E. coli in Well Water Puts McLeod, ND Residents on Alert
Well water has tested positive for E. coli in the tiny town of McLeod, North Dakota, according to local news sources.
The water that supplies residents of this tiny town 55 miles southwest of Fargo comes from local wells that use groundwater. These wells have tested positive for E. coli contamination twice since 1986, news reports indicate. North Dakota state health officials plan on testing every well in the town on Monday.
E. coli Well Water Lawsuit
E. coli safety attorney Elliot Olsen recently settled a case on behalf of an Iowa toddler who became sick with E. coli poisoning after consuming the water that supplied the rural home her family rented. In May of 2007 she came down withsymptoms of an E. coli infection, including severe diarrhea and abdominal pain. She was hospitalized and her symptoms worsened as the pathogen infected her blood. She developed a condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome (E. coli HUS) that destroys red blood cells and keeps kidneys from serving their function as filters that remove waste from the bloodstream.
She was on dialysis and in the hospital for a month and still has long-term kidney damage even now, three years after her initial illness. She could need a kidney transplant later in life.
How Does E. coli Contaminate Well Water?
Because harmful strains of E. coli can live in animal and human digestive systems, they can therefore be found in animal and human waste. After any kind of precipitation—a rainfall, a snowmelt—E. coli from animal or human fecal matter can wash into groundwater, rivers, lakes and streams. This can consequently contaminate water sources and, if the water isn’t sufficiently treated, can make people seriously sick.
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
- Over 15 million U.S. households rely on private, household wells for drinking water.
- If polluted ground water is consumed, it could cause illness. Ground water pollution can be caused by seepage through landfills, failed septic tanks, underground fuel tanks, fertilizers and pesticides, and runoff from urban areas.
- It is important that private ground water wells are checked regularly to ensure that the water is safe for drinking.
- Typically, private water systems that serve no more than 25 people at least 60 days of the year and have no more than 15 service connections are not regulated by the EPA.
Source: http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/36320/
E. coli Water Dangers Highlighted by Lake Closure
After high levels of E. coli were found in an Arkansas lake, local health officials closed it to the public. Locals in Conway, Arkansas for the time being won’t be able to swim in Beaverfork Lake after several different water samples tested for E. coli show that the water contained four to eight time too high, according to local news sources. State health department officials said the contamination might be attributed to runoff from recent rainfall but that the exact cause had yet to be determined.
Though commonly associated with foodborne illness, E. coli poisoning from water sources is a lesser-known, yet just as dangerous problem. E. coli and other waterborne pathogens can spread either by drinking contaminated water or by swimming in it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
“Recreational water illnesses (RWIs) are caused by germs spread by swallowing, breathing in mists or aerosols of, or having contact with contaminated water in swimming pools, hot tubs, water parks, water play areas, interactive fountains, lakes, rivers, or oceans. RWIs can be a wide variety of infections, including gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic and wound infections. The most commonly reported RWI is diarrhea. Diarrheal illnesses can be caused by germs such as Crypto (short for Cryptosporidium), Giardia, Shigella, norovirus and E. coli O157:H7.”
Attorney Elliot Olsen of Pritzker Olsen law firm recently settled an E. coli water contamination case that severely sickened a two-year-old girl living in a rural home where the well water was contaminated.
The CDC advises that families follow the following tips when swimming in pools, lakes, rivers, beaches and other public swimming facilities:
- Don’t swim when you have diarrhea. You can spread germs in the water and make other people sick.
- Don’t swallow the pool water. Avoid getting water in your mouth.
- Practice good hygiene. Shower with soap before swimming and wash your hands after using the toilet or changing diapers. Germs on your body end up in the water
- Take your kids on bathroom breaks or check diapers often. Waiting to hear “I have to go” may mean that it’s too late.
- Change diapers in a bathroom or a diaper-changing area and not at poolside. Germs can spread in and around the pool.
- Wash your child thoroughly (especially the rear end) with soap and water before swimming. Invisible amounts of fecal matter can end up in the pool.
Sources:
http://www.4029tv.com/news/23769196/detail.html
Water at Sports Complex Contaminated with E. coli Causes Illness in Missouri
At least 14 people have fallen ill after drinking water at a sports complex in Cape Girardeau County in Missouri.
All the cases have been linked to E. coli in water at Class Act Sports Complex, 2336 County Road 301, which is just outside the city of Jackson, Missouri.
Officials with the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center tested water from a drinking fountain and a faucet within the facility and confirmed the presence of E. coli in both samples. The sports complex is served by a private well.
Since April 28, at least 14 people have reported becoming ill after drinking water at the facility. Testing confirmed that five of those people were suffering from exposure to E. coli and nine others are considered probable. Four people have been hospitalized.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is working with local health officials to determine the source of the contamination.
E. Coli HUS Lawsuit From Contaminated Well Water
A lawsuit involving contaminated well water has been settled by food safety attorney Elliot Olsen of Pritzker Olsen law firm. Although E. coli infections are more commonly associated with contaminated food like ground beef, it is entirely possible to contract E. coli poisoning from water supplies as well.
In this particular case, an Iowa toddler became sick from E. coli-contaminated well water that served as the water supply to the rural home her family rented. In May of 2007 she became sick with symptoms of an E. coli infection, including severe diarrhea and abdominal pain. She was hospitalized and her symptoms worsened as the pathogen infected her blood. Her condition, known as hemolytic uremic syndrome ( HUS), destroyed her red blood cells and kept the kidneys from serving their purpose as filters that clean and remove waste from the bloodstream.
She was put on kidney dialysis and remained in the hospital for about a month. Even three years later, she has permanent kidney damage and will continue to require medication and treatment, and could need a kidney transplant later in life.
Employees of the Iowa county where the home is located tested tap water from the house in June of 2007 and the results were positive for E. coli. The home is surrounded by pasture land, and cattle are known to graze on land uphill from the well. Expert witnesses, including a PhD environmental engineer from a major university and a PhD microbiologist from another major university specializing in E-coli, were hired to examine the situation and confirmed that cattle manure in rainwater most likely drained into the well and contaminated the water with the pathogen.
Although settlement earned for this young girl will help offset past and future medical expenses, they cannot undo the suffering this family has experienced. Nor will the settlement change the fact that property owners have a duty to their tenants to provide safe, clean drinking water—a duty that the property owner in this case has failed to fulfill.
