Recently, residents in various regions of the United States have been receiving reminders to boil their drinking water to avoid potential health risks.
Officials in at least four cities and one village in Pennsylvania, Kansas, Texas, Ohio, and Florida issued warnings to local residents on Tuesday (July 30), cautioning that not boiling tap water before consumption could lead to the potential proliferation of harmful microbes.
In situations such as large water main breaks, widespread pressure losses in the water system, power outages, or treatment interruptions that could allow contaminants to enter the water system, water utilities or water companies will issue “boil water advisories” in accordance with instructions from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.
According to Newsweek, Davistown in Greene County, Pennsylvania issued a “boil water advisory” last Saturday due to a water tank leak caused by a power outage. As of Tuesday, the East Dunkard Water Authority continued to warn residents in the Davistown area not to consume unboiled water.
“Once the water in the tank reaches normal operating levels, the East Dunkard Water Authority will begin collecting and analyzing more water quality samples, including bacterial samples. It is expected that this boil water advisory will continue for several days until we can ensure that the water quality meets all standards,” the East Dunkard Water Authority stated.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) issued a “boil water advisory” for the city of Cawker City in Mitchell County on Monday due to a water main break causing system pressure loss. The advisory requires residents to boil water for at least one minute before using.
“The notice became effective on July 29 and will remain in effect until the situation posing the risk of bacterial contamination is resolved,” the KDHE announcement stated. “A failure to maintain adequate pressure could lead to residual chlorine loss and bacterial contamination.”
In Post, Texas, a “boil water advisory” was issued on Tuesday as the city attempted to replace the main water line, resulting in decreased water pressure. The city advised in a press release, “All residents and businesses are advised to boil water before using it for drinking, cooking, or any other consumptive purposes.”
Residents of Post were urged to boil water to a “rolling boil” for at least two minutes before using it, “until further notice.”
Zanesville, Ohio officials issued a “precautionary boil water advisory” on Tuesday due to problems caused by emergency water main repairs.
In Florida, water main repairs also led to a “boil water advisory” being issued in Wellington Village near West Palm Beach. Village officials stated on Monday that the advisory would remain in effect “until satisfactory results from bacteria samples are obtained for two consecutive days.”
Caroline Delbert, editor of Popular Mechanics magazine, explained that boiling water kills bacteria by heating pathogens to a level where most pathogens break down and die. Boiling water causes bacterial proteins to denature and disrupts the structure of pathogens.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that water under a “boil water advisory” should be boiled regardless of whether tap water has passed through a home water filter or filtration system.
People can boil water on a stove, use an electric kettle, or boil water in a pot on a fire and then store it in a clean container. Water only needs to be boiled once and can be safely used at any temperature as long as it is stored in a clean place.
It is recommended to use boiled water for various types of cleaning; otherwise, residual bacteria may linger on food or object surfaces, making it easy for diseases to enter the body through the mouth.