AWWA JAW57953

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.