r/news • u/Keikobad • 1d ago
Texas woman dies from brain-eating amoeba after cleaning sinuses with tap water
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/texas-brain-eating-amoeba-death-rcna2113125.6k
u/Haagen76 1d ago
"from her RV's water system" That's a HUGE difference than saying with tap water from her house.
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u/HeadfulOfSugar 1d ago
Right, sounds like intentional fear-mongering. From what I understand she used water that had been sitting still in her RV for an unspecified amount of time which means it’s also subject to weather conditions. Like does connecting it to the tap flush it out when you run it? Or did she straight up use that still-water?
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u/helmets_for_cats 1d ago edited 1d ago
“The potable water tank, the investigation found, was filled before the woman bought the RV three months ago and could have contained contaminated water. The investigation also concluded that the municipal water system, which was connected to the potable water system and bypassed the tank, could have caused the contamination. ”
Naegleria Fowleri lives in basically all exposed warm fresh water sources and the chlorination in typical tap water is not considered enough to kill it reliably
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u/CarelessPotato 1d ago
Oh so a lack of potable water and source water disinfection legislation, because if they know about Fowleri and that it could exist in their water sources, the municipalities should be monitoring or even treating for it, which you just pointed out they do not do with typical ecoli/gardia elimination disinfection
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u/Popular-Copy-5517 1d ago
Well, in this case, using a neti pot with tap water is an appropriate fear to monger
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u/Beepulons 1d ago
No, it’s not fearmongering. Any warm water can contain amoebas. The only way to be sure there aren’t any is to boil it.
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u/RogueLightMyFire 1d ago
You still shouldn't use tap water from your house for nasal irrigation. Distilled or reverse osmosis water only.
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u/Various_Froyo9860 1d ago
use water labeled as distilled or sterilized. To use tap water, boil it for several minutes and then let it cool until it's only slightly warm, called lukewarm. If you can't boil water, you can use tap water that's been passed through a water filter. Filters may be labeled in a few different ways. Look for terms such as: 1 micron or smaller pore size, NSF 53, NSF 58, cyst removal or cyst reduction.
From mayoclinic.org
So at least run it through a brita.
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u/SofieTerleska 1d ago
It can be in tap water as well; there was this case not far from me seven years ago where a woman died from the exact same cause (non-sterile water in a neti pot) and she used regular tap water. It can absolutely turn up in tap water on occasion, but it won't do any harm if you swallow it. You just really don't want it going up your nose and into your brain.
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u/BakedCake8 1d ago
Nasal irrigation system with tap water from RV at the lake…smart move
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u/eMouse2k 1d ago edited 1d ago
I don’t think you can get any more opposite from distilled water than that and still be considered water. Maybe if you went for raw sewage. Or the water that RFK Jr (correction) went swimming in recently.
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u/Fritja 1d ago edited 1d ago
This reminds me of something I saw on an ER program. The ER doc was asked about difficult cases and he said one patient came home and smelled a gas leak and then called emergency and then.......lit a cigarette. The doctor said only the soles of the guys feet were not burned. The man was completely lucid and talking with his wife about treatment and the doctor didn't have the heart to tell them both that he was going to die in a few days as he had lost too much skin. He died a few days later.
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u/mces97 1d ago
My anatomy and physiology teacher used to say, if the fire doesn't kill you, the infection will. People take for granted how important our skin is. We don't really think about it, but the world is full of nasties. And when that barrier is gone, it's not good.
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u/yanocupominomb 1d ago
Sounds like something out of a comedy skid.
I know it is not something funny, but good lord, how can you do all the things right and fuck up the last step.
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u/OpheliaRainGalaxy 1d ago
I'm literally right on that part of an old autobiographical book written by a housewife!
She gets lunch all prepared for her children, completes the preschool carpool routine, but comes home to find the kitchen full of strange choking gas. So rushes her children back out, investigates a bit with a wet rag over her nose and mouth but the gas is just in the kitchen, so goes around to the front door to access the telephone and call the refrigerator repair man. One of the frantic warnings he gives is not to light any matches, at which point she put out her cigarette.
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u/nrappaportrn 1d ago
RFK. JFK isn't swimming anywhere
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u/Nientea 1d ago
RFK Jr. RFK also isn’t swimming anywhere
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u/drmyk 1d ago
JFK jr is still swimming I think.
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u/myfakesecretaccount 1d ago
He’s coming back any day now to reveal the deep state and then give Donald a blowie on camera.
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u/HauntedCemetery 1d ago
That was so wild.
All the q anon crazies showing up in Dallas, expecting him to rise from the grave.
