EYE
OPENER
My
water, My health!!
Every
drop of water can serve as either a body nourishing or a body deteriorating
resource.
WATERBORNE
PATHOGENS
There
are many disease causing organisms that consumers could be exposed to through
ingestion and contact with contaminated drinking water. The more common
pathogens that can be found in drinking water are as follows:
Protozoa: Protozoa
are microorganisms that can live in animals, people and the environment. Many
protozoa have life cycle stages that include cysts and oocysts. The cysts and
oocysts are generally resistant to normal residual chlorine levels, but are
more readily deactivated by ultraviolet (UV) disinfection. Most protozoa,
including cyst and oocyst stages, will be removed by water filtration devices
capable of removing 1 micron particles (i.e. microfiltration).
Bacteria: Bacteria
are usually killed by normal chlorine residual levels. Most bacteria will be
removed by microfiltration ("<"1 micron) and most will be
effectively deactivated by ultraviolet (UV) disinfection, although some species
may require increased UV doses. Bacterial spores can be resistant to normal
chlorine disinfectant levels and some are resistant to UV. Small bacteria and
spores may pass through filters at the microfiltration level. Bacteria that can
cause waterborne illness include Escherichia coli; and species of Salmonella,
Vibrio, Shigella, Camphylobacter, etc.
Viruses: Viruses
are rapidly inactivated by normal chlorine residual levels. But their small
size, typically less than 0.01 microns, allows viruses to pass through 1 micron
filters. In addition, some viruses are resistant to inactivation by exposure to
UV light. Hence, ordinary water filtration and UV disinfection may not provide
adequate viral treatment and viruses are usually controlled with chemical
disinfection. Viruses that can cause waterborne illnesses include: Hepatitis A,Adenoviruses, Hepatitis E,
Enteroviruses (including Polio-, Echo and Coxsackie viruses), Rotaviruses,
Caliciviruses, etc.
BOILING AND PASTEURIZATION
Boiling
water kills or inactivates viruses, bacteria, protozoa and other pathogens by
using heat to damage structural components and disrupt essential life processes
(e.g. denature proteins). Boiling is not sterilization and is more accurately
characterized as pasteurization. Sterilization kills all the organisms present,
while pasteurization kills those organisms that can cause harm to humans. Cooking
food is also a form of pasteurization. For pasteurization to be effective,
water or food must be heated to at least the pasteurization temperature for the
organisms of concern and held at that temperature for a prescribed interval.
The
effectiveness of pasteurization is directly related to temperature and time.
Milk is commonly pasteurized at 149°F/65°C for 30 seconds, or 280°F/138°C for
at least two seconds. A study of the effectiveness of pasteurization of milk
intentionally contaminated with Cryptosporidium found that five seconds of
heating at 161°F/72°C rendered the oocysts non-infectious.
Although,
some bacterial spores not typically associated with water borne disease are
capable of surviving boiling conditions (e.g. clostridium and bacillus spores),
research shows that water borne pathogens are inactivated or killed at
temperatures below boiling (212°F or 100°C). In water, pasteurization is
reported to begin at temperatures as low as 131°F/55°C for protozoan cysts.
Similarly, it is reported that one minute of heating to 162°/72°C and two
minutes of heating at 144°/62°C will render Cryptosporidium oocysts
non-infectious. Other studies report that water pasteurized at 150°F/65°C for
20 minutes will kill or inactivate those organisms that can cause harm to
humans. These include: Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Endameba, the eggs of
worms, Vibrio
cholera, Shigella, Salmonella bacteria, those that cause
typhoid, the enterotoxogenic strains of E. coli, Hepatitis A and rotaviruses. It is also
reported that a 99.999% kill of water borne microorganisms can be achieved at
149°F/65°C in five minutes of exposure, which makes boiling or pasteurization a
very good activity to carryout on your water.
NGCS ARGUABLE FACT
The
erroneous believe that boiling your water during cooking will eradicate all the
microorganisms present in it has been the traditional believe of most people
especially in this part of the world (Paleotropics (Africa esp.)), but there
are lots of microorganisms that can actually survive temperature above boiling
point(1000c)
and are very harmful to human health.
NGCS QUESTIONS
FOR THE DAY?
Can
you even boil all the water that comes out of your tap?(While washing dishes,
while taking your bath, before drinking, etc)
How
often do you carry out this aforementioned activity?
How
safe are you?
Do
you know there are certain microorganisms; when present in your water when
taking your bath can lead to a lot of skin diseases, and probably death, a very
good and well known example is 'Schistosomiasis'.
Schistosomiasis is also known as Bilharzia. It is
a tropical disease caused by a parasitic infection with worms from the Schistosomatidae family that are present in one’s
bathing water . The disease can stay in the body system for years and develop
in stage from acute to chronic Schistosomiasis without you knowing , you just
keep on treating malaria fever or similar symptoms illness. It can cause fever,
headache, tiredness, abdominal pain at its acute stage and can lead to
palpitation, breathlessness, cough, liver failure, paralysis, blood in the stool and urine.etc. The World
Health Organization (WHO) reports that about 200 million people are infected
with schistosomiasis worldwide.
NGCS SOLUTION
Since
you can't boil all the water that comes out of your tap, and microorganisms
won't stop growing and multiplying in your water storage tanks and body system
eventually. Why don't you just adapt to the bottom to top approach of the
Nehemial General Cleaning Service which involves tackling water quality issue
using professional approach which involves thorough cleaning and microorganism
disinfection using certain chemicals at a strategic point that is reachable to
us (YOUR WATER STORAGE TANKS/ CISTERN) and have your whole family safe.
PEOPLE
SUFFERING FROM SCHISTOSOMIASIS AROUND THE WORLD
