Oh, the power of suggestion of running water…the overwhelming sense of urgency elicited. The little boy in this year’s TaxACT Super Bowl XLVI commercial is in the family swimming pool when he realizes he has to go! He tries to do the right thing: He leaves the pool and dashes through the house in search of an open bathroom. But luck is not on his side. Every bathroom is occupied and to make matters worse, as he races from room to room, the little guy is tormented by the sight of water streaming from the washing machine and steam shooting from the tea kettle. Desperate, he plunges back into the pool where relief floods his face. Yes, he pees in the pool. But he tried valiantly to avoid it.

In 2009 the Water Quality & Health Council conducted a public survey that found one in five American adults admit to having peed in a pool. The news made headlines and focused attention on this unsanitary practice.

Peeing in the pool is a lose/lose proposition because:

• Swimmer urine depletes chlorine that would otherwise be available to destroy waterborne germs.
• Chlorine reacts with urine to produce

… READ MORE >>

In the case of private well water that undergoes no treatment at all, taste and odor are simply a function of the presence of naturally occurring minerals and organic matter in the locally tapped groundwater. Municipal treatment, however, adds another level of “complexity” for the palate.

According to the American Water Works Association (AWWA), “ultra-treated” water is disagreeable. Distilled water, for example, which is pure water with no dissolved components, tastes flat, bitter, and astringent. (You would know this if you have ever tasted distilled water sold for steam ironing.) That’s because our mouths are accustomed to the pH and mineral content of our saliva, which are quite different from those of distilled water.

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes flu-like symptoms of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramping.

(Image from CDC website)

The dreaded “stomach flu” that hits particularly hard in winter is not a flu at all. It is norovirus, a highly contagious virus that causes symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramping. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the illness often begins suddenly and lasts for one to two days with no long-term adverse health effects. True “flu” is a respiratory disease caused by the influenza viruses; sometimes the “true flu” can also cause gastrointestinal symptoms similar to norovirus. Getting an annual flu vaccine can help prevent flu; unfortunately, there is no vaccine for the norovirus and antibiotics, useful only for bacterial infections, do not help.

Norovirus is extremely common and has gained notoriety as a vacation cruise spoiler and an unwelcome visitor in child and adult care facilities, schools, restaurants, hospitals and dormitories. Norovirus particles are extremely small and are discharged by the billions in the stool or vomit of infected people, according to CDC. Yet, fewer than 100 virus particles… READ MORE >>

Eight people who walked by just such a water wall in a Wisconsin hospital lobby in 2010 are believed to have contracted the disease by inhaling the mist from the streaming water. Legionella can affect people whose immunity may be depressed due to an underlying illness, or due to a medication regimen; smokers may also be vulnerable. One of the patients affected in Wisconsin was a delivery person who had been a smoker and had made two deliveries to the hospital. Others had visited the pharmacy adjacent to the water wall to obtain medications.

The outbreak is an unintended consequence of well-intentioned efforts to create a soothing and welcoming healthcare environment. For now, we know those decorative water walls are a bad idea unless sanitary conditions are meticulously maintained.

Legionella under the Rocks

A new study published in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology notes that although the decorative water wall underwent routine cleaning and maintenance, the bacterium… READ MORE >>

Chlorinated wash water used during cantaloupe processing can help reduce the risk of foodborne illness to consumers.

Last summer a family-owned farm in Colorado became the focal point of the largest foodborne illness outbreak in the US in 25 years. Tragically, cantaloupe contaminated with Listeria bacteria sickened 146 people in 28 states, killed 30 and caused one pregnant woman to miscarry, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded the outbreak likely could have been prevented if Jensen Farms had maintained its facilities in accordance with existing voluntary FDA guidance. FDA has no enforceable regulations on cantaloupe processing, and farm facility auditors conducting inspections do not consider FDA voluntary guidance when scoring facilities. Scores can be lowered only if practices are inconsistent with FDA regulations. That could, and should, change.