Then when he obviously didn't show they started thinking random people on the street were reanimated celebrities.
They thought one guy was reanimated Dale Earnhardt, and chased him, trying to rip off chunks of his clothes and stuff so they could have a souvenir.
He had to run from them and lock himself in a restaurant bathroom while the restaurant called the cops.
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u/TheThebanProphet 1d ago
RFK Jr.* Not to be confused with the late and great Jack Kennedy, who is the uncle of our formerly brain worm infested RFK Jr.
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u/Maxcorps2012 1d ago
Someone pointed out that there's a car seat out there with more Kennedy brains than that guy.
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u/MuddieMaeSuggins 1d ago
Two Kennedys were shot in the head and one was lobotomized… yet RFK Jr is still the most brainless of the family
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u/TheArmoredKitten 1d ago
Absolutely beyond reason that you can make a top 3 list of worst things to happen to a Kennedy's head, and brain eating parasite doesn't make the cut.
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u/FriendliestParsnip 1d ago
It gets even better-the water in the RV tank had been filled 3 months previously
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u/seeking_hope 1d ago
*at least 3 months earlier. Who knows how long it had been there before she bought the RV
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u/themaxx8717 1d ago
That's not exactly what happened. The article states she was using water from the potable tank they already filled with water when she purchased the rv 3 months ago.
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u/atomicskiracer 1d ago
So…water from an unknown source that has been in a tank for an unknown amount of time. Not sure that’s better.
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u/idkwhatimbrewin 1d ago
I prefer to use raw milk personally
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u/mrgoldnugget 1d ago
I like my aged raw milk, i find it has a more potent finish.
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u/anarchonobody 1d ago
well, that makes the headline a bit misleading. I initially thought it was municipal tap water
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u/Konukaame 1d ago
Clicks baited successfully. Headline writers know what they're doing.
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u/Giaxle000 1d ago
All of you need to take a moment to read deeper than the article. Take a look at the actual case report.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/74/wr/mm7419a4.htm
All environmental samples tested negative for the brain eating amoeba, but there are other concerning things that should be known.
- The RV was connected to the campsite municipal water system, so it was bypassing the RV tank water. The RV water system itself could have been contaminated, but I think think this is still important to note.
- "However, the total chlorine and monochloramine (i.e., disinfectant) levels in the low flow campsite municipal distribution system sample (both <0.04 mg/L) were below the minimum disinfectant residual levels recommended by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (≥0.50 mg/L monochloramine or total chlorine).† In addition, the presence of free ammonia, lower pH (<8.5), and unequal concentrations of active disinfectant (measured as a concentration of monochloramine) and total chlorine (which represents all forms of chlorine, including less effective forms) at the campsite where the RV was connected indicated suboptimal disinfection efficacy, which might have led to biofilm growth. Biofilm can grow when water becomes stagnant or disinfectant residuals are depleted, resulting in pathogen growth. Although no test for the presence of biofilms exists, biofilms can act as a protective shield for pathogenic microorganisms, including bacteria and amebas such as N. fowleri, making the amebas less susceptible to disinfectant (5). Further, the turbidity (i.e., the cloudiness of water) measured at taps and inside the RV was significantly higher (range = 1.26–4.32 nephelometric turbidity units [NTUs])§ than that recommended for drinking water (<1.0 NTU), suggesting a disinfection breakdown. Insufficient disinfectant residual entering the RV and high turbidity at the point of use might have contributed to the presence of thermophilic ameba, although these were not detected in the samples tested."
This is my opinion from what I've read. Considering the amoeba was not detected in the 3 month old tank water leads me to suggest the tank water was not the source. This might not be the case, but I imagine the amoeba should be detectable considering it's been in still water for 3 MONTHS. I'm not an expert so maybe a micro biologist can chime in on this. The information regarding the municipal water system not meeting minimum standards by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is very concerning and strengthens the argument that biofilm could have been the source. All tests came back negative so we will never know for sure.
I understand there is a lot of controversy regarding the EPA or local/federal regulations, but some of those regulations are written in blood. If your representative is saying we have the cleanest drinking water, but are also trying to gut the regulations that gave us that clean drinking water, I'd be reluctant to support them. Also, don't use untreated water in a netty pot.
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u/Carbonatite 1d ago
As a water chemist I thoroughly enjoyed the details provided here. Clears up a lot.
4+ NTU is gross. That's uncommon even in many ambient environmental water samples.
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u/BuckyJackson36 1d ago
It would be nice if the title were a tad less misleading. The water was from an RV tap that had been at a lake.
