If you wash garden vegetables (lettuce, carrots…) with giardia water will the vegetables remain contaminated?
Yes, They do remain contaminated. The water contains microbes and unless you boil or otherwise filter or treat the water, the microbes will remain and can cause infection if ingested. If you intend to cook the vegetables then that will eliminate the Giardia microbes, but they remain contaminated until the Giardia is cooked away.
The information below is from the Center for Disease control website.
Giardiasis can be spread by:
- Swallowing Giardia picked up from surfaces (such as bathroom handles, changing tables, diaper pails, or toys) that contain stool from an infected person or animal
- Drinking water or using ice made from water sources where Giardia may live (for example, untreated or improperly treated water from lakes, streams, or wells)
- Swallowing water while swimming or playing in water where Giardia may live, especially in lakes, rivers, springs, ponds, and streams
- Eating uncooked food that contains Giardia organisms
