Since Trump seems to be taking his sweet ass time in announcing that he is appointing Amy Coney Barrett (or not Amy Coney Barrett, but yeah, probably Amy Coney Barrett) to the Supreme Court, our last post of the day is going to be something almost as terrifying! To get us all in the mood, I guess. Or to set the stage for a fairly difficult "Would You Rather?" question.
Apparently, there are brain-eating amoebas in the tap water in certain parts of Texas. Like, amoebas that eat your brain. On Friday night, authorities from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality initially warned several communities, a Dow Jones Plant and two prisons to not go anywhere near tap water except to flush the toilet, but that warning has since been lifted for everywhere but Lake Jackson.
There is a Ted Cruz joke to be made here, but I will refrain.
Via Texas Commission on Environmental Quality:
Lake Jackson residents are still urged to follow the Do not Use Water Advisory until the water system has been adequately flushed and samples indicate that the water is safe to use. It is not known at this time how long this make take. The health and safety of the public water system is TCEQ's priority.
In a do not use water advisory, citizens in the impacted area are urged not to drink or use the tap water from the impacted system for any purpose for the duration of the advisory, including for bathing. Flushing the toilet is OK.
The brain-eating amoebas are called Naegleria fowleri, which cause a rare and deadly condition called primary amebic meningoencephalitis. You cannot actually get primary amebic meningoencephalitis from drinking water containing the amoebas, but rather from water containing the amoebas going up your nose. So there's that.
The TCEQ says that they are 100 percent sure that everywhere else is totally safe.
State and federal regulations have established treatment requirements for public water systems that prevent waterborne pathogens such as amoebae from contaminating drinking water. Naegleria fowleri (N. fowleri) is a type of amoeba that can be managed using standard treatment and disinfection processes.
Well that's good. Although honestly I would personally wait on doing a neti pot for a few days if I were them. Better safe than sorry. Also I have never done a neti pot as I have a whole thing about things going up my nose (small nostrils, plus mother who worked in an emergency room).
Anyway! This is now your open thread!
Robyn Pennacchia is a brilliant, fabulously talented and visually stunning angel of a human being, who shrugged off what she is pretty sure would have been a Tony Award-winning career in musical theater in order to write about stuff on the internet. Follow her on Twitter at @RobynElyse
