Cinnaminson, NJ, December 26
th, 2017
Just how safe is the drinking water in the United States and how common are waterborne disease outbreaks associated with drinking water? These questions were the focus of several reports in the November issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to one article that looked at the years of 2013–2014, there were 42 drinking water-associated outbreaks reported in 19 states. These accounted for at least 1,006 cases of illness, 124 hospitalizations and 13 deaths. Legionella was associated with fifty-seven percent of these outbreaks and all of the deaths. Sixty-nine percent of the reported illnesses occurred in four outbreaks in which the etiology was determined to be either a chemical or toxin or the parasite Cryptosporidium. These reports did not include issues associated with lead contamination of drinking water.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that drinking water may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. Some drinking water contaminants may be harmful if consumed at certain levels while others may be harmless. The EPA provides general categories of drinking water contaminants; they include physical, chemical, biological and radiological contaminants.
“Clean water is a key ingredient for all of our health,” said Joe Frasca, Senior Vice President of Marketing at EMSL Analytical, Inc. “Water serves a number of essential functions and is a vital component of every cell in the human body so it’s important that everyone has access to drinking water that is free of contaminants that could cause health concerns.”
Helping to ensure people are not exposed to harmful contaminants in drinking water are the scientists at EMSL Analytical, Inc. EMSL has dozens of laboratories across the United States and Canada that offer a wide range of water testing services to identify chemical and microbial pollutants. They also recently sponsored an educational video about drinking water contaminants that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/lm1un5ow_zA.
To learn more about water testing or other environmental, health and safety services, please visit www.EMSL.com, call (800) 220-3675 or email info@EMSL.com. To access EMSL’s Drinking Water Test Kit, visit www.EMSLTestKits.com.
About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical, Inc. is one of the leading testing laboratories with 40 locations throughout the United States and Canada. EMSL is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider specializing in fast laboratory results for mold, bacteria,
Legionella, USP <797>, pathogens, asbestos, lead, soot, char & ash from fires, VOC’s, odors, radon, formaldehyde, indoor air quality, microbiology, environmental, industrial hygiene, radiological, food, beverage & consumer products and material testing services for the identification of unknown substances. EMSL services both professionals and the general public. EMSL maintains an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies including, but not limited to A2LA, AIHA LAP, LLC. (AIHA EMLAP, AIHA IHLAP, AIHA ELLAP), NVLAP, CDC ELITE, CPSC, CA ELAP, NY ELAP, TX DOH, NJDEP and multiple other state accrediting agencies. Please visit our website at
www.EMSL.com for a complete listing of accreditations. In addition, EMSL carries a wide range of Sampling Equipment and Investigative Products for environmental professionals.