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How to Select & Use a Portable UV Light to Purify or Sterilize Drinking Water
- POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about buying & using a portable UV light as a water purifier - what can these devices accomplish and what potential hazards might remain?
Effectiveness of UV lights to purify water:
This article explains portable or handheld UV-type water purification systems that can be used to sterilize water for drinking purposes. Portable drinking water sterilizers: this article series outlines methods to purify or sanitize drinking water in an emergency following a disaster such as an earthquake, flood, or hurricane.
We discuss c hoices of types of drinking water filters & sterilizers and how to select & use a water filter for portable or emergency drinking water supply.
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- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?
Guide to UV Lights for Emergency Water Purification
The good news is that while some emergency drinking water "purification" methods do not handle all or even some common and important contaminants, there are types of water filters and water filtration systems that can treat water containing various microbes including bacteria, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium cysts, as we discuss in this article series and beginning below.
Portable UV Light Sterilizers for Emergency Drinking Water - the SteriPEN®
The SteriPen® Classic is a portable UV water purifier that can treat a liter of water, using ultraviolet light, in 1 1/2 minutes.
The manufacturer informs consumers that UV light destroys viruses, bacteria, and protozoa. The microbes covered by this description include Cryptosporidium, viruses, bacteria, and Giardia, and also E. coli, Salmonella, Staph, and Strep.
[Click to enlarge any image]
The SteriPen® works by combining a battery-operated UV light combined with a mixing wand that is inserted into a container of water. The SteriPen weighs 5.7 oz, and as you can see even in our package photo, it is quite compact.
To operate the SteriPen® the user uses a slide switch to select the volume of water to be treated and to turn on the device. The UV lamp-end of the Steri-Pen is inserted downwards into "clear water" (see our warnings below), and the water is stirred until the indicator light (basically a timer) turns green.
SteriPEN, produced by Hydro-Photon, is also available as a Traveler Mini (weight, 3.6 oz, capacity: 1/2 liter of water in 48 seconds) and the Adventurer Opti (3.6 oz., 100 treatments per battery, rechargeable model and solar-recharging case available).
Hydro Photon describes the SteriPEN (portable UV light water treatment system) as treating water containing these microorganisms:
- Bacteria (including wide range of species)
- Campylobacter (cause of bacterial diarrhea)
- Cholera
- Cryptosporidium (cyst containing protozoan parasites)
- Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains (E. coli O157:H7) causing illness (such as in sewage contaminated water supply)
- Hepatitis
- Legionella bacteria -
s
ee HOT WATER ANTI-SCALD REGULATIONS for a discussion of the development of leginella bacterial contamination in water heaters & geyers - Protozoan parasites
- Salmonella
- Shigella (presumably Shigella sonnei)
- Viruses
What important water contaminants were not found in this list?
Other common drinking water contaminants might be addressed but were not listed in the above and are also not listed in the description of larger-capacity UV light treatment drinking water disinfection systems discussed separately
at UV ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT WATER TREATMENT.
- Amoebic cysts was not listed. See Chang (1985)
- Bacillus subtilis spores
- Cysts of the protozoan Acanthanieba castellani
- Enteric viruses poliovirus type 1
- Giardia was not listed? Why not?
See UV vs GIARDIA LIMITATIONS below - Simian rotavirus SA11
- Streptococcus faecalis
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Typhoid was not listed ? Why not? [Citation needed]
Watch out: Factors that affect the effectiveness and operating time of any UV light used to treat water in an effort to make it potable, or at least improve its potability include at least the following:
- What contaminants are present in the water. UV treatment does not address chemical contaminants, nor do some water filters.