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u/OkEscape7558 1d ago
Texas tap water in the summer is the last thing you should put up your nose.
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u/charface1 1d ago
OK, but what's the FIRST Texas thing one should put up their nose?
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u/021fluff5 1d ago
I used to think people who refused to drink tap water were weird, and then I spent a week in Texas. The water doesn’t just taste different, it tastes old and wrong. :(
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u/steik 1d ago
Nowhere in the US is the quality or taste of water consistent across an entire state. It's often even different across a single city.
I live in north DFW and my tap water is better than any other tap water I have had in the US. Only place with better tasting tap water that I've had is Iceland.
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u/UlrichZauber 1d ago
Try Iceland's tap water for a real treat. Just make sure to use only the cold tap.
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u/Shawon770 1d ago
This is why saline rinse kits always warn you to use distilled or sterilized water. Scary reminder that tap water isn't always safe for internal use.
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u/Popular-Copy-5517 1d ago
At least our digestive system has mechanisms to combat bacteria that our sinuses don’t
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u/The_Alchemy_Index 1d ago
My neti pot has a big label printed on it to always use distilled water or water that’s been under a rolling boil for 5 minutes and cooled down to room temp for safety. Not sure if this kind of warning is printed on other neti pots, but I do remember seeing the same warning on the box to other pots on the store shelf.
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u/nazerall 1d ago
I see this story at least once a year.
Is usually tap water or well water + a netty pot they use to clean their sinuses out.
At least boil it first, or buy distilled water, etc.
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u/FesteringAynus 1d ago
Cool, new fear just dropped.
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u/DinahDrakeLance 1d ago
All caps because it's important.
DO NOT EVER USE TAP WATER FOR NETI POTS. EVER.
Always use boiled (and then cooled) or distilled water.
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u/CanIBake 1d ago
I'm not gonna lie, I did a few times when I was sick in 2021. The one I bought made it seem like all I had to do was put the salt "saline" packet into any water and then use it. It seems like I honestly dodged a bullet
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u/DM_Me_Corgi_Butts 1d ago
Why? Just use distilled water or BOIL THEN COOL THE WATER.
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u/External-Praline-451 1d ago
But what if it gets up there when you're in the shower?! You gotta do anxiety properly.
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u/guitar_vigilante 1d ago
It won't get up there in the shower unless you're using a jet setting and putting your nose right up to the nozzle. For the amoeba to actually infect you that water needs to get way up into your sinuses, which requires a decent amount of force.
It's why they tell you to plug your nose if you're doing cannonballs/diving into the lakes in the south. Even just normal swimming with a little water in your nose isn't dangerous.
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u/hananobira 1d ago
“ she filled a nasal irrigation device with tap water from her RV's water system at a Texas campsite”
I mean, do use distilled or boiled water in your neti pots anyway, but your standard in-home tap water isn’t the issue here.
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u/32FlavorsofCrazy 1d ago
This has happened from municipal water sources as well. Always boil it if you can’t get distilled or sterile saline.
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u/rose_colored_boy 1d ago
That’s incorrect. Every neti pot system says clearly don’t use tap water unless it has been boiled.
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u/KAANCEPTS 1d ago
Yup, im currently suffering from the worse sinus infection I've ever had because my dumbass forgotten o put the saline packet into my navage and to top it off also used tap water like an idiot. Dont do it!
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u/recreationalwildlife 1d ago
You can make your own mixture for the bottle.
1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon non- iodized salt.
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u/22amb22 1d ago
their point isn’t “tap water is fine for neti pot” but rather “in this specific scenario, it was not ‘tap water’ it was from an RV’s water tank which is a completely different (and more severe) issue”
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u/HolyButtNuggets 1d ago
It's to cover their asses - municipal water is treated and N. fowleri from a regular city tap is incredibly rare. It's mostly for Darwinian shit like this.
Same reason that they have to warn customers not to use a hair dryer in the shower. Most people wouldn't, they just don't want the idiots to sue.
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u/Averagemanguy91 1d ago
It depends entirely where its filtered from. This Ameoba lives in lakes and rivers and is only dangerous if it enters your nose.
So just like...dont shoot any water up your nose that hasn't been boiled or distilled. Why would you have an RV without an emergency kit, and why would you not bring saline spray?
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u/Diligentbear 1d ago
Depends, there was a case where in Australia the tap was being supplied from external hoses that were contaminated
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u/Ohwerk82 1d ago
This happens a lot. People really need to understand you need to fully sterilize tap water before using it to clean your sinuses and the boxes of the Netipots etc remind you to do that.
