Drinking Water—Safety on Tap - Are Americans Concerned About Theirdrinking Water?

A 2002 Gallup Poll asked people if they believed drinking water from the tap was safe. The results were published in August 2003: 71% of respondents were confident or very confident about the quality and safety of their water. This figure was slightly higher than the 68% who said they believed their water was safe in a similar poll conducted in 1998.

FIGURE 5.5
Types of drinking water systems used for outbreak classification
SOURCE: "Figure 1. Types of Drinking Water Systems Used for Outbreak Classification," in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, October 22, 2004, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/SS/SS5308.pdf(accessed April 1, 2005)

TABLE 5.7
Waterborne-disease outbreaks associated with drinking water, by causative agent and type of water system, 2001–02
SOURCE: "Table 6. Waterborne-Disease Outbreaks (n = 25) Associated with Drinking Water, by Etiologic Agent and Type of Water System (Excluding Outbreaks Caused by Legionella Species)—United States, 2001–2002,"in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, October 22, 2004, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/SS/SS5308.pdf (accessed April 1, 2005)

	Type of water systema
	Community		Noncommunity		Individual		Total
Etiologic agent	Outbreaks	Cases	Outbreaks	Cases	Outbreaks	Cases	Outbreaks	Cases
Unknown	0	0	2	98	5	19	7	117
AGIb	0	0	2	98	5	19	7	117
Viruses	1	71	4	656	0	0	5	727
Norovirus	1	71	4	656	0	0	5	727
Parasitic	3	14	0	0	2	16	5	30
Giardia intestinalis	2	12	0	0	1	6	3	18
Cryptosporidium species	0	0	0	0	1	10	1	10
Naegleria fowleri	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	2
Chemical	3	33	1	4	1	2	5	39
Copper	2	30	0	0	0	0	2	30
Copper and other minerals	0	0	1	4	0	0	1	4
Ethyl benzene, toluene, xylene	0	0	0	0	1	2	1	2
Ethylene glycol	1	3	0	0	0	0	1	3
Bacterial (other than Legionella species)	0	0	1	12	2	15	3	27
Campylobacter jejuni	0	0	0	0	1	13	1	13
C. jejuni and Yersinia enterocolitica	0	0	1	12	0	0	1	12
Escherichia coli O157:H7	0	0	0	0	1	2	1	2
Total	7	118	8	770	10	52	25	940
Percentage	(28.0)	(12.6)	(32.0)	(81.9)	(40.0)	(5.5)	(100.0)	(100.0)
Sample size > 25
a Community and noncommunity water systems are public water systems that serve ≥ 15 service connections or an average of ≥ 25 residents for ≥ 60 days/year. A community water system serves year-round residents of a community, subdivision, or mobile home park with ≥ 15 service connections or an average of ≥ 25 residents. A noncommunity water system can be nontransient or transient. Nontransient systems serve ≥ 25 of the same persons for > 6 months of the year, but not year-round (e.g., factories or schools), whereas transient systems provide water to places in which persons do not remain for long periods of time (e.g., restaurants, highway rest stations, or parks). Individual water systems are small systems not owned or operated by a water utility that serve < 15 connections or < 25 persons. Outbreaks associated with water not intended for drinking (e.g., lakes, springs and creeks used by campers and boaters, irrigation water, and other nonpotable sources with or without taps) are also classified as individual systems.
b Acute gastrointestinal illness of unknown etiology.

FIGURE 5.6
Number of waterborne-disease outbreaks associated with drinking water, by causative agent and month, 2001–02
SOURCE: "Figure 5. Number of Waterborne-Disease Outbreaks (n = 31) Associated with Drinking Water, by Etiologic Agent and Month—United States, 2001–2002," in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, October 22, 2004, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/SS/SS5308.pdf (accessed April 1, 2005)