Pink Slime Explained
Pink slime is appearing in Port Jervis bath tubs and sinks, Barbara Marszalek told the Common Council at their Monday meeting during public comment. A number of city residents told her they were finding it in those moist places at home, she said. Mayor Kelly Decker said he would look into it. He later said that he had asked Jack Farr, Department of Public Works director, and received this email response:
“The bacteria, Serratia marcescens, is not coming from the water. It grows in houses’ wet areas. This is no different from standing water that isn’t potable. I have spoken to our chief water plant operator, and our chlorine residuals go out of the plant as needed so they reach the outside sections of our water system. Our water gets tested constantly by us alone and by the OCDOH to be sure we are in compliance, which we are. Chlorine in city water helps prevent bacteria. But if you have an activated charcoal filter, you’re removing the chlorine,” Farr said, citing North Dakota State University Extension Service as his source. He noted that private wells lack chlorine.
He advised removing the slime, because the bacteria has caused pneumonia and wound and urinary tract infections in hospitals. He suggested using chlorine bleach cleansers or, for toilets, putting in a quarter cup of bleach, leaving it for 20 minutes and then flushing several times to dispose of the bleach, which can harm rubber valves and seals if allowed to stand.
Chlorine potency weakens in water that sits and stagnates, allowing formation of the pink slime, Decker said he was told, so faucets should be flushed regularly during warm months.
Keeping bathrooms ventilated with an open window or other means, eliminating the soap and shampoo residue that the bacteria feed on, and spraying a vinegar solution on shower curtains and other surfaces also helps, according to a a HuffPost story (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pink-slime-shower-gunk_n_6793586) .