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It is the second time such a mistake has happened and comes despite promises from Gold Coast Water that it would never happen again.

Councillor Donna Gates yesterday slammed Gold Coast Water over its lack of information on the situation at the 4400- home estate at Coomera after eight cross- connected pipes were found last month following further complaints of people becoming ill.

Cr Gates said a complete audit of the entire Pimpama Wastewater Treatment Plant network had been undertaken by Gold Coast Water after two residents fell ill with severe bouts of dysentery.

The Gold Coast City Council says it is now tested the water quality in 4390 homes in the estate which take recycled sewerage water from the Pimpama plant for watering lawns, flushing toilets and washing cars.

The latest incidents follow a contamination in December, which pumped recycled water to as many as 630 homes.

In 2008, 375 workers at the 80 million plant were exposed to class D recycled sewerage water.

"I'm very upset by the whole thing. The first case was made known in January and the resident reported feeling unwell," said Cr Gates.

"Gold Coast Water found a problem and then found seven more cross-connection errors."

Cr Gates said she realised that the treatment plant was 'ground breaking' but had reservations about the connection mistakes.

"The quality of water is a prime concern for any Gold Coaster and we should have made sure we were 100 per cent confident that the water was clean before we turned on the plant,"she said.

"I disagree totally with the measures that have been put in place by Gold Coast Water. We need a better system." ............

HINZE DAM CLOSED BY E.COLI BUG

THE Hinze Dam has been closed to boaties, anglers and other recreational users after abnormal levels of the potentially deadly E. coli bacteria were found in the water.

Water testing by SEQ Water this week confirmed higher than normal levels of the bacteria in the untreated dam water.

Recreational access was closed yesterday as a precaution until further tests were carried out, with all water-based activities suspended.

E. coli is a bacterium with hundreds of different strains. It can be deadly to humans in high doses, while lower amounts may cause gastroenteritis-like symptoms such as abdominal cramping and diarrhoea..........

Extracted from :Hinze dam closed by E. coli bug by Melissa Townsend - October 15th, 2009

Source: http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2009/10/15/148291_gold-coast-news.html

CHLORINE IN TAP WATER 'NEARLY DOUBLES THE RISK OF BIRTH DEFECTS'

By JO MACFARLANE

Pregnant women living in areas where tap water is heavily disinfected with chlorine nearly double their risk of having children with heart problems, a cleft palate or major brain defects, a new study has found.

Scientists say expectant mothers can expose themselves to the higher risk by drinking the water, taking a bath or shower, or even by standing close to a boiling kettle.

The danger comes from chemical by-products in chlorinated water known as trihalomethanes, or THMs, which can be absorbed through the skin. They can then pass into the womb.

THMs form because of a chemical reaction between chlorine and natural substances in the water.

They exist in mains water across Britain – but are highest in areas where more chlorine is added because the water quality is poor.

Earlier studies linked chlorinated water to an increased risk of stillbirth, miscarriage, birth defects and bladder cancer. But this is the first time that the risk has been narrowed down to specific birth defects.

Although a major study in 2007 by Imperial College, London, into birth defects and THM levels in Britain uncovered ‘little evidence’ of a link, the new research appears to contradict its findings.

A research team led by Professor Jouni Jaakkola of the University of Birmingham analysed the birth registry details of nearly 400,000 babies born in Taiwan between 2001 and 2003. Levels of chlorine found in water there are similar to those found in the UK.

Scientists compared the number of birth defects recorded by doctors to the level of THMs in the drinking water in different areas.

The proportions of certain specific defects were much higher in areas where levels of THMs were above 20 micrograms per litre.

The brain condition anencephalus, usually found in 0.01 per cent of births, rose to 0.17 per cent in high-THM areas.

Hole-in-the-heart defects also nearly doubled from 0.015 per cent to 0.024 per cent.

The number of cleft palates rose from 0.029 per cent to 0.045 per cent in high-THM areas.

Overall, the risks of having children with these three defects increased by between 50 per cent and 100 per cent.

There was also a slightly raised risk of urinary tract defects and Down’s syndrome.

The study appears in Environmental Health journal next week.

The number of defects could be much higher as some are not detected until later in childhood.

