State: Recycled water has Crypto, giardia

"Aquathin OP-ED Commentary"

Dear Aquathin Dealer OnLine, Splash NewsBulletin and Allergic Reaction NewsBulletin Members; We have sent several Splash NewsBulletins regarding use of recycled water sometimes referred to as "Toilet to Tap". Note: while this article speaks of Florida, the practice has begun in other states as well.  This extremely new practice has caused much controversy and unsettled feelings. I have boldfaced two paragraphs below which are at the root of the insecurity. The same source of this report advises the mentioned bacteria have already harmed residents...and later advises to send your kids through the sprinklers. Clearly responsible commentary should come from scientific research and proven experience.

There is another consideration here concerning recycled water. The process of irrigation with recycled water also causes "offgassing" of volatile organic chemicals (carcinogens) into the air, including THMs (trihalomethanes) formed by the chlorination of organic residue within waste water. As this practice were to popularize, a breath of fresh air in a park or golf course could be quite difficult to find.  

Well, you know what my next comment usually is .........I love my Aquathin !

 

State: Recycled water has Crypto, giardia

 

ORLANDO, FL — Officials here say recycling water is helping conserve drinking water supplies, but has created health concerns because millions of gallons being re-used may contain high levels of giardia and Cryptosporidium.

More than 100,000 lawns and 400 golf courses in Florida areirrigated with treated sewage, a practice the state endorses as a way to conserve drinking water, the Orlando Sentinel reported.  But state regulators say tests show both Crypto and giardia were found in high levels in the recycled product, said the newspaper.

Florida's Department of Environmental Protection hopes that research by a California utility will show that sewage treatment renders the microscopic parasites unable to infect people, the article said.  But clean-water advocates are worried by Florida's inaction, according to the Sentinel.

"The state is going blindly forward not accounting for the risk," said Suzi Ruhl, director of the Legal Environmental Assistance Foundation, the article said.  An outbreak did occur in 1996 in the Clay County development of Eagle Harbor, where more than 60 residents were infected by either of the two germs, the newspaper said. According to the newspaper, health authorities never proved the source, but suspected recycled sewage.  There are no limits for Crypto and giardia in treated sewage used to water lawns and landscaping in many of the state's cities and most of Central Florida communities, said the newspaper.  Instead, utilities must test the reclaimed water for a relatively harmless type of bacteria found in human waste and if the tests show that a sewage plant is removing that bug, then other germs are thought to be stripped away as well, the Sentinel reported.

While state regulators warn against drinking recycled sewage, which is clear and has little or no odor, they say it safe for kids running through sprinklers, the newspaper said.

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Edited from Tech Bank 9/26/02