Anonymous public comment
AnonymousSupportIndividual
Summary: An individual living with MAC lung disease argues that the bacteria should be added to the Drinking Water Contaminant List. They express concern that the bacteria enter the water supply through domestic waste and believe that regulation could significantly reduce new infections and save lives.
I have MAC lung disease. For some time, I have been very concerned about the fact that our municipal water systems cannot kill the MAC virus. Thus, every time infected sputum is spit into a sink or dumped into a toilet, which is the primary method of disposal, the bacteria goes right back into the water supply to strike again. I am concerned that this may be one of the factors causing the increases in MAC lung infections. MAC is a very difficult disease to live with, can really mess up the lives of patients, and can result in death by suffocation, a horrible way to die. Adding the MAC bacteria onto the Drinking Water Contaminant List could significantly reduce new infections and save lives.