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I'm a little confused. Was the tap-water untreated (that is, well water)? Can these damn things survive chlorination? They're a known danger swimming in sout

by dhimes 8y ago

I'm a little confused. Was the tap-water untreated (that is, well water)? Can these damn things survive chlorination? They're a known danger swimming in southern (US)- meaning warm- fresh-water lakes and ponds. But- damn, this is scary. Probably because I also use a neti-pot. Neti-pots are often used to help alleviate the symptoms of sinusitis. My neti-pot came with packets of salts that you dissolve in the water, which I use. But I didn't think that was required to kill stuff in treated water. I thought it was to reduce irritation when using it- and maybe help kill the bacteria you are trying to rinse away.

cowpewter 8y ago
The salts are to reduce irritation. Plain water is extremely uncomfortable in your sinuses, but saline is fine. As far as I know they do nothing to reduce contaminants in your water or harm bacteria.
- ergothus 8y ago
  And yet the article mentions distilled OR saline, which definitely raises the question. If I wake up feeling like crap, it is far easier to use a salt packet than to go to the store for distilled water. The article implies that is fine (but the article may be misleading)
  - jimktrains2 8y ago
    Perhaps they meant premixed , sterile saline solutions ?
- BjoernKW 8y ago
  Yes, the salt mainly is meant to reduce irritation. Amoeba aren't bacteria, though. Both, however should be adversely affected by saline solutions because osmosis will draw water out of the cells, effectively killing these organisms. Salt can be as effective a disinfectant as chlorine if dissolved in water. There are public swimming pools that make use of this because chlorine can have adverse effects on your health, such as causing irritation on both the skin and the respiratory system.
cortesoft 8y ago
Yes, it was well water. According to the article: > Amoebas may be found in fresh-water sources around Puget Sound such as wells, but aren’t present in city-treated water, according to Liz Coleman, a spokeswoman for the Environmental Public Health division of the state’s Department of Health.
- dhimes 8y ago
  Right. I wasn't sure if Coleman was saying "it couldn't have happened from her tap water, because it's treated" or if the implication was that the victim had a well. I like your interpretation- the latter.
  - cortesoft 8y ago
    Yeah, people get confused by the idea of well water sometimes. Many people think of well water as the old fashioned, bucket on a rope, kind. In reality, many people get their tap water from a local well. The main difference between well water and non-well water is that well water is not centrally treated by the water department. There will be filters and stuff, but it is not treated the same way.
jimmy1 8y ago
From WebMD on Naegleria Fowleri (the brain eating amoeba) > Naegleria can't live in salt water. It can't survive in properly treated swimming pools or in properly treated municipal water. > Most cases of N. fowleri disease occur in Southern or Southwestern states. Over half of all infections have been in Florida and Texas.

by dhimes 8y ago

cowpewter 8y ago

The salts are to reduce irritation. Plain water is extremely uncomfortable in your sinuses, but saline is fine. As far as I know they do nothing to reduce contaminants in your water or harm bacteria.

ergothus 8y ago
And yet the article mentions distilled OR saline, which definitely raises the question. If I wake up feeling like crap, it is far easier to use a salt packet than to go to the store for distilled water. The article implies that is fine (but the article may be misleading)
- jimktrains2 8y ago
  Perhaps they meant premixed , sterile saline solutions ?
BjoernKW 8y ago
Yes, the salt mainly is meant to reduce irritation. Amoeba aren't bacteria, though. Both, however should be adversely affected by saline solutions because osmosis will draw water out of the cells, effectively killing these organisms. Salt can be as effective a disinfectant as chlorine if dissolved in water. There are public swimming pools that make use of this because chlorine can have adverse effects on your health, such as causing irritation on both the skin and the respiratory system.

cortesoft 8y ago

Yes, it was well water. According to the article: > Amoebas may be found in fresh-water sources around Puget Sound such as wells, but aren’t present in city-treated water, according to Liz Coleman, a spokeswoman for the Environmental Public Health division of the state’s Department of Health.

dhimes 8y ago
Right. I wasn't sure if Coleman was saying "it couldn't have happened from her tap water, because it's treated" or if the implication was that the victim had a well. I like your interpretation- the latter.
- cortesoft 8y ago
  Yeah, people get confused by the idea of well water sometimes. Many people think of well water as the old fashioned, bucket on a rope, kind. In reality, many people get their tap water from a local well. The main difference between well water and non-well water is that well water is not centrally treated by the water department. There will be filters and stuff, but it is not treated the same way.

jimmy1 8y ago

From WebMD on Naegleria Fowleri (the brain eating amoeba) > Naegleria can't live in salt water. It can't survive in properly treated swimming pools or in properly treated municipal water. > Most cases of N. fowleri disease occur in Southern or Southwestern states. Over half of all infections have been in Florida and Texas.