Water at some house in California’s San Gabriel Valley was tainted by the E. coli Bacteria earlier this month, reports say, and some 200 households were told to boil their tap water.
Although there were no reported cases of illness, the citizens of the affected area waited for officials to sterilize water pipes. Each affected home reportedly received three cases of bottled water from city officials, reports say.
The source of contamination is unknown, but either animal or human feces was likely somehow introduced into the system, although an investigation into how the test samples came up positive, reports say.
The contaminated water was locally supplied by the Three Valleys Municipal Water District, reports say, but district officials claimed the water was tested and treated prior to release and no testes showed any evidence of contamination.
Symptoms of E. coli poisoning are nausea vomiting, bloody diarrhea, dehydration and abdominal cramps. Most people are not at risk for anything more than that. But in elderly and the very young the bacteria can cause death.
Some may become susceptible to ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, which cause the intestines to become inflamed. Sometimes E. coli victims suffer hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, in which their kidneys and other organs fail and need kidney transplants.
E. coli sufferers are often at risk for bigger problems. Experts in dealing with similar situations are helpful in giving direction to families of accidental injury and death victims. The Jimmy Doan Law Firm has extensive experience in personal injury and wrongful death accidents and can assist any family suffering loss or injury. Contact the Doan Law Firm, P.C., led by Houston personal injury attorney Jimmy Doan, at 1 Riverway, Suite 2055, Houston, Texas 77056, (713) 869-4747 or (800) 910-FIRM.