The coliform bacteria water test kit we carry ( EZ Coliform Cult) works well as an on-site screening method to determine the presence/absence of coliform bacteria in a 100mL water sample.  If the test indicates positive for coliform,a contamination, then more precise laboratory should take place.

As for whether or not a different field test method exists that gives results comparable in precision to those given by laboratory testing, at this time we do not know of a field bacteria test capable of replacing laboratory testing.

We do, however, know of water test kit called the "Compartment Bag Test (CBT)" from a company called Aquagenx ( www.aquagenx.com) that specifically detects E. Coli and gives an indication of the extent of contamination, as well.

Again, we stress that at this time we neither carry nor know of a field test capable of providing bacteria test results comparable to those provided by a qualified water testing laboratory.

About EZ Coliform Cult Test

The EZ Coliform Cult (MUG) Test gives homeowners and water professionals the ability to get accurate coliform bacteria test results for a water sample in 24 to 48 hours!

In the presence of coliform bacteria, the media (powder in the test container) turns blue-green and detects down to the USEPA limit of 1 coliform per 100 mL sample. Additionally, users of this test want to confirm the presence of E. Coli, illuminating the sample with blue fluorescent lighting (UV light) or adding a Kovacs reagent makes that possible.

• Detects the EPA limit of 1 cfu (coliform unit) per 100 milliliters of sample water.
• Easy and safe test procedure.
• No laboratory equipment required.

What Should I Do If My Water Tests Positive for Coliform Bacteria?

Stop using the water right away and have the water tested by a certified water testing laboratory. Then, depending upon the results, you may find that you need to invest in a water filtration system capable of rendering the bacteria incapable of reproducing (see UV Water Sterilizer) or removing it altogether (see Ceramic Water Filters).

Good afternoon, Kerry, and thank you for your inquiry.

The product you asked about (EZ Coliform Cult (MUG) Test) does not provide a numeric value of coliform bacteria detected. Instead, it serves as a presence/absence test showing whether or not a water sample contains 1 cfu/100 ml.

We do, however, know of a test called 'CBT' that provides users with more quantitative results by indicating that a water sample contains coliform bacteria contamination in one of several ranges. You can obtain more information on the test by visiting www.aquagenx.com.

In case you did not know, health officials and water experts suggest having one's well water tested at least once a year for coliform bacteria and more often than that if the well head seal gets breached or flood waters cover the well head at any point.

The EZ Coliform Cult (MUG) Test makes it possible for homeowners and water professionals alike to get accurate coliform bacteria test results for a water sample in just 24 hours -- no incubator required!

The media turns blue-green in the presence of coliform bacteria and can detect down to the USEPA limit of 1 coliform per 100 mL sample. Additionally, users of this test can confirm the specific presence of E. Coli by illuminating the sample with blue fluorescent lighting (UV light) or by adding a Kovacs reagent.

Why Test for Bacteria?

• If you have a private well the responsibility for the quality of the water coming out of that well rests on your shoulders. No one will come out and do periodic testing to make sure you and your family have safe, clean drinking water free of coliform bacteria such as E. Coli.
• If you have tap water (i.e. city water, municipal water, etc.) the water provider performs regular testing of the water for bacteria at the water treatment facility... but the water must travel through many miles of piping before it reaches your tap and at any point during that long journey bacteria could possibly find its way into the water supply -- and you would never know until after someone got sick.

What Should I Do If My Water Tests Positive for Coliform Bacteria?

Stop drinking the water right away and have the water tested by a certified water testing laboratory. Then, depending upon the results, you may need to invest in some sort of filtration system capable of rendering the bacteria incapable of reproducing (see UV Water Sterilizer) or removing them altogether (see Ceramic Water Filters by Berkey).

The important part: Test your water for coliform bacteria so you can make an educated decision when it comes to purchasing or not purchasing a water filter for your home, school or office!

In a word, NO. Freezing water does not make it safe for human consumption because some of the ‘bugs’ one may find in contaminated drinking water actually get preserved by the freezing process rather than killed or destroyed. Once the ice thaws and returns to a liquid state, the ‘bugs’ remain just as active a threat to human health as they were prior to getting frozen.

Contaminated ice and alcohol

OK, so freezing water does not make it necessarily safe for consumption… but what if you add, say, oh, we don’t know… some scotch, rum or vodka to the equation? Won’t the alcohol content render the ice safe?

In a word, NO. While some possible drinking water contaminants may die as a result exposure to alcohol, others will not.