- The water temperature. (The SteriPen includes a temperature sensor)
- The water clarity - the level of particles in the water and particle size have important effects on the UV disinfection process
Qualls (2008), in a study discussing the advantages of UV light as an alternative to chlorination, point out that filtration is often necessary to reduce the level of suspended particles in water for UV treatment to be effective. Abstract excerpts:
It is well known that aggregation of bacteria and viruses provides some degree of protection from halogen and ozone disinfection. Adsorption of microbes to inorganic surfaces such as clay provides little protection. However, organic particles can protect organisms from disinfectants and can become a major limiting factor in disinfection. Particulate materials also effect [sic] UV disinfection. - Clays do little to inhibit UV disinfection because they tend to scatter UV light rather than absorb it. Oilver and Cosgrove attributed the difference between microbial survival in irradiated raw wastewter and secondary effluent to differences in particle sizes.
They believed that bacteria inside aggregates of particulate matter were at least partially protected from UV light. They found that a sample dispersed by ultrasonication was more sensitive to UV disinfection.
As we discuss in more detail at UV ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT WATER TREATMENT, the proper UV light selection for water treatment is critical in the success of this approach. The UV light must have been properly selected to handle the volume and flow rate of the water supply where it is installed.
If ultra violet light is not of sufficient capacity to treat water flowing past its bulb it will not be effective. Therefore it is important to follow the manufacturer's instructions when using the SteriPen UV light portable device.
Portable UV Light Sterilizers for Emergency Drinking Water - Solardyne Portable Solar Powered UV Water Sterilizer
Solardyne makes a portable UV light system for treating drinking water, comprised of a battery-operated UV light through which water may be run for treatment. The battery is re-charged by a solar panel.
The Solardyne portable UV water treatment system is indeed movable, and in fact comes on wheels. It is not suitable for backpacking or lightweight camping however. Rather the solar powered UV light system is intended for treating water at remote camps, work sites, and for disaster or emergency response field use.
UV Light Effectiveness Against Giardia Cysts Questioned by Expert
UV Light & Giardia: Although the SteriPen producers describe this device as handling Giardia in water, not all sources agree that UV light will reliably and effectively kill cysts.
Watch out: Dr. Omar Amin, of the Tempe AZ Parasitology Center]. Websites that advertise use of UV light to kill giardia may be misleading. UV light will kill Giardia trophozoites but the real concern for drinking water is the cysts, since it is the cysts from stool that appear there.
Other treatment methods may be needed if Giardia is present in the water supply.
Linden (2002) commented in separate research that in our OPINION does not appear to obviate Amin's warning:
The human and animal pathogen Giardia lamblia is a waterborne risk to public health because the cysts are ubiquitous and persistent in water and wastewater, not completely removed by physical-chemical treatment processes, and relatively resistant to chemical disinfection.
Given the recently recognized efficacy of UV irradiation against Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts, the inactivation of G. lamblia cysts in buffered saline water at pH 7.3 and room temperature by near monochromatic (254 nm) UV irradiation from low-pressure mercury vapor lamps was determined using a “collimated beam” exposure system. Reduction of G. lamblia infectivity for gerbils was very rapid and extensive, reaching a detection limit of >4 log within a dose of 10 JM-2.
The ability of UV-irradiated G. lamblia cysts to repair UV-induced damage following typical drinking water and wastewater doses of 160 and 400 JM-2 was also investigated using experimental protocols typical for bacterial and eucaryotic DNA repair under both light and dark conditions.
The infectivity reduction of G. lamblia cysts at these UV doses remained unchanged after exposure to repair conditions. Therefore, no phenotypic evidence of either light or dark repair of DNA damage caused by LP UV irradiation of cysts was observed at the UV doses tested.
We conclude that UV disinfection at practical doses achieves appreciable (much greater than 4 log) inactivation of G. lamblia cysts in water with no evidence of DNA repair leading to infectivity reactivation. - Linden (2002)
UV light for water disinfection where Giardia is present has, however, been successfully used in combination with chlorination as an approach to killing Giardia in water.
Watch out: OPINION: if the water you are treating is visibly dirty or murky, there is a significant risk that the UV light will not penetrate and act on microorganisms in the water nearly as rapidly, and additional pre-filtering steps and/or extended treatment time may be necessary.
