Water Unsafe to drink in Bergen and Oslo?

Tap water in Norwegian capital unsafe

Published: Oct. 17, 2007 at 6:38 PM

OSLO, Norway, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Water and sanitation officials in the Norwegian capital of Oslo issued a warning Wednesday that the city's tap water supply was unsafe for consumption.

The Oslo Department of Water and Sanitation said in a news release that the presence of microscopic Giardia lamblia and cryptosporidium parasites had made tap water unsafe and urged citizens to boil their water before consumption or use, Aftenposten said.

The bacteria found in Oslo's water supply is identical to the microscopic parasites found in the tap water used in the city of Bergen.

Food Safety Authority district chief Kjetil Berg said the parasites, which initially come from animal or human excrement, cause numerous physical symptoms in humans when consumed.

"One can get stomach and intestinal infection. Symptoms can include stomach pain, diarrhea and pyrosis (heartburn). From Bergen we have unfortunately seen that increasing numbers are ill for an extended period and have symptoms of exhaustion," Berg said.

Aftenposten said authorities did not know how long it would take to clear Oslo's water supply of the parasitic infection.

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Ok, so this is interesting, especially that one line... "The bacteria found in Oslo's water supply is identical to the microscopic parasites found in the tap water used in the city of Bergen."

Lisa and I allways drink the tapwater here, and weæve never gotten sick from it, but maybe the case in Bergen is new too. Since I don't know that answere, I would suggest all in Bergen and Oslo to refrain from drinking unboiled tapwater until city water officials say that it's safe. I'll ask Lisa to see if she can contact the officials in Bergen about it when she gets home from school, and if she can get an adiquat answere, I'll post it here in Norwegian and English.

For those of you who don't read english very well, a summery in bad Norwegian:

Van i Bergen og Oslo ha bæsje bakterie. Du ma ikke drikke det fra vannkran. Du ma koke alle van fra vannkran før du drikke.

"How come I can’t take toothpaste on a plane but they can put poop in the water?" -Shrinking Wop