Raw water

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{{cquote|In some respects, the fact that people are worried filtration is removing necessary minerals is really an extreme case of one of these [[First World problems]]|||David Jones, professor of history of medicine at Harvard Medical School<ref name=bever>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/01/03/raw-water-is-the-latest-health-craze-heres-why-drinking-it-may-be-a-bad-idea/ Is drinking 'Raw water' is the latest health craze. Here's why drinking it may be a bad idea.] by Lindsey Bever (January 4, 2017 at 6:59 AM) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>}}
'''Raw water''' is [[water]] that is 
uncooked
 neither filtered nor sterilized in any way and is used in human consumption. In 2017, raw water became a commercial enterprise for preying upon stupid people in [[United States]]. Modern water sterilization started in the mid-19<sup>th</sup> century following the advent of [[water chlorination]]<ref name="usepa">[http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/consumer/pdf/hist.pdf US Environmental Protection Agency: The History of Drinking Water Treatment] (2000). EPA-816-F-00-006.</ref> and the discovery that cholera was a waterborne disease caused by [[bacteria]]l contamination.

Raw water has long been available for people to drink at springs, but 2016 marked the start of commercial distribution of raw water to "solve" a "[[first world problem]]". Tourmaline Spring of [[Maine]] started distributing its water in 2016,<ref>[https://tourmalinespring.com/ Tourmaline Spring]</ref> and Live Water's "Fountain of Truth Spring Water" from [[Oregon]] started distribution in 2017.<ref name=bever/><ref name=livespringwater>[https://livespringwater.com/ Live Water]</ref><ref>[http://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valleys-raw-water-trend-could-turn-deadly-2018-1 Food-safety expert warns latest bizarre Silicon Valley $60 'raw water' trend could quickly turn deadly] by Kate Taylor (Jan. 2, 2018, 4:38 PM) ''Business Insider''.</ref>

Some of the microbe-borne diseases that can be contracted from drinking raw water are: giardiasis (from ''Giardia''), Legionnaires’ disease (from ''Legionella''), norovirus infection, Guillain-Barré syndrome (from ''Campylobacter''), cryptosporidiosis (from ''Cryptosporidium''), cholera (from ''Vibrio cholerae''), 
salmonellosis or "food poisoning" (from ''Salmonella''), and gastrointestinal infection (also known as "food poisoning") from pathogenic ''E. coli''.<ref>[https://www.popsci.com/raw-unfiltered-water-disease All the cool new friends you'll meet when you drink raw water: So many buddies are going to show up in your GI tract. ] by Rachel Feltman (January 5, 2018) ''Popular Science''.</ref>  And this doesn't get into the parasitic diseases that you can get from unfiltered water, such as {{wpl|schistosomiasis||,}} a disease that causes bleeding from the urinary tract, and was (''and still is'') so prevalent that many cultures used to (''and still do'') believe that cis men ''also'' [[Menstruation|menstruate]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131126102437/http://www.humanecologyreview.org/pastissues/her91/91kloosdavid.pdf The Paleoepidemiology of Schistosomiasis in Ancient Egypt] by Helmut Kloos & Rosalie David (2003) ''Human Ecology Review'' 9(1):14–25. (archived from November 26, 2013).</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140912225455/http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?pid=S0717-73562000000100021&script=sci_arttext The Diagnosis of Schistosomiasis in Modern and Ancient Tissues by Means of Immunocytochemistry] by Patricia Rutherford (2000) ''Chungará, Revista de Antropología Chilena'' 32(1). doi:10.4067/s0717-73562000000100021.</ref>

==Tourmaline Spring==
Tourmaline Spring is likely safe to drink because it meets Maine's drinking water quality guidelines,<ref>[https://tourmalinespring.com/premium-grade-designation/ Premium Grade Designation] Tourmaline Spring</ref> which is due at least in part to the water actually coming from a well rather than a spring.<ref name=mystery>[https://tourmalinespring.com/the-mystery-of-tourmaline-spring/ The Mystery of Tourmaline Spring] Tourmaline Spring</ref> In the United States, thanks to the [[lobbying]] efforts of bottled water companies, [[bottled water]] can be labelled "spring water" even if it comes from a well (borehole) and not a spring if the water rises to the top of the well under its own pressure.<ref name=mystery/><ref>[http://www.greatlakeslaw.org/blog/files/Noah_Hall_Bottled_Water_Testimony.pdf Federal and State Laws Regarding Bottled Water – An Overview and Recommendations for Reform] by Noah D. Hall (December 12, 2007) Testimony Before the United State House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee Domestic Policy Subcommittee</ref>

==Live Water==
Live Water's product however comes from surface water.<ref name=livespringwater/> Pathogens such as ''Giardia'' and ''Cryptosporidium'' can potentially be found in any surface water, including mountains streams and springs, because they can be spread by animal or human fecal contamination.<ref name=oram>[http://www.water-research.net/index.php/reports/giardia-crytosporidium-and-waterborne-disease Report #1: Giardia, Cryptosporidium and Waterborne Disease] by Brian Oram (2014) ''Water Research Center''.</ref>

