What is Cryptosporidium? Why be concerned about it?
Cryptosporidium are cysts that have been found in 87% of the surface water supplies in the USA (surface water is the source for most Front Range Colorado communities). Cryptosporidium cysts are resistant to chlorine. Several USA outbreaks since 1993, including the Milwaukee outbreak in 1993, have been responsible for the deaths of over 130 people, and hundreds more have taken ill. For those individuals at risk — the very young, the elderly and the immune-system compromised — it is highly recommended to drink only previously boiled water or water that has been filtered appropriately. The Centers for Disease Control, the USEPA and the City of Boulder recommend that immune-compromised individuals boil their water. This is because cysts of both giardia and cryptosporidium make their way past the municipal treatment system.
