The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently raised alarm over the presence of chromium-6 in single samples of drinking water from 31 of 35 U.S. cities tested. The group’s report notes the average level of chromium-6 in the 35 samples (0.18 parts per billion, or “ppb”) is higher than the 2009 draft California health goal of
During the 2010 Healthy Pools Campaign, more than 43,000 pool test kits were distributed to people who requested them from the Water Quality & Health Council Healthy Pools website. Over the course of the summer, 747 participants from across the nation monitored and uploaded their pool chemistry data – pH and chlorine levels – to
There is an ongoing investigation in the state of Florida to examine the practices of certain water treatment companies and the techniques used to sell water filtering equipment. The state Attorney General’s office has been combating these companies for years using sting operations and hidden cameras to catch these scam artists in the act of selling
A national ongoing outbreak of salmonella-contaminated eggs has sickened over 1,400 people since May, according to experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The outbreak has been tracked to in-shell eggs from Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms in Iowa, which have launched a nationwide recall of over 550 million eggs suspected of being
Swimming is a fun and healthy activity for people of all ages. However, improperly chlorinated water puts swimmers at risk for recreational water illnesses like diarrhea and ear and skin infections. Misleading claims about saline pool systems can lead to confusion and potential public health risk…
At least 15 people in Jackson, Missouri have been infected with E. coli bacteria after drinking water at a local fitness center. E. coli is a strain of the bacteria that causes infections in an estimated 70,000 Americans each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Public Health officials from Cape Girardeau County tested a drinking fountain and a
Last month, the City of Saratoga Springs, Utah, issued a boil water order for the northern half of the city after Campylobacter bacteria were discovered in the city’s drinking water system. At least 15 people became ill with confirmed Campylobacteriosis, and the Utah County Health Department received additional reports of illness including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps consistent with Campylobacter infection.
Investigators from the Minnesota Department of Health are probing a norovirus outbreak that affected more than 60 students in the Renville County West school district last week. The students complained of vomiting and severe diarrhea. Noroviruses cause gastroenteritis, which is an inflammation of the stomach and the small and large intestines, in people of all ages, though
Vancomycin is a powerful, chlorine-containing antibiotic drug that often works when all other antibiotics fail. Vancomycin has saved the lives of patients suffering from serious, stubborn bacterial illnesses. Now, for the first time, researchers have uncovered how bacteria recognize and develop resistance to vancomycin. A research team led by Dr. Gerry Wright of McMaster University
There has been a lot of press recently touting new water filters for faucets, showers, and entire home systems. As a marketing tactic to increase sales of these products, advertisers have been overplaying an unsubstantiated risk associated with drinking water chlorination. They overlook the benefits of chlorine as an inexpensive and highly effective disinfectant and