Drinking water pollution in Zwickau: Bacterial alarm strikes!

Drinking water pollution in Zwickau: Bacterial alarm strikes!

Zwickau, Deutschland - In the past few days, drinking water pollution in Chemnitz and Zwickau made a name for themselves, which was discovered in calendar week 25. The routine drinking water examinations have resulted in the presence of coliform bacteria that could be detected to a small extent in the water. There is a low exceeding of the statutory limit of 0 germs per 100 ml. Blick.de makes it clear that coliform bacteria are a kind of indicator germia Indicate the water network and thus signal hygienic deviations.

The effects on health are usually low for healthy people. However, special caution should apply in sensitive facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes. For this reason, the health department recommends temporary usage restrictions in these institutions. Despite the discovery of the germs, the drinking water remains fully usable, boiling is currently not necessary. The Zwickau waterworks have known themselves to clarify the population and provide information about the current drinking water quality via their website.

increased chlorination to ensure water quality

The waterworks expect the increased chlorination to be lifted again in a few days. Information was also passed on to affected care facilities and hospitals in order to ensure additional security. The measures caused by the contamination are part of the legal requirements that guarantee high drinking water quality in Germany. These regulations are recorded in the Drinking Water Ordinance, which also regulates the maximum permissible content of harmful substances, including coliform bacteria.

What do the germs do dangerous?

The health risks that are based on coliform bacteria are generally not threatening - especially for healthy adults. According to aponet.de there are E. coli bacteria, a form of coliform bacteria, naturally in the human intestine and are usually not harmful. However, it can happen that they cause gastrointestinal complaints if there is severe contamination. It becomes critical when these bacteria get into the bloodstream via wounds, which could trigger serious infections.

To protect themselves from it, people with a weakened immune system, such as infants or older people, should be particularly careful. Even if the water is currently fully usable, the recommended precautions should be kept in mind. The authorities are active in finding the source of the contamination and working closely together to clarify the situation as quickly as possible.