Gerba (2002) has reviewed the Comparative Inactivation of Enteroviruses and Adenovirus 2 by UV Light as have other researchers.
Permanently-Installed UV Lights Installed on Private Well Water Systems
UV Lights for water purification: UV Lights are not filters. UV lights for drinking water treatment are installed in some properties as a means to kill bacteria in a water supply.
We do not anticipate that UV light systems will be working in a disaster area, and we are doubtful that one can rely on this process for emergency drinking water purification: even if a UV light system is working, it will at kill bacteria and similar pathogens only.
But if emergency generators or emergency electrical power are being provided to run a local water pump intended to provide drinking water, be sure that power is also provided to the UV light or to any other water treatment equipment that is installed in your location.
Watch out: OPINION: if the emergency event that has led to loss of power and water included a severe storm or flooding or other event that has sent ground water or flood waters into a private well, that water may be contaminated with chemicals or other ingredients that were never anticipated by water treatment equipment already installed at a building.
Therefore even if you return a private well and water treatment equipment to operation, the water may not be safe to drink. Seek advice from local emergency management authorities before drinking water from any water source following an emergency, and to be safe, until you get an "OK" on using local water sources, you'll want to rely on suitable portable water purification methods.
A UV light water treatment system will not remove chemical contaminants in a water supply.
See UV ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT WATER TREATMENT for details of residential type UV light water treatment systems as well as a discussion of when such systems are useful and appropriate.
Watch out: UV Light & Giardia: UV light does not kill cysts, according to Dr. Amin. Websites that advertise use of UV light to kill giardia may be misleading. UV light will kill Giardia trophozoites but the real concern for drinking water is the Giardia cysts, since it is the cysts from stool that appear there. Other treatment methods may be needed if Giardia is present in the water supply.
UV light for water disinfection where Giardia is present has, however, been successfully used in combination with chlorination as an approach to killing Giardia in water.
...
Continue reading at VEGETABLE or PRODUCE DISINFECTION or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.
Or see these
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- DISINFECTION SYSTEMS, SEPTIC EFFLUENT where UV is also used
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Citations & References
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
- Gerba, Charles P., Dawn M. Gramos, and Nena Nwachuku. "Comparative inactivation of enteroviruses and adenovirus 2 by UV light." Applied and Environmental Microbiology 68, no. 10 (2002): 5167-5169.
Abstract:
The doses of UV irradiation necessary to inactivate selected enteric viruses on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Contaminant Candidate List were determined. Three-log reductions of echovirus 1, echovirus 11, coxsackievirus B3, coxsackievirus B5, poliovirus 1, and human adenovirus type 2 were effected by doses of 25, 20.5, 24.5, 27, 23, and 119 mW/cm2, respectively. Human adenovirus type 2 is the most UV light-resistant enteric virus reported to date. - Blatchley III, Ernest R. "Numerical modelling of UV intensity: application to collimated-beam reactors and continuous-flow systems." Water Research 31, no. 9 (1997): 2205-2218.
- Blatchley, Ernest R., K. Chad Bastian, Ravi K. Duggirala, James E. Alleman, Mark Moore, and Peter Schuerch. "Ultraviolet irradiation and chlorination/dechlorination for municipal wastewater disinfection: assessment of performance limitations." Water Environment Research 68, no. 2 (1996): 194-204. Abstract:
A large-scale ultraviolet (UV) disinfection system was operated in parallel with an existing full-scale chlorination system for comparison of process performance at a 340 L/s (7.8 mgd) municipal wastewater treatment facility. The UV disinfection system was operated using two different lamp configurations: vertical and horizontal. Both UV system configurations were operated at the same hydraulic loading, corresponding to the loading at anticipated peak flow for the facility.
Both UV systems were shown to be capable of achieving effective inactivation of coliform bacteria. The chlorination system yielded inconsistent performance, probably as a result of inefficient contact chamber design. The major limitation to performance in the UV system was fouling of lamp jackets.