Oh, and while on the topic of alcoholic drinks, when traveling in places where you assume the tap water may make you sick, you should also avoid any drinks that come with fruit or vegetable garnishes since they more than likely got washed using water from the local water supply.

Good afternoon, and thank you for your inquiry. Each kit contains a single bottle that tests (1) one sample. If you have more than one water source to test, then you would need one kit per sample.

Why Test for Bacteria?

If you have a private well the responsibility for the quality of the water coming out of that well rests on your shoulders. No one will come out and do periodic testing to make sure you and your family have safe, clean drinking water free of coliform bacteria such as E. Coli.

If you have tap water (i.e. city water, municipal water, etc.) the water provider performs regular testing of the water for bacteria at the water treatment facility... but the water must travel through many miles of piping before it reaches your tap and at any point during that long journey bacteria could possibly find its way into the water supply -- and you would never know until after someone got sick.

What Should I Do If My Water Tests Positive for Coliform Bacteria?

Stop drinking the water right away and have the water tested by a certified water testing laboratory. Then, depending upon the results, you may need to invest in some sort of filtration system capable of rendering the bacteria incapable of reproducing (see UV Water Sterilizer) or removing them altogether (see Ceramic Water Filters).

The important part: Test your water for coliform bacteria so you can make an educated decision when it comes to purchasing or not purchasing a water filter for your home, school or office!

Coliform Bacteria Test Kit
for Drinking Water

Today’s inquiry deals with the EZ Coliform Cult Test for coliform bacteria in water. ‘Pam’ asked, “I bought an EZ Coliform Cult test and read the instructions, but have now lost the instructions. The packaging tells everything except the incubation time and temperature. Would you please give me that information?”

Of COURSE we can assist with this request! The EZ Coliform Cult Test can have either a 24 hour incubation period or a 48 hour incubation period depending upon temperature.

• 24 hour incubation period @ 35C/95F
   
• 48 hour incubation @ 25C/77F

Why the difference in times for different temperatures? Simple: Biological activity increases at warmer temperatures meaning coliform bacteria, if present, will reproduce faster. As that happens, the increased number of bacteria naturally produce compounds that cause the test to show a ‘positive’ result.

A word of caution…

Coliform bacteria typically come from the waste products of mammals (i.e. humans, warm-blooded animals). If a properly performed coliform bacteria test gives a positive result then we highly suggest having the water source tested by a certified water quality testing laboratory and taking action(s) to remedy the situation if the lab results also come back positive for coliform bacteria.

Hey, if the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) says millions of people each year in the United states alone get sick because of bacteria and other nasty contaminants on food, then we figure we ought to pay attention to the problem every once in a while.

How does one contract Listerosis?

The condition Listerosis (a serious infection) occurs when a person consumes food products contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.

Facts about Listerosis?

• An estimated 1,600 cases get reported each year; approximately 17% of them result in a fatality.
   
• Older adults, pregnant women, very young children, and those with compromised or suppressed immune systems stand the greatest chance of becoming infected.
   
• Note regarding pregnant women diagnosed with Listerosis: Infections during pregnancy may lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, and/or passing of the infection on to the the newborn child.
   
• Symptoms usually include fever, muscle aches, and gastrointestinal conditions including, but not limited to, diarrhea.
   
• More severe symptoms may include headache, confusion, and convulsions.
   
• The majority of patients diagnosed with Listerosis reported their illness to medical professionals only after the infection had already affected areas of the body beyond the gastrointestinal tract.
   
• Basic proper food handling, cooking, and storage methods serve as the absolute best means of keeping one safe from infection by Listerosis. Keep raw meats away from fresh fruits/vegetables, cook all meats thoroughly, and wash hands/utensils/countertops after encounters with uncooked or undercooked meats
   
• For additional information on Listerosis, such as a timeline of notable outbreaks in the United States, please take a look at the source article on the CNN web site

In a nutshell, basic food safety practices can drastically reduce one’s risk of infection. According to what we have read over the years, most cases of food poisoning did NOT have to happen and would not have happened if people had handled raw goods properly, kept raw goods away from other goods that would not get cooked, cooked meat products thoroughly and to the recommended internal temperatures, and stored raw or cooked goods properly.

Keeping one’s kitchen, cooking, food prep, and food service areas clean and clear of debris that could harbor potentially harmful bacteria, etc. also helps!

Products to test disinfecting and/or sanitizing solutions?

While at home most people would not usually test the strengths of cleaning solutions used to keep surfaces bacteria and germ-free, food production facilities and food service establishments DO have to test for things like chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, chlorine dioxide, ozone, iodine, quaternary ammonia, etc.

