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Re: Are you treating water for Cryptosporidium?

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Are you treating water for Cryptosporidium?

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  • Posted by
    on Wed, Jul 16 2008 11:54 PM

    I'd like to hear from programs about their water purification techniques and if/how you are dealing with Cryptosporidium. We've used iodine for years but it's not effective against crypto and chlorine-based products take 4 hours to kill the stuff. Is this an issue you are dealing with? Also, what part of the country are you operating in.

    --------------- Rick Curtis CEO OutdoorEd.com Director, Princeton University Outdoor Action Program
    ,
  • Posted by
    on Thu, Jul 17 2008 1:22 AM
    On a related note:
     
    How many programs have had participants (or staff) who contracted either Giardia or Cryptosporidium while on one of your events or programs? Very importantly: was this condition specifically diagnosed by a physician who tested specifically for that protozoan (usually by testing a stool sample), or was it diagnosed more broadly and treated with a broad spectrum antibiotic? Were you able to determine with certainty the source of the infected water? Where?

    _________________________________________
    John Jacobs
    Adventure Risk Management
    PO Box 1160
    Idyllwild, California  92549
    www.adventureriskmanagement.com
    jjacobs@adventureriskmanagement.com
    951.659.4090
    951.659.4091 fax

    Adventure, Smarter.

    _________________________________________ John Jacobs Adventure Risk Management PO Box 1160 Idyllwild, CA 92549 951.659.4090 Adventure, Smarter.
  • Posted by
    on Fri, Jul 18 2008 4:45 PM

    I'd like to second Rick & John's request for more information on this issue. We have an accredited program here in Colorado that is dealing with a difficult issue with their county dept of health. As a child care provider, they are required by the county to both filter and chemically treat the water their students drink. Obviously, this method is both expensive and time consuming. However, these county officials recognize it as the most complete treatment method. Is anyone else out there dealing with this issue?

    Henry

    Henry Wood Association for Experiential Education Director of Accreditation 303.440.8844 x 16 accreditation@aee.org
  • Posted by
    on Mon, Jul 21 2008 8:40 AM

    We also have used iodine for decades, before that we did not treat the water in Killarney Provinial Park where we are either training staff or running our 18 day program for a month each year.  We have had a couple of Giardia problems but we always assumed they were from using some untreated or improperly treated water.

     

    Tom Breznau

    LandSea Director, Kalamazoo College
  • Posted by
    on Wed, Dec 3 2008 12:30 AM
    On a related note:
     
    How many programs have had participants (or staff) who contracted either Giardia or Cryptosporidium while on one of your events or programs? Very importantly: was this condition specifically diagnosed by a physician who tested specifically for that protozoan (usually by testing a stool sample), or was it diagnosed more broadly and treated with a broad spectrum antibiotic? Were you able to determine with certainty the source of the infected water? Where?

    _________________________________________
    John Jacobs
    Adventure Risk Management
    PO Box 1160
    Idyllwild, California  92549
    www.adventureriskmanagement.com
    jjacobs@adventureriskmanagement.com
    951.659.4090
    951.659.4091 fax

    Adventure, Smarter.

    Click to show quoted text

    I'd like to hear from programs about their water purification techniques and if/how you are dealing with Cryptosporidium. We've used iodine for years but it's not effective against crypto and chlorine-based products take 4 hours to kill the stuff. Is this an issue you are dealing with? Also, what part of the country are you operating in.




    _________________________________________ John Jacobs Adventure Risk Management PO Box 1160 Idyllwild, CA 92549 951.659.4090 Adventure, Smarter.
  • Posted by
    on Wed, Dec 3 2008 12:30 AM
    Henry,
     
     YES! I/we are dealing with a similar problem at NCOBS. We were told this season for the first time ever to both filter and chemically treat our water (or boil the water at a rolling boil for a minute). Teaching fourteen to fifteen year olds about time management with water runs that take sometimes up to two hours because of the filtering process hinders our educational objectives at times... 
     
    KMS

    Click to show quoted text
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