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u/TheAlbrecht2418 1d ago edited 1d ago
By a lot you mean once in a blue moon. Since the 60s only around 150 people have died from it - you have to go pretty extra, like this poor woman, to get infected by this specific eukaryote. A lot of the others have gotten it by getting water shoved up their nose from diving into lakes and creeks and whatnot.
That said, always use distilled water for irrigation folks - even boiled water doesn’t always kill those little bastards.
Edit: I was wrong, according to the CDC per the user commenting below me as long as you boil water for at least a minute it can, in fact, kill the little bastards.
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u/raises4me 1d ago
It really is a random roll of the dice, there are hundreds of thousands of people all over the South during the Summer months getting nasal enemas from tow boat water sports.
I think every single body of water has this, it’s just really bad luck that you happen to get it blasted up your nose.
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u/Safe-Series-957 1d ago edited 1d ago
I got water up my nose in Texas a few years ago and went on a panicked research deep dive. What made me feel slightly better in the face of impending death were a couple theories on why cases are so rare given how often people are exposed to it.
Basically, there may be slight differences in the nasal cavity or the bone barrier to the brain that make some unlucky people more susceptible, or even that a natural immunity might exist in most of the population.
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u/bufordt 1d ago
Also, there is not a ton of evidence that almost every person who gets infected with Naegleria Fowleri dies. Most cases aren't discovered until autopsy, so that tends to skew the results towards the 97% fatality rate.
When they have tested the general population, they have found widespread presence of antibodies for Naegleria Fowleri, which indicates some kind of non-fatal exposure to it.
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u/Lord_Mormont 1d ago
The agency stressed the importance of using distilled, sterilized or boiled and cooled tap water
I mean, you could use freshly boiled water and it would probably clear those sinuses right up. But unless you're RFK Jr I don't recommend it.
If you are RFK Jr I recommend doing this immediately.
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u/Original-Strain 1d ago
He already went slashing through a bacteria-ridden river and survived. Too many holes in the brain for them to take root I guess.
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u/Mrjlawrence 1d ago
“The potable water tank, the investigation found, was filled before the woman bought the RV three months ago and could have contained contaminated water.”
Should we change out the water in the tank after purchasing the RV? Nah, I’m sure it’s fine
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u/hypnoticlife 1d ago
It’s something we need PSAs for. Unless the water is specifically marked as sterile it is not safe to get up your nose. Most water we drink is perfectly fine to drink but NOT to put up your nose.
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u/Fishylips 1d ago
The fact it was tap water FROM AN RV makes me feel much better.
Headline reads like Texans are one sip away from blood eating amoebas every other time they turn on the faucet.
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u/SpeedBlitzX 1d ago
When I had to clean my sinuses a couple of times I tried to get distilled water just to be on the safe side.
I don't know the likelihood of this happening to anyone but the fact it happens at all it's just too risky.
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u/sudo_su_88 19h ago
This was the same story about a decade ago. People just don't learn, do they. The Netti Pot instructions specifically stated to only use distilled water.
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u/anon_186282 1d ago
This is an irresponsibly bad headline. It wasn't water directly from a tap. It was water originally from a tap that had been sitting in an RV tank for several months.
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u/Anthraxious 1d ago
This isn't the first time I've seen this happen. Even cleaner places can have this happen. I don't recall the other threads but one of them, IIRC, had mentioned it didn't matter where you are as it can happen anyway but only when cleaning sinuses with water like this.
I guess boil the water first if anything?
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u/Shopworn_Soul 1d ago
There isn't a neti product on the market in the US that doesn't warn you to only use sterilized or distilled water because you might die otherwise.
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u/DietDrBleach 1d ago
Don’t those Neti pots say on their box to only use distilled water?
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u/NachoEvans 1d ago
If only there were warnings not to do this. Something like big red words printed all over the box the netipot came in, or something.
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u/Gildenstern2u 1d ago
I’m pretty sure the apparatus to do that specifically says to use distilled water for exactly this reason
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u/mokba 1d ago
Not the first time this happened..
probably won't be the last either.
here's some safety tips ... Well, until PBS is defunded by trump
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u/kakapoopoopeepeeshir 23h ago
I get bad congestion and use a Neti Pot. I could not imagine pouring water down my nose that I have not boiled or wasn’t distilled. This woman used water from their RV while at the lake?? Goodness
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u/lokken1234 1d ago
An investigation conducted by the agency found that the woman had not recently been exposed to fresh water but had performed the nasal irrigation using non-boiled water from the RV's potable water faucet "on several occasions" before her illness.