The Outbreak of Amebiasis in Chicago During 1933

Practical Aspects of Cross‐Connection, Inter‐Connection and Back‐Flow Protection

“…Hydraulic elevator services, where direct connections to sewers exist, have been legislated against specifically by EIPaso, Tex. c. Accidentally Inter-Connectable: Serious inter-connections between water and sewer lines may occur under the various circumstances, including: (1) breaks in water and sewer lines laid in the same trench; (2) the repair of water lines in trenches containing leaky sewers; (3) the filling of trenches through fire hose during construction; (4) the laying of water lines through sewer manholes when the lines have been made to leak from the action of sewer gas, settlement or any other cause; (5) the location of sewer lines, which sub-sequently may leak, over water-or ice-storage tanks; (6) the use of hose connections, which are non-retractable and which are affected by the backing up of material, for sprays, showers, cleaning or silencing during the back-filling of trenches; and (7) the householders' use of a "plumber's friend," an attachment to a water faucet and sink drain to force water directly into drain lines.…”

“…e. Miscellaneous Uses Resulting in Used or A ltered Water: (1) Lawn sprinklers: Where sprinkler heads are subject to flooding and fertilizers have been used, back-flow of polluted material into the water line is possible. This has occurred on steep hillside lots.…”

“…26, (g) 4, 5) (bq) "(c) Back-Siphonage Protection Required. (1) Every outlet, opening, orifice and/or termination of any hot and/or cold water piping (ineluding every faucet, stop cock, ball cock, valve or similar appliance) through which water is discharged from any such water piping, and every cross-connection as defined in this Ordinance, shall be protected against the possibili ty of back-siphonage by means of one of the following means and/or methods, to wit: (1) an approved flush valve, together with an approved air inlet or vacuum breaker, complying with, and installed as required by the provisions of this Ordinance; or (2) an approved check valve and vacuum breaker complying with, and installed as required by, the provisions of this Ordinance; or (3) an approved device complying with, and installed as required by the provisions of this Ordinance." (El Paso, Tex., An Ordinance Regulating Plumbing ... , Sec.…”

“…72217, Part VII, Sec. 715) (ei) "Basins or other waste fixtures supplied with a flexible hose whose outlet may drop into the fixture below the rim of the fixture shall be equipped with a counterbalance or spring reel that will not permit the open end to remain below the rim of the fixture (effective date-Oct. 1,1937)." (Detroit, Mich., Dept.…”

“…It was not until the Chicago amebic dysentery outbreak in 1933 that a general move toward correction of plumbing hazards was given an impetus. The American Medical Association (1) thereafter recommended that faulty plumbing inter-connections along with those of polluted dual supplies be eliminated. The American Water Works Association (2,3), the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the American Public Health Association almost simultaneously adopted rigid requirements for water supply protection and plumbing hazard elimination for their convention hotels.…”