Pseudomonas Aeruginosa: Assessment of Risk from Drinking Water
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa: Assessment of Risk from Drinking Water
The Issue
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacterium that is naturally found in many types of drinking water. For example, it is a violation of European regulations to have Pseudomonas aeruginosa present in a 250 ml sample of bottled water. However, no such regulation exists in the United States. Apparently, the Pseudomonas aeruginosa regulation in Europe originated as a quality control issue and not as a health effects issue. During the last decade, a number of papers have appeared that have indicated that Pseudomonas aeruginosa from drinking water is a health threat. However, it is not considered a health threat by those in the clinical microbiology or infectious diseases communities. Therefore, an assessment of health risk to humans from Pseudomonas aeruginosa from drinking water was conducted.
Research Strategy
A practicing infectious disease physician (Dr. Catherine Hardalo, Yale University) and a medical microbiologist (Dr. Stephen Edberg, Yale University) collaborated to perform the health risk analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from drinking water. An extensive literature search was conducted and colleagues were consulted.
Major Findings and Significance
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous environmental bacterium. It can be recovered, often in high numbers, in common food, especially vegetables. Moreover, it can be recovered in low numbers in drinking water. A small percentage of clones of Pseudomonas aeruginosa possess the required number of virulence factors to cause infection. However, Pseudomonas aeruginosa will not proliferate on normal tissue but requires previously damaged organs. Further narrowing the risk to human health is that only certain specific hosts are at risk, including patients with profound neutropenia, cystic fibrosis, severe burns, and those subject to foreign device installation. Other than these very well de
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Drinking water regulations are designed to protect the public health. In the United States, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is tasked with developing and maintaining drinking
water regulations for the 276,607,387 people served by the country's 54,293 community water
systems. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates bottled water as a food product. By
federal law, the FDA's regulations for bottled water must be at least as protective of public
health as the EPA's regulations for public water system drinking water. Despite many similarities
in EPA and FDA regulations, consumer perception regarding the safety of drinking waters varies
widely. This paper examines and compares the microbial health risks of tap water and bottled
water, specifically examining differences in quality monitoring, regulatory standards violations,
advisories, and distribution system conditions. It also includes comparison data on the number
of waterborne illness outbreaks caused by both tap and bottled water.
Based on a review of existing research, it is clear that as a consequence of the differences in
regulations, distribution systems, operating (manufacturing) practices, and microbial standards
of quality, public drinking water supplies present a substantially higher human risk than do
bottled waters for illness due to waterborne organisms.
Tap Water Facts
A public water system is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as "a system for the provision to the public of water for human consumption through pipes or other constructed conveyances, if such system has at least fifteen service connections or regularly serves at least twenty-five individuals." A public water system can be either publicly or privately owned.
Most of us understand that staying hydrated is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. But what does water really do for our bodies? Water is essential for human life - we can survive only a few days without it.