Any health risk? It depends on the facts
A DOCTOR specialising in infectious diseases advised residents
of the Woodlands block where a body was found in a water tank to
stay calm as the full facts were not yet known.
Two critical issues were: how long the body was in the tank and
the extent of decomposition.
The doctor said that if a body was submerged for more than 24
hours, there could be bacterial contamination caused by
decomposition and the water would smell too.
But information pieced together from residents of Block 686B,
Woodlands Drive 73 yesterday suggests that the body might have been
in the tank for only a few hours.
Some said they heard screams at 7am, and the police were
informed about the body at 10am. Water supply from the rooftop
tanks was cut off at 11am.
The doctor who spoke to The Straits Times said: 'If there is
bacterial contamination of the water, those who drink the water may
experience symptoms such as stomach ache, diarrhoea and
vomiting.'
None of the residents interviewed had such symptoms. While some
noticed that the water was discoloured or 'bubbly', nobody
complained of smell.
-- ST