Chemical analysis of the fouling materials revealed the presence of a broad spectrum of metals in an amorphous precipitate. Fouling control by air sparging was shown to be effective in slowing the fouling process. An economic analysis of the two disinfection alternatives revealed that UV irradiation would be a less expensive alternative than chlorination and dechlorination at the West Lafayette Wastewater Treatment Plant, both in terms of capital and operating costs. - Chang, J. Ch, Susan F. Ossoff, David C. Lobe, Mark H. Dorfman, Constance M. Dumais, Robert G. Qualls, and J. Donald Johnson. "UV inactivation of pathogenic and indicator microorganisms." Applied and Environmental Microbiology 49, no. 6 (1985): 1361-1365.
Abstract:
Survival was measured as a function of the dose of germicidal UV light for the bacteria Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Shigella sonnei, Streptococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis spores, the enteric viruses poliovirus type 1 and simian rotavirus SA11, the cysts of the protozoan Acanthamoeba castellanii, as well as for total coliforms and standard plate count microorganisms from secondary effluent.
The doses of UV light necessary for a 99.9% inactivation of the cultured vegetative bacteria, total coliforms, and standard plate count microorganisms were comparable.
However, the viruses, the bacterial spores, and the amoebic cysts required about 3 to 4 times, 9 times, and 15 times, respectively, the dose required for E. coli. These ratios covered a narrower relative dose range than that previously reported for chlorine disinfection of E. coli, viruses, spores, and cysts. - GROWTH-PROMOTING, L. E. G. I. O. N. E. L. L. A. "Disinfection of water distribution systems for Legionella." In Seminars in respiratory infections, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 147-159. 1998. [WARNING: PDF may be itself virus-infected - run a scan]
- Guerrero-Beltr, J. A., and G. V. Barbosa-C. "Advantages and limitations on processing foods by UV light." Food Science and Technology International 10, no. 3 (2004): 137-147.
- Linden, Karl G., Gwy-Am Shin, Gaetan Faubert, William Cairns, and Mark D. Sobsey. "UV disinfection of Giardia lamblia cysts in water." Environmental science & technology 36, no. 11 (2002): 2519-2522.
- Meulemans, C. C. E. "The basic principles of UV–disinfection of water." (1987): 299-313.
- Li, Qilin, Shaily Mahendra, Delina Y. Lyon, Lena Brunet, Michael V. Liga, Dong Li, and Pedro JJ Alvarez. "Antimicrobial nanomaterials for water disinfection and microbial control: potential applications and implications." Water research 42, no. 18 (2008): 4591-4602.
Abstract
The challenge to achieve appropriate disinfection without forming harmful disinfection byproducts by conventional chemical disinfectants, as well as the growing demand for decentralized or point-of-use water treatment and recycling systems calls for new technologies for efficient disinfection and microbial control.
Several natural and engineered nanomaterials have demonstrated strong antimicrobial properties through diverse mechanisms including photocatalytic production of reactive oxygen species that damage cell components and viruses (e.g. TiO2, ZnO and fullerol), compromising the bacterial cell envelope (e.g. peptides, chitosan, carboxyfullerene, carbon nanotubes, ZnO and silver nanoparticles (nAg)), interruption of energy transduction (e.g. nAg and aqueous fullerene nanoparticles (nC60)), and inhibition of enzyme activity and DNA synthesis (e.g. chitosan).
Although some nanomaterials have been used as antimicrobial agents in consumer products including home purification systems as antimicrobial agents, their potential for disinfection or microbial control in system level water treatment has not been carefully evaluated. This paper reviews the antimicrobial mechanisms of several nanoparticles, discusses their merits, limitations and applicability for water disinfection and biofouling control, and highlights research needs to utilize novel nanomaterials for water treatment applications. - Qualls, Robert G., Susan F. Ossoff, John CH Chang, Mark H. Dorfman, Constance M. Dumais, David C. Lobe, and J. Donald Johnson. "Factors controlling sensitivity in ultraviolet disinfection of secondary effluents." Journal (Water Pollution Control Federation) (1985): 1006-1011.
