On October 2, the USDA provided $5.5 million in grant moneys to expand food safety research. Projects that were funded by this grant included the well known food enemies: salmonella and e-coli. But two grants stand out as being different. They represent grants to The University of Tennessee and Cornell University to examine certain microorganisms, including cryptosporidium.

Scientists have known about cryptosporidium for years, but it is only now getting wide spread public attention. While generally not lethal in effect, it has killed some people. Generally, people with compromised immune systems are most at risk. And crypotsproidium is often found in public drinking water supplies. What is cryptosporidium?

Cryptosporidium is a one cell parasite that cannot be seen without the aid of a microscope. When people ingest cryptosporidium, if they become ill at all, and not everyone does, they often experience watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, upset stomach and perhaps a slight fever. Symptoms generally appear 1 to 12 days after a person becomes infected.

In healthy people, symptoms normally latest for no more than two weeks. There have been reports of individuals apparently recovering and then becoming worse before symptoms finally fade.

Like other diseases, some infected people may not exhibit symptoms but can still pass the disease on to others. After an individual is infected, cryptosporidium can appear in stool samples for months and an infected person is infectious for at least as long.

While the disease is not life-threatening for most individuals, it can be deadly for individuals with compromised immune systems, such as those infected with the AIDS virus.

Sources of possible exposure include drinking water, pool water, and animal and human feces. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cryptosporidium has been identified in many lakes and rivers that provide drinking water to much of the U.S. population. Chlorine does not kill the parasite. However, rapid boiling, for at least one minute, apparently does kill it.

Though the CDC reports that certain water filters will remove this parasite, not all filters that are commercially available will do the job. Filters that are labeled "reverse osmosis" may work, as well as certain filters that will accomplish "cyst reduction." You need to read the label and to educate yourself to be protected.

Public water supply companies have attempted to upgrade their treatment systems to address this problem. This past October, Milwaukee completed its new water treatment system which uses ozone to disinfect the water to address the cryptosproidium threat.

Individuals purchasing bottled water need to look for signs of this kind of treatment on the label. If the label does not reflect that this kind treatment has taken place, one should not assume that it has. Commercially available beverages that have been heated and filtered may use processing that removes or kills cryptosporidium. And according to the CDC, hot coffee and hot tea do not contain live cryptosporidium.

Why People are Now Paying Attention to This Issue ...

In the last few years, cryptosporidium has received wide spread public attention. For example, it was announced this past October that a Wisconsin meat packing company proposed to pay $250 thousand to release itself of any liability relating to a 1993 outbreak of illness relating to a city wide cryptosporidium infection. The meat packer had allegedly dumped animal waste contaminated with this parasite into public storm drains. From there, some claim the parasite contaminated the public water supply system. In all, 400,000 people were believed infected by the cryptosporidium parasite, 100 of whom died.

The 1993 incident was one of the first reported cases of a large scale cryptosporidium contamination of a public water system. Recently, a television network aired a prime time movie centering around a fictionalized account of another cryptosporidium invasion. Undoubtedly, there will be other cases involving significant exposures. So, the public understands it is now time to learn what this is all about.

Avoiding Illness

Cryptosporidium can also be located on clothing, bedding and other things used by infected persons. Certain sexual contact also places people at risk. Unwashed vegetables and fruits, as well as unpasteurized juices and ciders can also pose risk.

Since 1993, five outbreaks of cryptosporidium are believed to have been attributable to U.S. drinking water. Others have been linked to food contamination and in one case was linked to contaminated apple cider. The government now suggests that apple cider be pasteurized to minimize outbreak potential.

To avoid illness, health officials suggest that persons generally not consume water directly from streams, lakes, and springs. When you are unsure of the water supply source, water should be rapidly boiled for at least one minute.

Special care must be taken with personal hygiene measures. In addition, you should avoid eating fruits and vegetables that have not been washed. And persons with diarrhea should not use public swimming facilities.

Published: December 24, 1998

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Stuart Lieberman, Esq. writes about environmental issues. He was a New Jersey Deputy Attorney General assigned to the State Department of Environmental Protection from 1986 to 1990. Currently he is a shareholder in the environmental law firm of Lieberman & Blecher, P.C., located in Princeton, New Jersey. Stuart can be reached at slieberman@liebermanblecher.com.