Does chlorine kill bacteria and bugs such as Cryptosporidium?
A- Disinfection kills bacteria in water. But it is less effective in eliminating Cryptosporidium, which is a small organism found in man and many other animals. It can cause a disease called cryptosporidiosis, which is a diarrhoeal illness usually lasting about two weeks. Water that has not been suitably filtered can contain numbers of Cryptosporidium oocysts shown to cause illness. New regulations require water companies to continuously sample and analyse for Cryptosporidium daily. It is a criminal offence for a water company to breach the treatment standard. DWI will continue to check that the regulations are being met.