THM levels across Britain vary widely even within one water company area. They range from 92 micrograms per litre in south Staffordshire to just five in Hartlepool.

Most areas have levels way above the ‘high’ range in the Taiwan study. High levels were recorded in South-West England, Yorkshire and North-East Essex.

Prof Jaakkola said THMs should be cut because the biological reasons for the defects were unknown.

He said: ‘Our findings don’t just add to the evidence that water chlorination may cause birth defects but suggest that exposure to chlorination by-products may be responsible for some specific and common defects.’

Barrie Clarke, spokesman for Water UK, reassured consumers that water companies’ work was in line with the best existing information on THMs.

But he added: ‘There will be no closed minds about this new information.’

CHLORINE IN THE BATHWATER IS LINKED TO CANCER

Last updated at 22:00 26 January 2007

Low levels of chlorine in tap water used for bathing can almost double the risk of bladder cancer, a study claims.

Scientists found chemical by-products from mains water containing the disinfectant can be absorbed through the skin in the bath or shower and accumulate in the bladder.

Swimming in public pools can also present a risk because chlorine levels are much higher.

The risk is caused by chemical by-products called THMs which are produced when chlorine is added to water.

Researchers found that those living in areas with high-chlorine content water, who bathed in it regularly, were 83 per cent more likely to get a tumour than those in low-chlorine areas.

Those who drank high-chlorine tap water were 35 per cent more likely to get bladder cancer.

Regular swimming in pools increased the risk by 57 per cent.

Absorbing chlorine through the skin is thought to be more dangerous because it bypasses the liver, which filters out many harmful chemicals when water is swallowed.

Chlorine has been used to disinfect Britain's household water supplies for 100 years.

Regulations say THMs must not exceed 100 micrograms per litre. The Spanish study, reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology, suggests only 50 micrograms - present in some areas of the UK - is required to increase the tumour risk.

Researchers at the Municipal Institute of Medical Research in Barcelona compared 1,200 men and women with bladder cancer to a healthy group, questioning each about their exposure to chlorine.

Lead researcher Dr Cristina Villenueva said: "Inhaling or absorbing THMs may lead to a higher concentration in target organs, such as the kidney, bladder or colon.

"Experimental studies have shown a significant uptake of THMs when showering, bathing or swimming in pools. If confirmed, this has significant public health implications."

Bladder cancer, of which the single biggest cause is smoking, kills nearly 5,000 in the UK every year.

A spokesman for the National Pure Water Association said: "There is now a lot of research on chlorine in drinking water that shows we should be concerned.

"Water firms use the cheapest products possible to disinfect water, such as chlorine. Yet there are safer methods used by other countries, such as ozone gas or ultraviolet light."

In 1999, a government committee decided against removing chlorine from water, despite evidence of a slight increase in the risk of bladder cancer.

A spokesman for the Drinking Water Inspectorate said the amount of THMs in water ranged across the country from one microgram per litre up to 50 - but no higher. "This report hasn't changed the World Health Organisation"s view that the evidence is not sufficient to support chlorine being the cause of bladder cancer," she added.

Ed Yong, campaigns officer at Cancer Research UK, said: "This is one of a number of studies suggesting this link, but larger studies are needed before we can say for sure if high exposure to chlorinated water can cause bladder cancer.

"In the meantime, people shouldn't be worried every time they step into the bath, shower or swimming pool. Any potential cancer risks must be weighed against the risk of the many infectious diseases caused by improperly disinfected water."

Three years ago chlorine in water was linked to a risk of birth defects or miscarriages

DISEASE EXPERT WARMS ON RECYCLED SEWERAGE

Article from: The Australian 30/10/2008

Author: Greg Roberts

ONE of Australia's leading infectious disease experts has claimed technology does not exist to prevent recycled sewage from contaminating the water supply of 2.6 million residents in southeast Queensland.

In February, they will become the first Australians to drink their own waste when 60 megalitres a day of recycled water will be pumped into Brisbane's main water source, Wivenhoe Dam.

Under state government plans, recycled water will account for between 10 and 25 per cent of the region's drinking water supply.

