Zur Inaktivierung von Erregern übertragbarer Krankheiten in Gewässern

Germs of infectious diseases are not adapted to the environment of waters but to their hosts. Therefore, as allochthonous elements they survive there only for a short time for the most part; individual germs, however, are much more resistant under these environmental conditions, in dependence on their species or type. At a higher initial germ content the period of survival in general is longer than at a lower one. For inactivation in waters e.g. the following causes may be responsible: nutrient deficiency, unfavourable water temperature, redox potential, saprobity, chemical constituents, including metabolic products of aquatic organisms, solar light osmotic pressure, settling material and suspended solids, bacteriophages.