How clean is your water?

ABC's New Inventors People's Choice Episode Winner!

How clean is your drinking water?

Tank water is very much a way of life in rural regions however many consumers are not aware of the dangers of drinking untreated water. Many types of pathogenic bacteria, viruses, protozoa and helminths may be transmitted by contaminated water supplies. (Pathogens are those microorganisms capable of causing disease.) http://www.waterquality.crc.org.au/consumers/Consumersp12.htm#T3

Two pathogens commonly found in untreated drinking water are Giardia intestinalis and Cryptosporidium parvum.

Cryptosporidium parvum

As many as 400000 people have been affected by a cryptosporidiosis outbreak transmitted through drinking-water. Occurrence of C. parvum is dependent on season (peaking in Spring and late Summer) and age of the population (children aged 1 –5 years, people with immunodeficiency). The average incubation period varies widely but is usually about 7 days. Symptoms include diarrhoea, dehydration, fatigue, nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, and mild fever. The duration of the infection is generally 7–14 days in individuals with a healthy immune system. Relapses of diarrhoea are common: up to five additional episodes in 40–70% of patients.

Giardia intestinalis

Waterborne outbreaks of giardiasis have been reported for some 30 years. The organism has been found in more than 40 animal species! Occurrence of Giardia is dependent on the age of the population (1-4 years and 20-40 year group), general health (nutrition), predisposing illness and previous exposure. The average incubation period is 12 to 19 days. Symptoms generally appear at 6 to 15 days. Symptoms include diarrhoea, weakness, weight loss, abdominal pain, and—to a lesser extent—nausea, vomiting, flatulence, and fever. However reports suggest that 16-86% of infected individuals are asymptomatic ie they do not show the symptoms listed above. In most cases, the infection is acute and self-limiting, with a duration of 2–4 weeks.

Information extracted from World Health Organisation article at http://www.who.int/docstore/water_sanitation_health/GDWQ/Microbiology/Microbioladd/microadd5.htm (all above info from this article)

How do I remove pathogens from my drinking water?

There are a number of products available on the market today to treat household drinking water including filters, chlorine, ozone and ultraviolet sterilisation.

Chlorine, a long time favourite of consumers is beginning to lose its appeal as a safe and effective treatment method. Chlorine treatment produces chemical by-products (early research suggests that these by-products may be carcinogenic ie cancer-causing), is ineffective against Cryptosporidium and has only a limited ability to treat biofilm pathogens. Emerging Issues in Water and Infectious Disease, p 12 WHO 2003 France

Filters are effective for removing microbes however the filter size must be matched to the size of the smallest targeted microbe. Viruses are the smallest waterborne microbes having a size of 20 to 100 nanometers. (http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/wsh0207/en/index5.html) Use of the relevant filter for these microbes would result in a severely reduced flow rate such that it simply would not be viable for everyday use.

Ozone, like chlorine treatment, produces chemical by-products. It’s usefulness in water treatment results from these chemical by-products as treated water has residual protection ie the disinfection agent remains in the water after the treatment process. Ultra violet (Uvc) lamps that are ozone producing may be purchased for those consumers wishing to take advantage of the residual protection offered by ozone.

Ultra violet sterilisation is an effective and safe method of water treatment.

"The UV radiation technology is simple to use and highly effective for inactivating microbes in drinking water, and it does not introduce chemicals or cause the production of harmful disinfection by-products in the water." Professor Mark D. Sobsey, World Health Organisation.

(http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/wsh0207/en/index4.html)

UV treatment is Nature’s own method of sterilisation. It is unique in its mode of action, in that it does not necessarily kill the target micro-organism. Instead, UV treatment alters the DNA strands so that the micro-organism is sterilised, thus inactivating the pathogen so that it cannot proliferate and cause disease. A bug that can't reproduce simply dies. (http://www.hydroponics.com.au/back_issues/issue38.htmlgb)

Manufactured UV is concentrated in the 254 nm wavelength as this is the wavelength most effective for sterilisation of waterborne pathogens. (http://www.hydroponics.com.au/back_issues/issue38.htmlgb) Factors limiting the effectiveness of UV treatment are suspended solids, some minerals (eg Iron), the clarity (turbidity) of the source water and the reduction of transmission rate due to fouling of the UV thimble. Suspended solids and mineral content can be mitigated using pre-filtration and the problem of dirty thimbles has been overcome using Nature Flow® patented self-cleaning technology.

Nature Flow® Water Treatment Systems use patented self-cleaning UV technology. The self-cleaning device is not a mechanical wiper nor a chemical coating. It is a unique cleaner that uses the natural movement of water through the cylinder to clean the thimble that contains the UV lamp thus removing problems associated with the thimble becoming dirty. Should the thimble become fouled, the transmission rate may be reduced such that disinfection is ineffective. Nature Flow’s self-cleaning technology has removed this limitation.

Ultra violet sterilisation is an effective and safe method of water treatment. It has a greater than 99% kill rate for waterborne bacteria and viruses (subject to source water). It is effective against Cryptosporidium and Giardia. It even neutralises the taste of mains water! Nature Flow® Systems are an effective and efficient method of treating your drinking water.

Many consumers are resorting to buying bottled water to ensure that they are drinking purified water free of pathogens. This is however a costly alternative to purchasing a suitable water treatment system.

Simply put: "Why buy bottled water when you can own the factory?"^TM

References.

All sales are subject to our standard conditions of sale and our privacy policy.

Interested in becoming involved with this growing business sector and exciting UV technology? Licensing Agreements in a number of countries and regions are available. Click here for details.

Send mail to webmaster with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright © 2002 Waterpac Plumbing Pty Ltd. Waterpac Australia Pty Ltd reserves the right to alter product designs and specifications without prior notification. While every effort is made to ensure the information on this website is up-to-date, no responsibility is taken for incorrect or outdated information.

Interested in becoming involved with this growing business sector and exciting UV technology? Licensing Agreements in a number of countries and regions are available. Click here for details.

Last modified: 06 January, 2008