Australians Spurn Tainted Tap Water
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SYDNEY, Australia — Their tap water tainted by dangerous parasites that may have come from dead dogs and foxes, Sydney’s nearly 4 million residents emptied store shelves of bottled water Friday while authorities tried to flush the system.
The parasites giardia and cryptosporidium were found throughout the city’s main water systems Wednesday and Thursday. Millions of people had to boil water to make it safe to drink. The parasites have an incubation period of about a week.
Giardia, normally spread through human or animal fecal matter, can cause diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems. Cryptosporidium is spread in similar fashion. It causes flu-like symptoms and can kill people with weak immune systems.
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