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Volume 31, Number 8—August 2025
Dispatch
Variance Among Public Health Agencies’ Boil Water Guidance
Figure

Figure. Linear model of boiling time required to reduce pathogen levels, by elevation, for study of variance among public health agencies’ boil water guidance. Model estimates time to achieve 3–5 log reductions of specified microbial groups (3,11). At boiling point temperatures, all listed pathogens achieve the reductions in ≤1 minute, from sea level to 10,000 feet. Incorporating more data points at boiling or near-boiling temperatures could enhance accuracy. Models using pathogen-specific log reduction targets may provide more precise time estimates.
References
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