Terror threat to city water

[Lumi]

Terror threat to city water

By: Michael Neibauer
Examiner Staff Writer
January 12, 2010



Chlorine changed to protect D.C., Va. supply

The main disinfectant in the drinking water of nearly 1 million D.C. and Northern Virginia residents is being switched by the Army Corps of Engineers to thwart the threat of terrorists releasing deadly chlorine gas.

The switch will be from chlorine gas to a liquid form of chlorine called sodium hypochlorite. Both are equally effective, according to the Washington Aqueduct, an arm of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. But the liquid, "is considered much safer to transport, store and use than gaseous chlorine," said an official.

Chlorine and water disinfection "may be the best thing to happen to the world" in the last 100 years, Thomas Jacobus, Washington Aqueduct general manager, told The Examiner. But the gaseous chlorine that currently is being used is potentially deadly if released; it was used in World War I as a choking agent.

"If you've got individuals or movements who want to try to use your own products againt you, if someone were to intercept a rail car, reroute it and release its contents, it could be devastating," Jacobus said.

The aqueduct provides roughly 180 million gallons of drinking water a day to about 1 million residents in the District, Arlington and Falls Church.

The switch is "absolutely a good sign" for homeland security in the nation's capital, said D.C. Councilman Phil Mendelson, chairman of the public safety committee.

But a broader fear remains: Dangerous materials are regularly transported through the District by rail, Mendelson said, and the federal government is far too secretive with that information.

"It appears that the shipments of the most hazardous materials have been removed from the Virginia Avenue [rail] line but they continue on the Northeast line," Mendelson said. "We just don't know."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the chlorine swap in mid-December. Changeover presents no hazard, officials said. But the corps and the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority will nevertheless increase monitoring and testing for 18 months.

The change to liquid chlorine will start in the next month, Jacobus said. At the same time, the aqueduct also will begin adding caustic soda and a sulfuric acid solution to the water to balance pH levels.

Officials say city and Northern Virginia residents will not notice any difference in the way local water tastes or smells.

Washington Aqueduct water is disinfected in two stages -- the primary phase features chlorine and the second chloramine, a combination of chlorine and ammonia. Fluoride is added to reduce tooth decay, orthophosphate to control pipe corrosion and minimize lead release, and occasionally powdered activated carbon for taste and odor control.

 

[vinnie]

the aqueduct also will begin adding caustic soda and a sulfuric acid solution to the water

should go good with a big mac :00hour

 

[THE KOD]

I read there was a recent study in Virginia where they tested soda fountains in fast food restaurants.

50% tested positive for fecal material. With the chance of e coli involvement.

christ - I already will not allow lemons in my drinks anymore after reading how they are handled and then dropped into your drink. no thanks/

Today I was in Wendys and hesitated when I got to the soda fountain. :scared

wtf is this world coming to

 

[THE KOD]

(CNN) -- It fizzes. It quenches. And it could also contain fecal bacteria.

Nearly half of the 90 beverages from soda fountain machines in one area in Virginia tested positive for coliform bacteria -- which could indicate possible fecal contamination, according to a study published in the January issue of International Journal of Food Microbiology.

Researchers also detected antibiotic-resistant microbes and E.coli in the soda samples.

"Certainly we come in contact with bacteria all the time," Renee Godard, lead author of the study and professor of biology and environmental studies at Hollins University, a private liberal arts college in Roanoke, Virginia. "It's simply that some bacteria may potentially cause some disease or gastrointestinal distress. One thing we hesitate with is that people get afraid of bacteria. Many of them are benign or helpful, but certainly, I don't want E.coli in my beverage."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's drinking-water regulations require that all samples test negative for E.coli.

Many of the soda beverages from the dispensers fell below U.S. drinking-water standards, according to the findings.

"The large number of beverages and soda fountain machines containing E. coli is still of considerable concern... and suggests that more pathogenic strains of bacteria could persist and thrive in soda fountain machines if introduced," the authors wrote.

Godard and her colleagues acquired 90 beverages of three types, (sugar soda, diet soda, water) from 30 fast food restaurants in a 22-mile area near Roanoke, in southern Virginia. They surveyed beverages from both self-service and employee-dispensed machines and the samples were tested.

There were no reported outbreaks of food-borne illness related in the Roanoke area at the time of the study.

They found that 48 percent of beverages obtained from soda fountains contained coliform bacteria, 11 percent contained E. coli (which are mostly harmless, but some can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia), and 17 percent had Chryseobacterium meningosepticum (which could sicken newborns or adults with weakened immune systems).

Dean Cliver, professor of food safety emeritus at University of California Davis, said it would be premature to draw broad conclusions about all soda fountains from a localized study.

"How sanitation regulations are promulgated and enforced in a community are different," Cliver said. "Some communities are more on to it than others. How much of a threat it represents? It's probably limited. Once again, it's a matter of what regulations are in place, who pays attention and whether it's being followed."

