Formaldehyde is reasonably assumed to be carcinogenic and causes irritation to both the eyes and the upper respiratory tract. It is also an important precursor to the photochemical production of ozone. Safe Water Safe drinking water is indispensable, and more than half of all Vermonters rely on public community water systems to provide safe drinking water. Water quality standards for the 39 million gallons per day supplied from these systems are set by state and federal laws. To ensure that standards are met, system operators must sample for and report on inorganic, volatile organic, and synthetic organic chemicals, along with radiological and bacteriological constituents.
Bacteriological contamination is the most common violation associated with drinking water.
Violations such as these require users to boil water for five minutes prior to drinking to kill viruses and bacteria. This requirement is triggered when coliform or fecal coliform is present in a water system. Its presence indicates sewage or animal waste in the water. In turn, this waste may contain waterborne parasites such as cryptosporidium and giardia which can make people ill. In 1995, Vermont had 315 confirmed cases of giardiasis, an infection caused by giardia and frequently associated with water consumption.