Public health concerns about caliciviruses as waterborne contaminants

Caliciviruses are disseminated by the fecal-oral route and are found in con taminated surface and ground waters. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is interested in preventing calicivirus contamination in treated wat ers used for consumption, and these viruses are on the EPA's "contaminant c andidate list" for regulatory consideration in drinking waters. These virus es also present a health threat for recreation and shellfish-growing waters . However, before EPA can make regulatory decisions regarding caliciviruses , significant information and technology needs must be established, includi ng analytical methods for sampling, identifying, and quantifying the viruse s; applicability of surrogates to determine their presence; efficacy of wat er and wastewater treatment or disinfection; waterborne occurrence levels a nd distribution; dose response; and the viruses' effect(s) on health, Futur e drinking-water regulations may need to ensure that treatments are adequat e to remove caliciviruses from source waters. For recreation and shellfish- growing waters, surrogate indicators and health criteria may need to be bas ed upon establishing risks of exposure to caliciviruses.