- Qualls, Robert G., Michael P. Flynn, and J. Donald Johnson. "The role of suspended particles in ultraviolet disinfection." Journal (Water Pollution Control Federation) (1983): 1280-1285.
- Qualls, Robert G., and J. Donald Johnson. "Bioassay and dose measurement in UV disinfection." Applied and environmental microbiology 45, no. 3 (1983): 872-877.
- Wolfe, Roy L. "Ultraviolet disinfection of potable water." Environmental Science & Technology 24, no. 6 (1990): 768-773.
- Zoeteman, B. C., J. Hrubec, E. De Greef, and H. J. Kool. "Mutagenic activity associated with by-products of drinking water disinfection by chlorine, chlorine dioxide, ozone and UV-irradiation." Environmental health perspectives 46 (1982): 197.
Abstract:
A retrospective epidemiological study in The Netherlands showed a statistical association between chlorination by-products in drinking water and cancer of the esophagus and stomach for males. A pilot-plant study with alternative disinfectants was carried out with stored water of the Rivers Rhine and Meuse. It was demonstrated that the increase of direct acting mutagens after treatment with chlorine dioxide is similar to the effect of chlorination.
Ozonation of Rhine water reduced the mutagenic activity for Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 both with and without metabolic activation. UV alone hardly affects the mutagenicity of the stored river water for S. typh. TA 98. In all studies, practically no mutagenic activity for S. typh. TA 100 was found. Although remarkable changes in the concentration of individual organic compounds are reported, the identity of the mutagens detected is yet unclear. Compounds of possible interest due to their removal by ozonation are 1,3,3-trimethyloxindole, dicyclopentadiene and several alkylquinolines.
Compounds which might be responsible for the increased mutagenicity after chlorination are two brominated acetonitriles and tri(2-chlorethyl) phosphate. Furthermore, the concentration procedure with adsorption on XAD resin and the subsequent elution step may have affected the results. It is proposed to focus further research more on the less volatile by-products of disinfection than on the trihalomethanes. - Mark Cramer Inspection Services Mark Cramer, Tampa Florida, Mr. Cramer is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors and is a Florida home inspector and home inspection educator. (727) 595-4211 mark@BestTampaInspector.com 11/06
- Hankey and Brown home inspectors, Eden Prairie, MN, technical review by Roger Hankey, prior chairman, Standards Committee, American Society of Home Inspectors - ASHI. 952 829-0044 - hankeyandbrown.com 11/06
- Dr. Omar Amin, of the Tempe AZ Parasitology Center, corresponded with one of our readers asking about peroxide: "You can use hydrogen peroxide if you want to but we do not have a track record of percentage dilution". Dr. Amin has done research for the US military and for the CDC.
- Aquamira™ chlorine dioxide water purification kits - see www.aquamira.com/
"Aquamira Water Treatment Drops were introduced to the Outdoor market in 1999 and have been a favorite of top outdoor guides and instructors ever since. Whether you are camping, traveling in a foreign country or faced with a disaster, our goal is to provide you with safe, pure and good tasting drinking water. Our complete line of water treatment products include leading edge purification and filtration technologies developed and tested in the lab and proven in the field. We offer systems and products that will provide water for a single individual or a village and almost anything in between." - Cascade Designs, Inc., 4000 1st Avenue South Seattle, WA 98134 U.S.A., Tel: 1-206-505-9500, Email: consumer@cascadedesigns.com, is the parent company of MSR, producing water treatment and other camping equipment.
