04
Mar
2011
Treatment

Disinfection Byproducts and the Wrath of Unintended Consequences
18
Jan
2011
Treatment
by Joan B. Rose, PhD

E.Coli – The Canary in Drinking Water Systems

Waterborne diseases never sleep.  They often make a tragic comeback in the event of a natural disaster, like the earthquake in Haiti.  In that case, cholera devastated the small island nation long after the tremors ceased.  But the cholera bacterium is not the only disease-causing microbe that lurks in untreated or mistreated water:  There are... Read More »
20
Oct
2010
Treatment
by Chris Wiant, MPH, PhD

Water Treatment Companies Scam Senior Citizens on Filters

There is an ongoing investigation in the state of Florida to examine the practices of certain water treatment companies and the techniques used to sell water filtering equipment.  The state Attorney General’s office has been combating these companies for years using sting operations and hidden cameras to catch these scam artists in the act of selling... Read More »
13
Jul
2010
Treatment
by Water Quality & Health Council

British student invents new way of purifying water without electricity

A British student has invented a new device that will convert contaminated water into safe drinking water. Oxfordshire-based student James Bartlett designed an inexpensive and simple chlorination unit that functions without electricity and can be manufactured for less than $3. The chlorination unit, named BlueDrop, works by harnessing the Venturi effect, which is used in carburetors to pull gasoline into an... Read More »
01
May
2008
Treatment
by Water Quality & Health Council

A Public Health Giant Step: Chlorination of U.S. Drinking Water

A century ago, in 1908, chlorine chemistry’s germ-defeating properties were demonstrated in drinking water in two very different settings in the United States. First, chlorination transformed animal feed water, drawn from a highly polluted stream in Chicago’s Union Stockyards, into a product that exceeded the purity of city water. Days later, in Jersey City, chlorinated... Read More »
01
May
2005
Treatment
by Fred Reiff, PE

The Precautionary Principle Under Fire

Detractors Continue to Challenge Chlorination as a Safe Water Solution for Developing Nations. Despite data supporting chlorine’s highly beneficial impact on clean water supplies and public health, claims persist that the potential risks of chlorination outweigh the public health value of water disinfection. To me this is comparable to watching the third sequel of a... Read More »