Viruses in Water

Excerpt

Acceptable standards for the potability of water have depended on the absence of coliform bacteria, which would indicate the absence of contamination with human feces. Melnick (1) has called attention to numerous data indicating that, whereas bacteria are destroyed by current water-treatment methods, many viruses remain active and capable of producing infection. His article indicates that establishing guidelines for viral content in drinking and other waters is necessary because of planned use of recycled wastewater for domestic consumption. At present, there are no official viral standards that have been adopted by the federal government; however, an international conference in Mexico