Erin Brockovich

It is safe to say that in the United States that drinking water is treated, filtered and drinkable. After all, with the progress of chemical water treatment and the rules for administration of EPA water you receive at home is guaranteed to be drinkable. Even if our water is clean and safe level of the spread of waterborne diseases is still a threat, and the EPA continues to study and research to find other ways to protect public health by ensuring there are fewer contaminants in drinking water.

In January of this year, the EPA has introduced a new rule to the primary National Drinking Water Regulations, the two long-term surface water treatment improved the rule. This rule requires water systems to monitor levels of Cryptosporidium. Its purpose is to improve the quality of drinking water and reduce the number of illnesses caused by cryptography and other diseases causing micro-organisms that may be present in drinking water and eventually discovered reservoirs water.

Cryptosporidium is often found in systems in which the results of E-coli testing of total coliform bacteria exceeded the level of concentration determined. The test results of total coliform bacteria are used as the main indicator of water potability.

The microscopic parasite Cryptosporidium causes diarrheal disease cryptosporidiosis. In recent years, recreational water facilities have been implicated in several outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis. Crypto is transmitted in water by feces of humans or animals. Young children are highly susceptible to contracting cryptosporidiosis from water supplies contaminated recreation because they are often swallow quantities of water while swimming. In addition, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are also a great risk if crypto is contracted.

The parasites cryptosporidium create a challenge in trying to keep the water clean and disinfected, since the parasites are resistant to chemical disinfectants, including chlorine. Filtration is currently the only conventional method of removing water crypto. Sand filtration has proved the best job. The water is disinfected after filtration and then it is considered consumable.

The monitoring of major water networks, such services to 100,000 people to cryptosporidium begin in October this year, according to the EPA rule LT2. Smaller systems, including the service of less than 10,000 people, will not be required to undertake supervision until October 2008. This monitoring is an extension of existing regulations and increase the level of protection on the supply of drinking water.

To learn more about the rule LT2, visit the EPA http://www.epa.gov/safewater/disinfection/lt2/index.html.