dangers of swallowing water?

[Dea]

As a part of yesterdays Discovery chanel program there was a bit about surviving in the wilderness. When it came to water, the guide told not to drink out of the stream/river ulness its the last resort.

Well, it is certainly understandable, with todays ecology why one would try to avoid it. But his explanation was somewhat surprising to me. He was talking about microscopic bugs that are invisible to the naked eye and will make you sick.

Now those of us who dive in lakes/rivers do swallow some water on occasion. Even if it is a quater of a sip... It does happen sometimes. Now I have not gotten sick so far (that I know of at least) but now that bug theory, well.... bugs me a little

 

[jonnythan]

Unfortunately, it's not safe to assume any water is safe anymore. Almost all of the fresh water in the country is contaminated, so drinking it straight during a weekend backpack is a big no no.

This being said, you have to remember that you'd probably consume at least a couple liters of water in that kind of time period. The way I was taught in my WFA was that your GI tract can handle really small amounts of giardia and whatnot (ie, your body can control the cysts and not get overwhelmed), but take a few big gulps from contaminated water and you might be in trouble (massive influx of too many for you to cope with, and you get infected until your immune system gets it under control)

So, I don't think it's something to worry much about.. but try to avoid diving in really contaminated water, such as downstream from a sewage treatment plant (just like we have right here in Albany!), and don't drink the lake water

BTW, what part of NY are you from?

 

[scottg]

Being a frequent traveler to the Boundary Waters, i believe what they are referring to are some of the parasitic bacteria that are common in still ponds and waters frequented by beavers, otters and other critters. One of the more common bugs is the giarrdia strain which can be pretty nasty. The way the water filter people make it sound is one sip and a day later you are spewing all kinds of nasty things out of most of your bodily orifices. Funny thing is, for 20 years (before the "water filter people" educated me) we drank directly from the lakes without any ill effects. And from what i understand, it takes quite a bit of intake for the little buggers to get a foothold on you so a few little sipps of lake or sea water isn't likely to make you do the Hershey Squirts.

 

[The Chairman]

Ladies and germs...

There are many a thingies in our water that not only can, but WILL make you sick. Giardia is but one, but they seem to be the major player for getting you sick. The amount and quality of the ingested water has a DIRECT impact on your subsequent trips to the head. I heartily agree with Scott, that sometimes I think we overreact just a tad. However, it seems that the more we overreact, the longer our lifespans are, so there is some merit in that as well.

Things that seem to impact Giardia the most are...

1) Concentration (droughts just ain't a good thing).
2) Fecal matter (they seem to be poo directional)
3) Salinity (won't find them in salt water)
4) Heat (they like it)

Here in Florida it is difficult to swim in fresh water (other than springs) that is NOT Giardia laden. If there is fish poo on the bottom (silt) then there is Giardia everywhere. My body seems to tolerate moderate ingestions of this water... and I am sure that the more often I dive, the stronger it reacts to the little buggers too. Hoever, if I were to drink it, I would get my hiking water filter and pump me a few liters to enjoy. Or maybe just boil the crap out of it... either way, I would gaurd against Giardia.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

Giardia isn't the only bug to be concerned with. Cryptosporidia is rapidly becomming an intestinal parasite of greater concern. It is much harder to kill much more prevalent in fresh water. I don't have my bug book with me or I'd give the differences in infective dose. Neither bug will kill a human with any regularity but both will make you sick. Tiny sips of water that you get from scuba diving typically will not have enough organisms to cause infection.

TwoBit

 

[The Chairman]

Check this out...

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20020725-100255-1720r

 

[JT2]

I have been told by some folks that cave dive in Florida freshwater caves that whenever they get thirsty during a dive they just remove their reg and take a big drink. One of these gals actually said that in her cave training class at Ginnie her instructor encouraged it saying that there was no excuse to ever get dehydrated when diving spring fed freshwater caves because the water is right in front of you and is cleaner than most tap water, but she also stated that he said you should only drink the water when you are back in the cave and not close to the entrance. None of this really made sense to me but I have always been curious about the purity of the water in these caves, I have also heard some of the same things said about the water in Lake Tahoe. I grew up drinking well water, and there are still a few deep wells that I will drink from in a couple of places that I hunt at, however I have been told that I should no longer do this.

 

[sea nmf]

Well if you take your reg out and take a drink, you better hope that someone in front of you didn't just pee in his wet suit.

 

[momotarosan]

I have been told by some folks that cave dive in Florida freshwater caves that whenever they get thirsty during a dive they just remove their reg and take a big drink. One of these gals actually said that in her cave training class at Ginnie her instructor encouraged it saying that there was no excuse to ever get dehydrated when diving spring fed freshwater caves because the water is right in front of you and is cleaner than most tap water, but she also stated that he said you should only drink the water when you are back in the cave and not close to the entrance. None of this really made sense to me but I have always been curious about the purity of the water in these caves, I have also heard some of the same things said about the water in Lake Tahoe. I grew up drinking well water, and there are still a few deep wells that I will drink from in a couple of places that I hunt at, however I have been told that I should no longer do this.

Flordia cave diving would be referring to the under aquafiers which is the same as spring water. this would be the same as diving the cenotes/caves in the yucatan peninsula...no problem drinking water from aquafiers. but other inland water not feed by springs can be hazardous to your health. i live near Lake Michigan, and we have beach closings quite frequently in the summer...a sure sign of water contamination.

 

[DMDC01]

It is true that in cave diving you are taught how and where to drink water while diving, but the task is not as easy as it sounds. Some Instructors even teach you how to eat banannas underwater!! but remember, no monkeying around!!