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and assistant head of technical services at the Los <br />Angeles utility, said ongoing studies by her agency <br />found that the germs are pu/r~eled but not obliterated <br />by sewage treatment. <br /> <br />"The sewer system beats up on them," Nellor said. "You <br />can still see the cysts but they are mostly dead." <br /> <br />For now, Florida officials are waiting to review the <br />California study and other researchers' work. <br /> <br />The state's zeal to promote irrigation with treated <br />sewage has downplayed any sense of risk, said Joan <br />Rose, a critic of the Florida's regulations. <br /> <br />"It gives the people the impression it's just like <br />drinking water," said Rose, a University of South <br />Florida professor who studies waterborne diseases. "I <br />think people should avoid exposure." <br /> <br />Ruhl and Rose also say the state is misguided in <br />claiming that recycled sewage is safe because it has <br />never been blamed for making people sick. Health <br />officials simply don't do a good job of tracking <br />reports of infections by either bug, they said. <br /> <br />While state regulators and clean-water advocates <br />debate the risk of recycled sewage, a retired plumber <br />in South Florida has devoted much of his free time to <br />campaigning for more stringent regulations. <br /> <br />"They are just not telling the truth about this <br />water," said Carl Jacobs, 75, of Boca Raton, who <br />became concerned several years ago after finding that <br />a food vendor at an art festival had accidentally <br />tapped into a pipe containing recycled sewage. <br /> <br />Jacobs has urged local and state health authorities to <br />require utilities to better inform customers about the <br />risks. <br /> <br />"Children should not be allowed to play in this <br />water," he said. <br /> <br /> Perception of safety <br /> <br />Many people in Central Florida say they know little <br />about recycled sewage but believe that it must be <br />relatively safe because it comes from a public <br />utility. <br /> <br />"I had always heard that it was about two steps away <br />from being drinking water," said Chad Helenthal, 26, a <br />resident of Winter Springs, where 1,600 homes irrigate <br />with recycled sewage. <br /> <br />At various spots in front yards are plastic lids that <br /> <br /> <br />