through the lungs into the bloodstream. Research has shown that blood levels of THMs are higher after a 10 minute shower than after consumption. So the symptoms of drinking contaminated water can be acute or chronic; short or long term. When a person is diagnosed with cancer, doctors do not typically look for a cause, unless there is a possibility that the person can be compensated because they worked with specific cancer-causing compounds. There are many doctors and scientists who believe that the increased incidence of many rare forms of cancer is due to toxins in the environment. They are present in the outdoor and indoor air. They can be found in our clothing and our foods, as well as our freshwater. You can easily avoid the symptoms of drinking contaminated water, both short and long-term by investing in a good purifier for your home. Just be sure to do some comparative shopping. Not all systems are the same. Gordon Hall is fervent about enabling you and everyone to live a healthy lifestyle, and is an ardent reviewer of Water Purification Systems. Visit his website now at Water-Safe-And-Pure.com to discover which Water Purification Systems Gordon recommends after far ranging comparisons.
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