Bacteria, the most numerous organisms on the planet, are of literally millions of different types. Bacteria are present in everything from water to food, and on objects one touches every day. Bacteria are among the smallest organisms on earth, but they can cause some of the greatest problems. Nearly all bacteria that come in contact with human are harmless but some types of bacteria are very harmful, particularly those from sewage, even when present in small amounts. At an early age, most people develop immunity to common bacteria. But people with damaged or undeveloped immune systems, such as newborns, AIDS patients, the elderly, and cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, are less resistant to disease and are more appropriate to become ill due to bacterial infections. Bacteria found in drinking water, they come from several sources.
Soil, surrounding the water system is the most common source. These soil bacteria colonize every available surface after entering the system, they grow and then continually slough off into the water. In addition, during construction and repair of water lines, and through cracks in pipes when water pressure fluctuates, bacteria can get into water. On a regular basis, harmful bacteria levels are checked by Municipal water systems. To test for all bacteria, since it is impractical, they test instead for the main sewage organism, called E. coli. The occurrence of harmful sewage contamination is confirmed by the presence of E. coli in water. This test is conducted by larger water municipalities in many times each day. continue reading…