Australian National University microbiologist Peter Collignon said yesterday he had major concerns about hundreds of viruses that could be present in the water.

"I don't believe the technology is there to ensure there are no problems," he said.

When Queensland Premier Anna Bligh was asked if she could guarantee the safety of recycled water, she said: "The scientific advice to me is that this can be guaranteed to be as safe as anything else that comes out of our taps at the moment." ...........

Professor Collignon said the Namibian capital of Windhoek, located in a desert, had the only comparable system.

"Brisbane has many times the rainfall of Windhoek," he said. "There's no need for Brisbane to be putting sewage into drinking water. There is nowhere else in the world where a large population is being forced to accept a situation where 10 or 25per cent of their drinking water is recycled sewage."

Professor Collignon said viruses that could contaminate the water supply ranged from bugs that caused gastroenteritis to potentially fatal infections leading to encephalitis and heart disease.

Test results for hazardous bacteria such as E.coli would not be available to authorities for at least a day, he said. "By the time the results come back, the water is already in the reservoir."

The Australian reported yesterday a claim by Australian National University emeritus professor Patrick Troy that it would not be possible to remove all biologically active waste molecules from the system.

Professor Troy was attacked yesterday by Ms Bligh, who dismissed his claim as "ill-informed comments by somebody who has no expertise in the field of water treatment"............

University of Queensland vice-chancellor Paul Greenfield, who heads an expert government advisory panel on recycled water, said that it was not possible to guarantee the safety of recycled water.........

CHLORINE, CANCER LINKED

SWIMMING or showering in or drinking chlorinated water may all be linked with an increased risk of bladder cancer.

A new study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, measured the exposure to chlorination byproducts known as trihalomethanes (THM).

The Spanish researchers compared 1200 people exposed to THM between 1998 and 2001 with a similar number who had not been exposed.

People living in areas where THM concentrations in the water were higher than 49 micrograms per litre had twice the risk of developing bladder cancer compared to those living where concentrations were less than 8mcg per litre.

Those who drank enough chlorinated water to expose themselves to more than 35mcg of THM a day were 35per cent more likely to develop bladder cancer than those who drank less than that.

Those bathing or showering in chlorinated water were 83 per cent more likely to get bladder cancer, and those swimming in chlorinated pools were 57 per cent more likely than those who were not exposed to THM in this way.

The researchers said that when THM was absorbed through the skin or lungs, it could have a more powerful carcinogenic effect. "If confirmed elsewhere, this observation has significant public health implications," they wrote.

There are just less than 3000 new cases of bladder cancer in Australia each year, representing about 3.3 per cent of all new cancer cases. The disease kills just more than 900 Australians a year.

QUEENSLAND Premier Anna Bligh has been severely embarrassed after 20 times the recommended maximum safe dose of fluoride was put into Brisbane's drinking water.

The incident occurred two weeks ago at North Pine Dam, on Brisbane's outskirts, where a treatment plant was shut down for general maintenance but fluoride kept being added automatically to the water.

Consequently, when the plant was turned back on, the water that contained an excessive amount of fluoride was put directly into the water supply of 4000 homes in the suburbs of Warner and Brendale, in Brisbane's north, between 9am and 12pm on May 1.

The concentration of fluoride in the water that flowed directly into households was 30-31mg per litre, while the regulated maximum is 1.5mg per litre.

The incident marks the second water problem for the Bligh Government, which was forced to back down late last year on plans to add recycled effluent to southeast Queensland dams. The plan was deferred in the face of community concerns about the safety of recycled water, but treated effluent will be added to dams when their levels fall to 40per cent. ..........

Prolonged exposure to excessive fluoridation leads to gastroenteritis, but Queensland's Chief Health Officer, Jeanette Young, said that authorities did not receive any reports of widespread bouts of the disease at the time.

The error was discovered earlier this week when routine testing showed the high concentrations of fluoride.

Ms Bligh said she was "not happy" with what had happened. "This is unacceptable, and like a lot of Queenslanders, I've got a lot of questions about this," she said. ........

"That amount of fluoride is the equivalent of having 120 fluoride tablets in a litre of water, or 30 fluoride tablets in your standard glass," Ms Haines said.