The samples were contained in petri dishes and the bacteria multiplied within 48 hours, so much so that they became visible to the naked eye as 300 to 400 tiny dots, Godard said.

A Hollins undergraduate microbiology student accidentally discovered that water from a restaurant beverage dispenser contained bacteria while completing a homework assignment. When the results came back, this piqued the interest of faculty and students.

The researchers are uncertain how the bacteria got inside the beverage machines.

"It could be from dispensing with a hand that wasn't clean or using wet rags to wipe down the machine," Godard said. "We haven't done the work to really identify those potential sources and how these bacteria get established."

Manitowoc Foodservice, one of the leading manufacturers of ice and beverage equipment, did not have the opportunity to review the study, but released this statement in response to CNN.com's questions: "We emphasize in our product support material proper methods for and the importance of frequent, thorough cleaning and sanitizing of foodservice equipment. In food equipment as in any environment where microorganisms can occur naturally or be spread by contact, it is essential to follow proven steps for cleaning and sanitizing."

The National Restaurant Association, a business association for the restaurant industry, e-mailed this statement in response to the findings: "While the results of this study are disconcerting, we feel that it isn't representative of our industry and that our guests can safely enjoy beverages from dispensers and single-serve containers alike."

The American Beverage Association made this statement: "Fountain beverages are safe. Consumers can rest assured that our industry's fountain beverages pose no public health risk." The organization, which represents hundreds of beverage producers, distributors, and franchise companies stated that "Importantly, our industry meets, and often exceeds, all government health standards in bringing its products to market."

Whether other outbreaks have occurred because of contaminated soda machines is difficult to determine, because food-related illnesses are notoriously challenging to pinpoint, Godard said.

According to the research literature, one study has linked a 1998 outbreak to soda fountains after 99 soldiers in a U.S. Army base were hospitalized with gastroenteritis.

Although ice can become contaminated, researchers ruled it out as the source of contamination after testing revealed that it did not contain coliform bacteria
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:scared

 

[THE KOD]

The study mentioned in the message is genuine. It was conducted in 2007 by Anne LaGrange Loving, Assistant Professor of Science at Passaic County Community College. It is a common practise for restaurant staff to include a slice of lemon on the rim of a glass or in the drink itself. Staff often include the lemon slice as a matter of course, even if the patron did not specifically request it. The purpose of the study was to determine if these lemon slices contained microbial contamination that could be inadvertently consumed by patrons.

?iStockphoto.com/Gary Woodard


A study has found that lemon slices used to garnish drinks served in restaurants may be contaminated by harmful bacteria
In order to conduct the study, a total of 76 lemon samples were collected from 21 restaurants during 43 separate visits. Water and soda were the only drinks used in the study. Each sample was collected as soon as the drink was served and without the knowledge of restaurant staff. The collector took the sample using a collection swab without actually touching the lemon slice and before consuming any of the drink.

The collected samples were then cultured in the laboratory. Results revealed that 69.7 percent of the cultured samples showed microbial growth in the lemon's rind, flesh, or both. The microbes found in the lemon slices all have the potential to cause infectious diseases in humans.

Thus, the warning message is basically factual. The lemon wedge in your restaurant drink may well contain potentially harmful bacteria. That said, however, the study acknowledges that it did not attempt to determine the actual likelihood of people falling ill as a result of contaminated lemon slices. It notes that an "extensive search of the literature yielded no reported outbreaks or illnesses attributed to lemon slices in beverages".

The warning message implies that the microbial contamination in lemon slices is the result of poor hygiene standards by restaurant staff. However, the study itself states that it could not definitively identify the actual origin of the microbial contamination. Bacteria may indeed have been transferred from the fingertips of restaurant staff during drink preparation. On the other hand, contamination could also have occurred before the lemons arrived at the restaurant or even as a result of airborne spores settling on the lemons or implements used to prepare them.

The findings of this study show that potentially harmful microorganisms can definitely survive on lemon slices and restaurant patrons should certainly be aware of this fact. However, the study was unable to establish how much of a threat such contamination actually poses to patrons and suggests that further research into the issue may be warranted.

Furthermore, it seems reasonable to suspect that, not only lemons, but other drink garnishes such as limes, cherries or olives might also have the potential to be contaminated. And, of course, if restaurant workers fail to maintain high standards of hygiene, bacterial contamination of the meal that accompanies your lemon-garnished drink could occur. As stated earlier, there are as yet no reports of illness caused by contaminated lemon slices. However, outbreaks of disease caused by contaminated restaurant meals are well documented and not uncommon
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Terrorists just need to leave us alone. We are perfectly capable of killing our own people from wiithin.

:SIB

 

[vinnie]

I read there was a recent study in Virginia where they tested soda fountains in fast food restaurants.

50% tested positive for fecal material.

...................

 

[MadJack]

...................

:mj07: