Air Date: Week of March 27, 1998

Finally, a programming note about an upcoming special series. A hundred years ago, Americans died by the thousands from waterborne diseases like: typhoid, cholera, dysentery. Today, water treatment has made those epidemics a distant memory. But we still can't be sure that what comes out of our taps is completely safe. Next week, in the first of six stories about America's water supply, we'll look at research suggesting that millions of Americans get sick every year from water that is supposed to be safe to drink. And we may not be equipped to deal with the culprits. That's "The Thirst for Safe Water", a six-part series, starting next week on Living On Earth.

Transcript

CURWOOD: And for this week, that's Living on Earth -- but before we go, a programming note about an upcoming special series. A hundred years ago, Americans died by the thousands from water-borne diseases like typhoid, cholera, and dysentery. Today, water treatment has made those epidemics a distant memory, but you still can't be sure that what comes out of your tap is completely safe. Next week, in the first of 6 stories about America's water supply, we'll look at research suggesting that millions of Americans get sick every year from water that's supposedly safe to drink. And we may not be equipped to deal with the culprits.

MAN: Cryptospiridium is an organism that wasn't recognized as recently as 10 or 20 years ago, and it's resistant to chlorine. It's as if you designed something that can get through a drinking water treatment system.

CURWOOD: That's the Thirst for Safe Water, a 6-part series starting next week on Living on Earth.