CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — Is the tap water safe in Charlotte County? Leaders will not say after the CDC confirmed with Fox 4 a person in Charlotte County died from a rare amoeba infection. The agency says it may have been through the tap water as the person rinsed their sinuses.
This started after Charlotte County acknowledged the amoeba on Thursday morning in a press release. It said multiple agencies are working with public utilities to identify any potential links to the amoeba, and make what the county called any "necessary corrective actions."
With no response from the Florida Department of Health, Fox 4 went to a professor at Florida Gulf Coast University's Water School to ask if tap water is safe.
The county would not do an interview with Fox 4 or answer any specifics questions, only providing this statement:
Our water system tests and adheres to all rules and regulations from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the EPA regarding safe drinking water. As for this incident, I refer you to the Florida Department of Health regarding any further information. Our Department along with others are working with the FDOH and the CDC to ensure that the water systems are safe for our customers.
"Generally, tap water is just fine," said Dr. Barry Rosen, who has studied water organisms for the past 40 years. "There should be nothing wrong with your tap water. It should have a high enough load of chlorine and cleansed on the way."
He cannot speak to the case in Charlotte County, but can provide context on how the amoeba, Nagleria fowleri, can be found in tap water.
"Usually there is a sufficient chlorine load in a municipal water treatment plant that when they distribute it," Rosen said "There should be no organisms that would cause this kind of problem."
The problem he's referring to is the amoeba. The CDC says the Florida patient who died was possibly infected with tap water through a sinus rinse the person used daily. Rosen says it can be used once or daily, they can be infected if the amoeba is present.
However, Rosen believes it likely did not come from the water treatment plant at all.
"Can be a contamination from a break in the line. It can live in soil," Rosen said. "You're not going to be able to do it [test] routinely at all. There is no simple way of doing it."
Rosen says this particular amoeba is difficult to see under a microscope. Testing one droplet doesn't account for the thousands of gallons of water. He also says there is no simple chemical test that can be used. Instead, he suggest to use bacteria as a proxy.
This means if bacteria pops up, which shouldn't be the case, something could be getting into the system. If it is, Rosen says a chlorine flush will get rid of the amoeba, or raising the levels.
Though the utilities department would not speak to Fox 4, we did find some information about disinfecting the water on their website. it says it's done with a mix of chlorine and ammonia. There are regulations municipalities have to follow through the Florida Department of Environment Protection and the US Environmental Protection Agency.
It's important to note it's extremely rare to be infected with it. It's naturally occurring in freshwater rivers and lakes, but even more uncommon to be infected through tap water, Rosen said.
DOH-Charlotteannounced on Thursday, it is providing nasal clips and educational materials at the location below while supplies last:
1100 Loveland Blvd, Port Charlotte, FL 33980
Health officials say you should seek medical attention right away if you experience any of the following symptoms after a nasal water exposure, such as a sinus rinse: headache, fever, nausea, disorientation, vomiting, stiff neck, seizures, loss of balance, or hallucinations.
For more information on this amoeba, please visit the CDC’s website.
