The bad news about water contaminants continues with the salmonella outbreak in Colorado. As active members of the Water Quality Association, we are glad to serve as a resource for water quality issues. We have certainly had a lot of people contacting us about the news lately on salmonella in water as well as the news recently that pharmaceuticals are present in water supplies. The annual Water Quality Association convention was in Las Vegas last week, and there was a lot of discussion on this topic. And news like this is becoming more frequent these days.Although some news outlets have scared people into believing there are no preventative measures available, there are definitely effective ways to treat water tainted with pharmaceuticals.Product performance standards have not yet been developed specifically for pharmaceuticals. However, industry experts are convinced that some point of use solutions are proving effective for these types of contaminants. The Colorado School of Mines found recently that nano-filtration and reverse osmosis systems removed drugs. See http://lib.bioinfo.pl/pmid:12227606 for more information. Other methods of water treatment such as activated carbon, distillation, ozonation, and advanced oxidation are also showing signs of effectiveness.As members of the Water Quality Association, we hear that “It is generally cost prohibitive for utilities to use systems such as nano-filtration, long contact activated carbon, and reverse osmosis. However, these top technologies have proven successful at removing many contaminants in home water treatment systems.”
The threat extends beyond pharmaceuticals. Other emerging contaminants include hygiene products and pesticides, as well as lead and mercury.
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