According to a recent Natural News article, “Half of US tap water found to contain live bacterium that can cause Legionnaires' disease.” This is the same live bacterium that can possibly result in a deadly form of pneumonia. Environmental Science & Technology made the news public regarding these astonishing findings!
Scientific researchers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collected the sum of 272 water samples from 68 taps through-out the U.S. during a two-year duration. The testing results were startling; 47% of the samples tested positive for Legionella pneumophila, a bacterium potentially capable of developing into either Legionnaires' disease or the less-severe Pontiac fever upon infection. These conditions are collectively referred to as legionellosis.
Surprisingly enough, almost half of the taps from which water samples were collected from, 32 in total, were found to contain traces of L. Pneumophila, in at least one collected sample. Of the 32 taps, 11 were recognized as containing the bacterium in multiple test samples. For example, water samples were collected from all over the residences; kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, drinking fountains and refrigerator water dispensers, based on the reported findings.
Surprisingly enough, almost half of the taps from which water samples were collected from, 32 in total, were found to contain traces of L. Pneumophila, in at least one collected sample. Of the 32 taps, 11 were recognized as containing the bacterium in multiple test samples. For example, water samples were collected from all over the residences; kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, drinking fountains and refrigerator water dispensers, based on the reported findings.
And, what I find even more startling than these results is the FACT that, "This study is the first national survey in documenting the occurrence and colonization of L. pneumophila Sg1 in cold water from the point-of-use taps."
Really?
The first national study?
Really?
The first national study?
A word of caution at this point needs to be strongly suggested.
Legionnaires' disease is known to be contracted through airborne exposure; which means that drinking contaminated water is not necessarily an issue per se. But, breathing in the vapors of contaminated water can be, like during a hot shower, or, as we already have known from our own fatal legionnaires’ history; as in, the condensation produced within an air conditioning unit!
Vapor is the only known transmission medium of this bacterium into our bodies. You cannot acquire legionnaires by drinking it from contaminated water, or eating things it has been washed in, or even catching it necessarily, from other people! Please keep that also in mind!
I agree to the voice of warning of this activist reporter writing on this topic, “Though relatively rare, infections leading to legionellosis are mostly caused by L. pneumophila when they do emerge, which supports the urgent relevance of this latest investigation. If potentially millions of Americans are regularly exposed to a bacterium that could, in some cases, kill them, then public health agencies need to address the problem, or at the very least warn the public”.
Makes absolute sense to me!You can view the full study abstract as published by the American Chemical Society here: http://pubs.acs.org.
