Coliform detected at Navy housing

[unhappycamper]

Coliform detected at Navy housing
By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Tuesday, August 5, 2008

NAPLES, Italy — Coliform bacteria was in the tap water of about one-third of off-base houses tested in the first phase of a health study by the U.S. Navy in Naples, officials reported.

Forty-eight of 160 houses turned up traces of total coliform and/or fecal coliform bacteria, prompting health officials to warn residents not to consume tap water.

But the presence of the coliform bacteria in nearly one-third of the samplings "might not be scientifically significant," said Lt. Cmdr. Wendy Snyder, a spokeswoman for Navy Region Europe.

She said health and environmental experts hired by the Navy are still awaiting results of additional testing done on both water and soil samples taken from the houses, which made up Phase I of the health assessment.

Experts selected houses from 469 questionnaires that were filled out and returned by off-base residents. A total of 1,800 had been sent out.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=56558