Recently the House Committee on Energy and Commerce released a report outlining multiple operational problems contributing to the cantaloupe contamination. The investigation report notes FDA officials were “highly critical of the processing methods used at Jensen Farms,” and emphasized two probable causes of the contamination:… READ MORE >>

• 2011-2012 Flu Season: So Far, So Good
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) flu prevalence maps indicate flu season is off to a slow start. But don’t be complacent: Flu activity most often peaks during the month of FEBRUARY.

• Flu Season is Unpredictable
  In the U.S., on average, 5 -20% of the population gets the flu each year, and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from seasonal flu-related complications. According to CDC, flu seasons are unpredictable and can be severe. Just because you have never had the flu doesn’t mean you won’t get it this year.

• Flu Risk by Zip Code?
  One study correlated the percentage of children in a given zip code with the risk of ending up in the Emergency Room with the flu. Preventing the spread of flu in children may be an important factor in slowing a flu epidemic. Experts recommend that everyone six months and older should get a flu vaccination each year.

• Vaccination Statistics
  According to CDC, the best way to prevent seasonal flu is by getting a flu vaccination each year. As of November, 2011, only approximately 36% of

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“Clostridium difficile,” is a spore-forming bacterium that can live in the lower gastrointestinal tract of some humans and is shed in feces. Persons hosting C. diff may have no symptoms and be unaware that they are contagious. Other persons will become infected under specific circumstances. A C. diff infection may produce watery diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, nausea or abdominal pain and tenderness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), patients who are at increased risk for infection include those who:

• are taking antibiotics
• have had gastrointestinal procedures
• have had a prolonged stay in a healthcare institution
• have a serious underlying illness
• are of an advanced age.

Any surface or medical device that becomes contaminated with feces may serve as a reservoir for C. diff spores including toilets, bathtubs, or electronic rectal thermometers. In the healthcare setting, the spores are thought to be transferred to patients mainly via the hands of healthcare personnel who have touched a contaminated surface or item.… READ MORE >>

This holiday season the Water Quality & Health Council hopes you will enjoy the good cheer of family and friends. Seeing the little ones is one of the special joys of the season. Naturally, we want them to be healthy and avoid the colds and flu that seem to run rampant at this time of year.

One of the best lessons we can teach children about staying healthy is the importance of hand washing.

Here’s a fun coloring page from the American Cleaning Institute® that just may help turn the little folks in your life into budding public health experts:

Clean Your Paws for Santa Claus Coloring Page

Click on the link above to download the coloring page.

Naegleria fowleri
Image used with permission of Dr. Francine Marciano-Cabral, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.

Neti pot¹ use is being blamed for the deaths of two Louisiana residents who developed a rare fatal brain infection after using the device to clear their sinuses (The Advocate article). The infections are believed to have been caused by the water-dwelling parasite, Naegleria fowleri. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Naegleria may be present in warm lakes and rivers and geothermal waters, such as hot springs and natural spas. It can also live in inadequately chlorinated swimming pool water. If the parasite is inadvertently inhaled and migrates from the human nose to the brain, it can cause “amoebic meningoencephalitis” and almost certain death. People cannot be infected with this parasite by drinking water.

Neti pot users circulate warm saline water through the nostrils; if water is contaminated with Naegleria, which appears to have been the case for two unfortunate people in Louisiana, the result can spell tragedy. In the case last June of one victim, a young man in his 20s, the infection was traced to… READ MORE >>

This year 43 percent of Americans plan to be immunized in hopes of warding off the flu, according to an interclick survey reported in Infection Control Today. The survey found more women (46%) than men (38%) will roll up their sleeves for the shot this year. Men would be well-advised to be immunized, however. Based on the interclick survey responses, doing so could potentially preserve marital peace. The Walgreens report noted one-third of women respondents think their spouse is very annoying or “a nightmare” when sick, while only 14 percent of men feel the same way.

What is the flu?

Influenza (the flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to… READ MORE >>