Providing free online community support to people affected by breast cancer

Forums » Q & A

• Kevin

  

  • 1 posts
  January 26, 2018 2:05:04 AM WATime

  Report

  G'day all

  My wife was given a "Safe eating for poor immune function" Qld Health document which included a recommendation under "beverages" that tap water should be boiled or microfiltered. Filtration seems more convenient than boiling but I'm not sure what type of filter I should be looking for as I don't know which pathogens are of concern.

  Is the recommendation just to guard against Giardia or Cryptosporidium (I believe chlorination isn't very effective against these so they might be present in treated tap water) or is it to guard against other bacteria too?  I presume it's not to guard against viruses as microfiltration wont remove them.

  At the high end of the microfiltration range (above 2 micron) are many of the filter types and systems sold for residential use but they won't remove the pathogens mentioned above. They are mainly used to improve taste  There are some towards the lower and more expensive end (1 to 2 micron) that will remove Giardia or Cryptosporidium.  Only a select few from close to the bottom of the microfiltration range (0.1 to maybe 0.9 micron) will remove bacteria. Sellers  of some 0.9 micron filters claim they remove bacteria but I'm not sure if this isn't stretching the truth.

  I've spent several hours looking into filtration. It's a very confusing subject with a lot of conflicting information and misinformation and there's a wide variety of prices and system types on the market - not the sort of task someone dealing with breast cancer might be able to find the energy to deal with well.

  Generally, filters that remove bacteria are expensive and hard to find but I've tracked down one that's relatively inexpensive and simple. It's not available in WA so there will be some additional shipping cost.  I don't want to order it until I'm sure it's the quality I need though.

  Hoping someone can help.

  Thanks, Kevin

  Husband of early breast cancer patient DX Oct 17, 50mm G3 cells detected in 3 nodes.

• Lucinda

  

  • 11 posts
  January 29, 2018 11:57:29 AM WATime

  Report

  Hi Kevin,
  
  Thank you for your question. I will chat with the breast care nurses here and get back to you shortly.
  
  Kind regards,
  
  Lucinda

   Support Services Coordinator at BCCWA 

   

• Lucinda

  

  • 11 posts
  January 29, 2018 2:27:04 PM WATime

  Report

  Hi Kevin,
  
  One of the nurses has answered your question below;
  
  "Hi Kevin,
  
  Thanks for your question. I am presuming from what you have written that your wife is at the start of her chemotherapy treatment, she is not normally immunocompromised and she has been given recommendations to help her remove foods with a high bacterial or fungal load from her diet during chemotherapy.
  I have not seen the Queensland guidelines before as we usually refer to eviQ guidelines https://www.eviq.org.au/ but having compared the two, they appear similar in every way except around water consumption!
  In the eviQ guidelines, a Low Microbial Diet is only used under the guidance of a clinician where their patient is has been affected by a low white cell count, rather than being at risk. In these guidelines ‘bottled or portion controlled water’ is acceptable and the only recommendation given is that ‘bottled water must be replaced as needed (at least daily), not topped up or refilled’. In plain English – your wife should be able to drink bottled water or if you would prefer to filter water, something like the jug below would be adequate. I have also known people drink rainwater from a tank as long as they boiled it first.
  https://store.brita.com.au/jugs/
  
  Hope this helps- Moira (Breast Care Nurse"

   Support Services Coordinator at BCCWA