Coliform Bacteria Test
for Drinking Water

Ever gone to a church or other religious location and wondered about the hygienic properties of the Holy Water? If not, then we think 99% of the world has not had that thought, either — but some folks in Vienna, Austria recently DID have that thought and, well, yuck!

An article on water quality on the Reuters web site the other day revealed that a good number of Holy Water sources may have received other worldly blessing but not the right kind to keep bacteria from multiplying and standing a chance of making worshipers sick.

Scientists at Vienna University medical school’s Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology examined the quality of water produced by 21 water springs considered blessed (or holy) the water quality at 21 “holy” springs and 18 fonts at churches and chapels at various times of year.

• Researchers found that bodies of Holy Water located in various religious buildings often contained detectable levels of fecal matter.
   
• One should avoid drinking water Holy Water — especially in hospital chapels, apparently. (Wait, do people actually drink Holy Water in hospital chapels?)
   
• Less than 1/5 of the water springs deemed as ‘holy’ could pass as safe drinking water due to fecal contamination, nitrates, and/or parasites.
   

The article also discussed water quality issues found in common church features called ‘fonts’… which we had never heard of before. Apparently a font holds the Holy Water in which babies get baptized and in some churches that water does not get changed as often as it should.

Moral of the story?

Potential water quality issues surround us on a daily basis and if not careful, we can easily slip up and expose ourselves to unwanted drinking water contaminants. In the case of drinking water in our homes we do not have to tolerate that risk.

Regular testing of our drinking water — just to make sure nothing has changed since the last test — helps to keep us well apprised of our water quality situation, helps guide us in the correct direction if considering installing a water filter, and helps us make sure installed water filters continue to function as expected.

The answer lies in the fact that medical professionals prescribing antibiotics in stronger (and stronger) dosages and more frequently means more antibiotics wind up in the general population which then, in turn, flushes them down the toilet as bodily waste.

So what’s the problem?

As a general rule most water treatment plants lack the technology to filter out many of the antibiotics and byproducts left over once antibiotics pass through the human body. Therefore it stands to reason that we will then consume some of those antibiotic byproducts in our drinking water.

While some believe the quantities contained in drinking water ought not pose a problem, we have, yet, to see a lot of data on the effects of consuming these products long-term… and who knows? Perhaps they may harm us in the way that long-term consumption of arsenic in drinking water does?

Some folks, like those in the CDC, say our overexposure to antibiotics has resulted in the creation of ‘superbugs’ that have adapted in ways that now allow them to survive antibiotic treatments.

The facts below scared us into thinking more about the amount of antibiotics we take — and eventually pass back into the environment as waste:

• Approximately 2 million people per year develop anti-biotic resistant infections and 23,000 people die annually from ineffective anti-biotic treatment.
   
• In 2007, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimated over 100,000 people died from infection received while in a hospital. Currently, it is unclear how many of those deaths are the result of drug resistant infection. ( source )

In no way, shape or form do we think doctors should 100% scrap the use of antibiotics, but the numbers do seem to show that the more antibiotics we as a population take, the more ‘weird’ and ‘funky’ mutated strains of bacteria keep popping up — and killing people in HOSPITALS.

Don’t you think a HOSPITAL would be the LAST place where these odd, lethal strains of bacteria would show up?

Moral of the story?

We feel that more research needs to get done on the effects of residual pharmaceuticals in the water supply. Are they causing us harm? Are they helping bacteria mutate into superbugs? How can we effectively remove them from the water supply? And finally, does a better means of treating infection exist that will allow us to slow down the mutation rate of bacteria strains?

Remember in War of the Worlds when the massively advanced, space travelling aliens got taken down by the common cold? We do!

State law required officials to notify customers in the affected area even though they believed no real threat existed to the water supply or its users.

Until the word goes out that the boil water advisory has ended, officials suggest boiling all tap water that will get used for drinking, cooking, washing of food or utensils, making ice, brushing teeth, or used to wash wounds in the event that someone requires first aid. The water should come to a rolling boil for at least 1 full minute.

If boiling water not possibility, residents should use bottled water in place of tap water.

What happens now?

Workers from Sarasota County will collect samples from various points in the water system to check for contamination and once all samples come back with a clean bill of health the ‘all clear’ notice will go out to all customers affected by the water main break.

Most customers will receive a phone call from an automated service one the boil water advisory gets canceled. If anyone has questions about the advisory, or fears they may not have received the call, all interested parties may contact Sarasota County using the following phone number: 941-861-5000.