How Parasites Get In Tap Water
The main cause of parasite contamination is fecal matter in water.
Poop from animals and humans can enter the water in several ways, such as:
- Damaged sewage systems
- Wastewater overflow
- Contaminated storm drains
- Cracked distribution pipes
- Agricultural runoff
- Cesspools
- Livestock farms
Eventually, these fecal pollutants run into lakes, rivers, streams, soil, and aquifers in groundwater.
With that said, groundwater is usually protected by the filtering action of the soil.
Who Is the Most At Risk of Parasites In Drinking Water?
In fact, swallowing just a little bit of polluted water while swimming in a lake or pool is all it takes to get sick.
- People with weakened immune systems
- The elderly
- Small children
- People who work in childcare settings
- Folks who get their water from shallow wells
- Individuals in contact with someone who has a parasitic disease
- Backpackers and campers who drink untreated water from springs and rivers
- People who have contact with infected animals
If parasites get into your tap water, they can be a serious pain to remove…
Why Parasites Are a Pain to Get Rid Of
Several community-wide outbreaks have been linked to municipal drinking water contaminated to parasites.
Parasites are harder to remove than bacteria and viruses for several reasons.
First off, they’re hard to kill.
In fact, even drinking water that’s been treated at municipal treatment plants can sometimes still contain parasites.
Cities that get their water from lakes and rivers are more likely to have problems with parasites.
Worst of all, parasites are harder to remove with home filters because the cysts are small enough to sneak through the filtration membrane.
This is why it’s very important to pick the right type of filter, but more on that later…
Cysts of some parasites are only 1 -17 µm in size, which is small enough to pass through most filters.
To make matters worse, many species are also resistant to chlorine treatment.
Chlorination is a popular chemical disinfection treatment to kill parasites, bacteria and viruses.
However, its main disadvantage is that it’s ineffective against certain parasites.
Believe it or not, some species can even last up to ten days in well-treated chlorine swimming pools!
Common Waterborne Parasites
Giardia and Crypto are two of the most common types of parasites in drinking water.
Other parasites that can cause human infections include Naegleria fowleri, Acanthamoeba, Toxoplasma gondii, Entamoeba histolytica, Cyclospora cayetanensis, and Isospora belli.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the most notorious ones:
Giardia lamblia is one of the most common intestinal parasites in humans.
It causes a diarrheal disease called giardiasis that spreads through infected water, soil and food, and contact with infected people or animals.
- Diarrhea
- Gas
- Foul-smelling, greasy poop
- Stomach cramps
- Nausea
- Votming
- Upset stomach
- Dehydration
Other less common symptoms can include fever, itchy skin, hives, and swelling in the eyes or joints.
Symptoms typically begin 1 to 2 weeks after ingestion and last 2 to 6 weeks when treated with prescription medication.
If left untreated, giardiasis can prevent the body from absorbing nutrients and cause weight loss.
Giardia cells form a resistant cyst that is very strong and resilient against threats like disinfectants.
Dogs, cats, cattle, deer, and most other mammals can carry Giardia.
Beaver feces is a major source of wildlife contamination because they live and poop directly in rivers used as water supplies.
Even worse, Giardia cysts can survive for more than 60 days without a host!
As a result, the cysts have plenty of time to make their way to drinking water.
Giardia is found in every part of the United States and all over the world.
Cryptosporidium is another extremely common parasite in drinking water.
It causes a diarrheal disease called cryptosporidiosis.
Both the parasite and the disease are called “Crypto” for short.
Symptoms usually begin 2 to 10 days after becoming infected and can last up to 4 weeks.
- Watery diarrhea
- Stomach cramps
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Weight loss
- Dehydration
However, some people don’t experience any symptoms at all.
Several strains of Crypto exist, but C. parvum and C. hominis are the most common species in humans.
The parasite's outer shell allows it to survive without a host for long periods of time and makes it very resistant to chlorine disinfection.
Naegleria fowleri is an ameba (single-celled organism) that lives in warm freshwater lakes and rivers.
It has the nickname “brain-eating ameba” because it causes a brain infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).
Humans become infected when the ameba enters the nose and travels to the brain along the olfactory nerve.
Whatever you do, don’t snort Naegleria-infected water!
- Headache
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Fever
Later symptoms can include:
- Stiff neck
- Confusion
- Lack of attention to surroundings
- Loss of balance
- Seizures
- Hallucinations
PAM is treated with a combination of strong drugs, like azithromycin and fluconazole.
Luckily, Naegleria is very rare.
Only about three cases of Naegleria fowleri occur in the U.S. every year.
However, these cases are usually fatal, so a Naegleria diagnosis is basically a death sentence.
Most infections occur in southern states, with half of the cases happening in Texas and Florida.
The parasite loves warm, summer lakes, although some cases do happen in northern states like Minnesota.
Acanthamoeba is a microscopic ameba that can cause severe infections of the central nervous system, eyes and skin.
It’s commonly found in lakes, swimming pools and tap water.
Most people are exposed to Acanthamoeba at some point, but very few get sick.
Acanthamoeba is best known for causing eye infections in people who wear contact lenses, but it can also infect the skin, lungs and other organs.
The three diseases caused by Acanthamoeba include:
- Acanthamoeba keratitis: Eye infection that can result in blurry vision and blindness in severe cases. Other symptoms include eye pain, eye redness and sensitivity to light
- Granulomatous Amebic Encephalitis (GAE): A dangerous infection of the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include fever, double vision, sensitivity to light, and loss of coordination
- Disseminated infection: A widespread infection of the lunges, skins, sinuses, lungs and other organs
GAE and disseminated infection are more common in people with already weakened immune systems.
Acanthamoeba keratitis can occur in anyone, but is most common in contact lens wearers — early diagnosis is extremely important for effective treatment.
Even people who use proper contact lens care can develop an infection.
Testing for Parasites In Drinking Water
Testing for parasites in drinking water can be tricky.
Giardia cysts, for example, are especially difficult to identify.
There is no simple, routine test to check for Giardia.
Instead, water utilities have to filter several hundred gallons of water and then examine it under a microscope.
It’s a time-consuming process, and negative results aren’t always a guarantee of safe water.
How to Remove Parasites from Your Tap Water
The only way to remove parasites in drinking water is to install a filtration system in your home, but not just any system will do…
To remove parasites once and for all, you need a filter with small enough pores.
This requires a pressure-actuated membrane process, like microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, or reverse osmosis.
However, the pores in microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration are too big to trap all parasites.
Only reverse osmosis (RO) membranes have small enough pores to remove up to 99.9% of all dangerous contaminants, including parasites, arsenic, lead and nuclear waste.
Cloud Water Filters combine several stages of filtration, including:
- Sediments filters to remove dirt, rust and debris
- Activated carbon filters to remove chlorine and bacteria
- Ion exchange resins to remove “hard” minerals
- RO membranes to remove hard-to-remove pollutants, like parasites
- Polishing filter and remineralization stage for perfect taste
To top it off, Cloud Filters use built-in software to monitor your water quality 24/7 and report the results to an app on your phone.
