A faucet that supplies clean drinking water is fitted with a flexible hose to fill a mop bucket. A careless staff leaves the end of the hose in a bucket of dirty mop water during the night. Due to changing air pressure within the building’s plumbing system, the dirty mop water moves up the hose and into the faucet – contaminating the clean drinking water. What is this type of contamination called?
A. Air-gap resistance contamination
B. Cross-contamination
C. Pressure fluctuation contamination
D. Cross-connection side
Answer:D
A faucet that supplies clean drinking water is fitted with a flexible hose to fill a mop bucket. A careless staff leaves the end of the hose in a bucket of dirty mop water during the night. Due to changing air pressure within the building’s plumbing system, the dirty mop water moves up the hose and into the faucet – contaminating the clean drinking water. What is this type of contamination called?
A. Air-gap resistance contamination B. Cross-contamination C. Pressure fluctuation contamination D. Cross-connection side
Explanation: The term cross-connection is sometimes confused with cross-contamination. Although both terms are related to contamination, cross-connection has a specific definition. Cross-connection happens when a clean water supply is accidentally connected to a dirty water supply, usually through a hose or an incorrectly installed faucet. The best way to prevent this is an “air-gap” or a “backflow prevention device”. A backflow prevention device is a fixture with valves that keep water moving in only one direction and prevent it from going backward. A thermocouple is an example. Both of these preventative measures can be used for faucets, hoses, or any other potential water-to-water connection.