Drinking water collected from springs and other pure sources is becoming crazy in both the US and Canada. Experts in public health advise not to turn it into a practice given the amount of microorganisms that this type of water contains that can lead to serious infections and even death. There is a long history of people who have consumed raw water and an outbreak of infections such as Dr. Ray Copes, head of environmental and occupational health at Public Health in Ontario.
The US has just reported a number of companies that are marketing raw water, arguing that it is better than tap water or bottled water since it does not contain fluoride and retains beneficial minerals and good bacteria that would otherwise be eliminated through water treatment methods. disinfection or filtration.
This water is sold at expensive prices according to the company Live Water based in San Francisco, 9.5 liters for 70 dollars.
However, Copes says that water extracted directly from nature can contain bacteria such as e.coli, salmonella and campylobacter, along with parasites such as cryptosporidium and guard. These microbes come from the defecation of cattle and sheep, also from wild animals that defecate both on land and in water. That is why these microorganisms can be present in any surface water and cause infections.
An example of this is the May 2000 outbreak in Walkerton Ontario of e.coli, a strain that sickened some 2,500 residents and killed seven as a result of the supply of infected water.
Jan Sargeant, director of the center for public health and zoonoses at the University of Guelph in southwest Ontario, says microorganisms are always a danger when drinking raw water.
It is also known as “beaver fever” fever that affects campers and canoeists who drink water from rivers and lakes. And even if there are people who drink untreated water, Sargeant does not think it’s healthier. Municipalities treat drinking water to make it safer.
More information: ‘Raw water’ could be deadly, experts warn
Our end-point filters filter out all types of pathogens and provide antibacterial water free of microorganisms.
H2OTAP1000