Live Water paid for two independent analyses of the water that they obtain from Opal Spring in Oregon, a "[[probiotic]]" report (actually a report "of non-pathogenic microbial growth")<ref name=emsl>[https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1285/5473/files/Probiotic_Report.pdf Final Report: Assessment of non-pathogenic microbial growth in spring water] Order Number: 371624622. Prepared for Fountain of Truth Spring Water (1/9/2017) EMSL Analytical, Inc.</ref> and a water quality report.<ref name=nwtl>[https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1285/5473/files/opal_spring_water_report.pdf Informational Water Quality Report] Ordered By: Fountain of Truth (11/6/2015) National Water Testing Laboratories, Ltd.</ref>

The probiotic report found the following in the water:<ref name=emsl/>
*''Pseudomonas oleovorans'': 11,640 CFU/mL{{efn|CFU/mL is {{wpl|Colony-forming unit|colony-forming units}} per milliliter. CFU is a count of the number of viable (living) microbes.}}
*''Acidovorax'' spp.: 5280 CFU/mL
*''Pseudomonas putida'': 1310 CFU/mL
*Unidentified species of ''Pseudomonas'': 5320 CFU/mL

Probiotic is not a scientifically-defined term because there is insufficient scientific evidence that consumption of any specific microbe is efficacious for health.<ref>{{wpa|Probiotic#Scientific reviews and regulatory actions}}</ref><ref>[https://nccih.nih.gov/health/probiotics/introduction.htm Probiotics: In Depth] National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health</ref> Nonetheless, probiotic [[bacteria]] are generally considered to be in the ''Lactobacillus'' and ''Bifidobacterium'' genera,<ref>[https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/what-are-probiotics What Are Probiotics?] WebMD</ref> but even probiotics can be a source of infection.<ref>[https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/38/1/62/356339 ''Lactobacillus'' Bacteremia, Clinical Significance, and Patient Outcome, with Special Focus on Probiotic ''L. Rhamnosus'' GG] by Minna K. Salminen  et al. (2004) ''Clinical Infectious Diseases'' 38(1):62–69. doi.org/10.1086/380455.</ref>

For the bacteria found in the probiotic report, there has been two reported cases of sepsis from ''Pseudomonas oleovorans''.<ref>[https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/yoken/68/3/68_JJID.2014.174/_article ''Pseudomonas oleovorans'' Sepsis in a Child: The First Reported Case in India] by Lipika Gautam et al. (2015) ''Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases'' 68(3):254-255. doi.org/10.7883/yoken.JJID.2014.174.</ref><ref>[http://antimicrobianos.com.ar/ATB/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Human-infections-due-to-Pseudomonas.pdf Human infections due to ''Pseudomonas chlororaphis'' and ''Pseudomonas oleovorans'' harboring new bla<sub>VIM-2</sub>-borne integrons] by Diego Faccone et al. (2014) ''Infection, Genetics and Evolution'' 28:276–277.</ref> Several cases of infection from ''P. putida'' have been reported.<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17141370 ''Pseudomonas aeruginosa'' and ''Pseudomonas putida'' outbreak associated with contaminated water outlets in an oncohaematology paediatric unit] by C. Aumeran et al. (2007) ''J. Hosp. Infect.'' 65(1):47-53. DOI:10.1016/j.jhin.2006.08.009.</ref>

Of all the possible diseases that could be found in raw water (above), the two reports only tested for ''E. coli'' and ''Legionella'', neither of which were found in the samples provided to the labs.<ref name=emsl/><ref name=nwtl/> Importantly, neither study tested for other pathogenic microbes such as ''Giardia'' or ''Cryptosporidium'',<ref name=emsl/><ref name=nwtl/> both of which are common in surface waters.<ref name=oram/> ''Giardia'' can cause giardiasis, whose symptoms include violent diarrhea, excess gas, stomach or abdominal cramps, upset stomach, and nausea.<ref>[https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/giardia-infection/symptoms-causes/syc-20372786 Giardia infection (giardiasis)] ''May Clinic''.</ref> ''Cryptosporidium'' can cause cryptosporidiosis, whose symptoms include "watery diarrhea, stomach cramps or pain, dehydration, nausea, vomiting, fever, and weight loss."<ref>[https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/crypto/illness.html Parasites — ''Cryptosporidium'' (also known as "Crypto"): Illness & Symptoms]] ''Centers for Disease Control and Prevention''.</ref> ''Giardia'' and ''Cryptosporidium'' can both be asymptomatic in some people.<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28693557 Prevalence of ''Giardia'' infection in households of ''Giardia'' cases and risk factors for household transmission] by A. Waldram et al. (2017) ''BMC Infect. Dis.'' 17(1):486. doi: 10.1186/s12879-017-2586-3.</ref><ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27126869 ''Cryptosporidium'' and cryptosporidiosis: the African perspective] by H. M. Aldeyarbi et al. (2016) ''Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. Int.'' 23(14):13811-21. doi:10.1007/s11356-016-6746-6.</ref> So just because the person marketing "Fountain of Truth Spring Water" didn't get sick, it doesn't mean that you won't.

Live Water's website also includes a [[Quack Miranda Warning]].<ref name=livespringwater/> And well it might, since as we all know, water itself is not alive.

==See also==
*[[Germ theory denialism]]
*[[Holy water]] — sanctified water that is sometimes raw and that has been noted for high levels of fecal contamination!
*[[Raw food]]
*[[Water woo]]

==Notes==
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==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Water woo]]

Categories: Water woo