Assessment of Health Risks Associated with Viruses in Groundwater Supplies
Pierre Payment, Centre INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier
Knowledge about the occurrence of microbial contaminants in groundwater is essential when assessing public health risks. Between 1974 and 2001, human enteric viruses (primarily Norwalk and Hepatitis A) were responsible for at least 24 public health outbreaks in Canada. There are a large number of Canadian municipalities that rely on groundwater as their source of drinking water. If these sources are contaminated by viruses, waterborne outbreaks can result.
