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| WATER PURIFIERS: Are these Worth your Money? | | | Dr. Pragya Khanna | 4/7/2012 11:09:26 PM |
| It is a startling fact that one in six of the world popula
tion has no access to clean water and 80% of the disease inflicted on the Indian consumer is due to lack of access to safe and potable drinking water. A study conducted by a leading consumer activist in the country Bejon Misra, founder trustee of a non-government organisation, 'Healthy You Foundation' has come out with clear science based evidence that the Water purifiers purchased for water purification in our country are misleading the consumers and lack purity and safety as per global best practices. Also a study of leading storage water purifier brands available in the Capital city has revealed that none of them adheres to international standards of providing clean drinking water. The study highlighted the fact that the labels on the products do not mention the certified chemicals used to treat the water and how the levels of its presence can be monitored by users. The study also notes that the use of chemicals including chlorine in these purifiers should be carefully governed and regularly monitored to ensure that the dosage is administered under safe level. Also some other chemicals used in the cleaning process by these purifiers decompose themselves during the filtration and treatment of water and produce products which when combined with other routinely used material can be harmful to health. Both ground and surface water sources are polluted everywhere in the country. This is posing a serious risk for public health. With the growing awareness among the consumers for hazards of unsafe drinking water and multitude of diseases caused by water borne pathogens, demand for water purifiers providing safe portable water has been growing. In India, the weak water distribution infrastructure combined with questions on effective municipal water treatment plants have made point-of-use (POU) water purifiers a primary defence mechanism to remove various contaminants and to make water safe to drink. Therefore the Indian consumer is pushed into boiling the water or buying one of the water purifiers as it becomes unavoidable to use a POU water treatment device to provide safe and clean drinking water. However, all water treatment systems have a limited lifetime and during that lifetime their performance may vary, depending on system type. Most manufacturers like to discuss the capabilities of their systems at the time of purchase and ignore possible system performance degradation as a function of time.
There are four(4) general categories of contaminants present in water supplies:
" Biological entities
" Heavy Metals(not related to any rock band)
" Organic Chemicals
" Inorganic chemicals
We shall focus on contaminates of greatest concern. The five types of contaminants that may be found in water are:
1. Particulates
2. Dissolved inorganics (solids and gases)
3. Dissolved organics
4. Microorganisms
5. Pyrogens
One must ensure that the water purification system employed at home is designed to eliminate those contaminants that are of major concern in the particular techniques. Most water purification systems use a combination of processes to remove relevant contaminants:
1. Distillation - Excellent for removing particulates, microorganisms, pyrogens
2. Deionization - Excellent for removing dissolved solids
3. Reverse osmosis - Excellent for removing particulates, microorganisms, pyrogens
4. Activated carbon filtration - Excellent for removing dissolved organics
5. Microporous filtration - Excellent for removing particulates, microorganisms
6. Ultrafiltration - Excellent for removing particulates, microorganisms, pyrogens
7. Ultraviolet oxidation - Excellent for removing particulates, microorganisms, pyrogens
All water purification systems, however, require some form of maintenance, from the cleaning and changing of filters to the replacement of larger parts. Some systems require servicing from an outside expert, while others can be maintained by users by simply replacing cartridges. Arranging a contract with a supplier for regular servicing of a water purification system is a cost-effective way to ensure that the system performs optimally at all times and is likely to give more years of service. Although water purifiers do not have moving parts, some components such as filters, UV lamps, and extraction filters will need to be changed periodically to maintain optimum performance. The consumables that need to be replaced on a regular basis to ensure optimum performance include filter units and cartridges. Water filters are specialized sieves used to ensure that water is clean and safe for drinking. With water being vital to the survival of humanity, the use of water filtration systems is of great importance. Unfiltered water carries with it sediment and microorganisms that may be harmful to one's health. This makes the addition of a filtration system in the home of great value. There are different types of water filters available commercially that intend to serve the same purpose that is making water safe for use. These filters use various processes such as distillation, reverse osmosis and carbon bonding. The distillation process involves boiling the impure water until it vaporizes leaving any particles in it behind. The vapor then passes through a device that cools it back to liquid form. This process, tested in laboratories using an apparatus known as a distillation tank, has proven quite effective. Reverse osmosis is a more complicated process. The water molecules, which are under great pressure force their way through a thin film or membrane. The membrane blocks substances in the water from seeping through. Reverse osmosis has proven effective in removing heavy metals such as lead and aluminum from water as well as microorganisms like bacteria and viruses.
The systems that use carbon in the filtration process work through adsorption. The carbon filtration process is composed of two distinct procedures, chemical bonding and mechanical straining. In Chemical Bonding, an activated piece of black charcoal, which is hydrophorbic, is used. The black charcoal has an electro-positive charge that makes it a more attractive bonding agent to chemicals and other impurities. As water forces its way through the carbon, it passes slowly to allow sufficient contact time. This enables sediment in the water to attach to the carbon. These filtration systems have all proven to eliminate harmful organisms from water to a certain extent. Although water filter manufacturers claim that their products eliminate all impurities in water, the truth is that no filter is 100 percent effective. Human error as well as malfunction of the filtration system is quite possible. When purchasing water filters, it is important to take note of the filtration process they use. Most people prefer those that incorporate distillation while others prefer a combination of several processes. No doubt water filters are effective means of purifying water, however remember all water treatment systems have a finite lifetime and during that lifetime their performance may vary, depending on system type. |
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