Waterborne disease is a concern in the United States and throughout the world. The World Health Organization cites that 8,500 people die each day from waterborne disease-80 percent of these deaths are children under the age of five years. Disease outbreaks are not exclusive to underdeveloped countries. In 1976, the first case of cryptosporidiosis was reported in humans. This disease is attributed to the parasite Cryptosporidium. Documented outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis have occurred in the United States since 1986. 

The largest outbreak to date is the 1993 episode in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where 403,000 people were infected with the disease and scores of people died from it. Cryptosporidium is found in 85 percent of all surface water sources and approximately 25 percent of all filtered finish waters (1). It has also been identified in ground water under the influence of surface water. Cryptosporidium is, as an oocyst, an ovoid-shaped hard-shelled parasite measuring from between 3&7 microns in diameter. It can pass through a well-operated water treatment plant with turbidity of less than 0.1 NTU and is highly resistant to conventional disinfection technologies. This can be a special concern to firms that use non-pasteurized water in the preparation of food and beverage products.