"She's put people's lives at risk. Anyone who drank that water who was an asthmatic was at risk, as was anyone with a kidney disease."

CLAIMS DRINKING WATER CONTAMINATED BY FARM CHEMICAL

Scientists believe the drinking water in several Queensland communities is being contaminated by a commonly used farm chemical.

The herbicide atrazine is suspected to be disruptive to the human endocrine system and it is thought to cause cancer and infertility.

Researcher Jon Brodie from the Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research in Townsville says they have detected residue from atrazine at several locations on the Queensland coast.

"We also know that atrazine is present in drinking water in a number of Queensland coastal cities," he says.

DROUGHT AFFECTING DRINKING WATER

The Department of Public Health's annual report on drinking water shows drought is affecting the quality of Tasmanian water supplies.

The report assesses drinking water supplies against bacteria and chemical contaminants.

The Director of Public Health, Roscoe Taylor, says there hasn't been any improvement since last year and areas including Queenstown, Swansea, Campbell Town and Ross need investment in water infrastructure.

"That creates a difficult situation for suppliers who don't have any treatment system that removes the algae and gets rid of the taste and odour," Dr Taylor said.

EXCESSIVE LEVELS OF LEAD FOUND IN DRINKING WATER, GREENS SAY

Concerns have been raised in the Tasmanian Parliament about the quality of drinking water on part of King Island.

Tim Morris from the Greens told Parliament that he has been made aware of the presence of lead in the Upper Grassy Dam.

He claims independent testing shows the levels exceed the Australian drinking water guidelines by 12 times.

He also says the levels exceed the Australian and New Zealand Conservation Council's guidelines by 100 times.

The Department of Public Health says it conducted its own water quality tests on the dam in April.

Grassy residents were told in February not to drink from the water supply because of an algal problem.

HERBICIDE RESIDUE NOT JUST TOXIC TO CORAL

.....................Mr Brodie says atrazine residue has also been found in drinking water supplies along the coast of Queensland.

"We also know that atrazine is present in drinking water in a number of Queensland coastal cities and very little has been done about that at the moment".

Depending on amounts ingested, atrazine is suspected to be disruptive to the human endocrine system and it is thought to cause cancer and infertility.

Canegrowers Chairman Alf Cristaudo says he hasn't seen the report but is concerned agriculture maybe unfairly targetted.

The Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicine Authority is aware of the study and will look at the findings.

The media manager for the APVMA Simon Cubit says a review of atrazine in 2008 says appriate uses of the chemical, which is the most widely used herbicide in the world, should not cause problems

Misuse is a state issue, but if the correct usage is followed and harm is caused to the environment or humans, Simon Cubit says a further review of atrazine could occcur.

He says one of the problems with atrazine is that it is extremely soluble and in times of flood could get into waterways even if hasn't been misused.

In this report:
Jon Brodie, Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research at James Cook University; Alf Cristaudo, Canegrowers; Simon Cubit, APVMA

WATER TANKS HARBOUR BACTERIA

A CHARLES Sturt University study has found the potentially dangerous bacteria E.coli in a majority of rural water tanks.

The pilot study conducted by microbiology lecturer Andrea Crampton surveyed almost 50 farms from across the Riverina and 54 per cent exceeded the Australian Drink Water Guidelines.

E.coli was the main bacteria found in the study, finding its way into the water system through bird and possum droppings.

A secondary study is now underway into rural residents' attitude to water quality with the belief tank water does not have the chemical levels of city water and also helps build the immune system.

NSW Health is now hoping to establish a larger scale study with a public forum to be held early next year.

Dr Crampton said while relatively small, the study had resulted in some important findings. "We are still assessing some of the health risks associated with E.coli but importantly we also looked for salmonella and traces of lead and they were miniscule," she said.

"Contamination comes largely from people not cleaning their gutters and roofs and when rain comes, those toxins flush into the water source."

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ECOLI BACTERIA FOUND IN BOWEN WATER SUPPLY

Kristin Shorten

RECYCLED SEWERAGE IN DRINKING WATER

EIGHT more homes in a new Gold Coast estate have been wrongly hooked up to recycled water that fails to meet national drinking standards.