Giardia, Cryptosporidium and other water diseases

Bali Belly. Montezuma’s Revenge. Beaver Fever. Traveller’s diarrhoea. These are the common names for bacteria that have entered into your digestive system, primarily from sources of infection or ingestion or fecally contaminated food or water.

Here in Australia our main water supplies to the cities are filtered and protected against contamination. They are regularly checked by authorities, but that does not mean problems do not occur.

In 1998, a highly publicised Giardia and Cryptosporidium outbreak was reported in Sydney with a contamination of the mains water supply from Warragamba Dam. It was a highly publicised event with authorities issuing “boil water” alerts to the 4 million residents of the city. Widespread demand for bottled water caused havoc at shopping centres, with the effects causing a change in the habits of Sydneysiders who continued to heavily use bottled water in subsequent years.

Whilst an inquiry into the event revealed the publicity was an exaggeration of fact and the number of cases were minimized, it had brought to the publics’ attention how susceptible we are to illness from drinking water.

When travelling overseas to developing countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and South America, many Australians fall ill as they drink the local water which is not filtered and protected at the same level as here in Australia. Hence we have the common terminology of Bali Belly and Montezuma’s Revenge!

Giardia infection occurs through ingestion of dormant cysts in water typically contaminated by faecal matter, or food that has been washed but not cooked in contaminated water. These cysts can survive for weeks or even months in cold water and therefore can be present in contaminated wells, water systems, rain water storage and even mountain streams! There is the possibility that Giardia can be evident in city water treatments as it is resistance to water treatment using chlorination and ozeonolysis.

Cryptosporidium, also referred to as Crypto, is also infected through contaminated water or uncooked cross-contaminated food that has been in contact with faeces of an infected individual or animal. It too has a high resistance to disinfectants such as chlorine.

Rural residents who rely on tank water are the most susceptible to Giardia and Cryptosporidium from their drinking water. In these rural settings, wildlife such as possums, birds, and cats can contaminate areas which provide water supply directly into the storage tanks for rain water.

In most scenarios, rain water is collected from roof tops, along gutters and down pipe systems into the storage tank. Build-up of vegetation and constant traffic of wildlife can cause faecal matter to find its way into the storage tank, contaminating the drinking water.

Even the most vigilant home owner cannot prevent contamination of their water supply. Regular cleaning of debris off roof tops and gutters will help prevent contamination, however, thorough cleaning of sludge from the bottom of the water tank, and subsequent sanitisation of the water and tank are required.

For city dwellers that use their rain water tanks for laundry washing and other ‘grey water’ tasks, it is still very easy for cross contamination to occur. For this reason, it is extremely important to ensure regular cleaning and sanitisation of your water tank is conducted.

Water filter products available on the market today can easily purify any water source, and protect you from these crippling diseases. Pristine Water Systems uses our proprietary QuadClean process to clean and sanitise your water tank, even when it is full!