- Katadyn™, a Swiss corporation provides water filters, desalinization equipment, and their Micropur chlorine dioxide water purification - see www.katadyn.com/usen/
"Katadyn offers a wide variety of water filtration and purification products suitable for any need. This allows outdoor enthusiasts and travelers to take along products for making their own drinking water when preparing their trips." - Potable Aqua® emergency drinking water germicidal tablets are produced by the Wisconsin Pharmacal Co., Jackson WI 53037. 800-558-6614 pharmacalway.com
- Solardyne products are produced by Solar Dynamics, LLC., 5806 N. Williams Ave., Portland, OR 97217, Sales and Technical Support: (503) 830-8739, Email: info@solardyne.com
- SteriPEN® is produced by Hydro-Photon, Inc., PO Box 675, Blue Hill, ME 04614. Tel: 207 374 5800
- Wilderness Medical Society has advice about boiling water for consumption
- Princeton University - www.princeton.edu
- "Bacteria in Drinking Water" - "Chlorine," Karen Mancl, water quality specialist, Agricultural Engineering, Ohio State University Extension. Mancl explains factors affecting the effectiveness of chlorine in water as a means to destroy bacteria and other microorganisms. OSU reports as follows:
Chlorine kills bacteria, including disease-causing organisms and the nuisance organism, iron bacteria. However, low levels of chlorine, normally used to disinfect water, are not an effective treatment for giardia cysts. A chlorine level of over 10 mg/1 must be maintained for at least 30 minutes to kill giardia cysts. -- http://ohioline.osu.edu/b795/index.html is the front page of this bulletin.
- Crystal Clear Supply provides portable ceramic water filter purifiers and portable reverse osmosis water treatment equipment - see http://www.crystalclearsupply.com/category_s/7.htm
- "Do Iodine Water Purification Tablets Provide an Effective Barrier against Cryptosporidium parvum?", Starke, Jeffrey A., Bowman, Dwight D., Labare, Michael, Fogarty, Elizabeth A., and others, Military Medicine, 25 October 2001 [possibly a later version of this article appeared in 2005 -DF] http://www.amsus.org/military medicine/milmed.htm
- "Drinking Water Safety in Emergencies", University of Minnesota extension, extension.umn.edu/info-u/nutrition/BJ646.html
- FDA Warning about drinking hydrogen peroxide: www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/h/hydrogen-peroxide.htm This article cites a 2003 entry in Journal of Food and Science on using Hy.Perox to sterilize vegetables, referring to E.coli - NOT to Giardia.
- www.epa.gov/ogwdw/mdbp/pdf/alter/chapt_2.pdf provides an article on use of disinfectants for water treatment
- This patent application for UV light sterilization www.patentstorm.us/patents/6565803.html Lists good references on water purification for Giardia et als
- GIARDIA in DRINKING WATER exposure limits for drinking water: see www.mass.gov/dep/water/drinking/standards/giardia.htm is the current regulatory exposure limit (your minimum target for sterilization)
- Wikipedia on history of use of hydrogen peroxide: Information on Hydrogen peroxide as a sterilant is in Wikipedia at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterilization_(microbiology) HO2 has been used for a long time, including by vaporization for sterilizing freeze dryers.
- Platypus water filters such as the Cascade bag type water filter are produced by Cascade Designs, Inc., 4000 First Ave. South, Seattle WA 98134, USA, Tel: 1-800-531-9531
- Potable Aqua® emergency drinking water germicidal tablets are produced by the Wisconsin Pharmacal Co., Jackson WI 53037. 800-558-6614 pharmacalway.com
- Principles and Practice of Disinfection, Preservation and Sterilization (Hardcover)
by A. D. Russell (Editor), W. B. Hugo (Editor), G. A. J. Ayliffe (Editor), Blackwell Science, 2004. ISBN-10: 1405101997, ISBN-13: 978-1405101998.
"This superb book is the best of its kind available and one that will undoubtedly be useful, if not essential, to workers in a variety of industries. Thirty-one distinguished specialists deal comprehensively with the subject matter indicated by the title ... The book is produced with care, is very readable with useful selected references at the end of each chapter and an excellent index. It is an essential source book for everyone interested in this field. For pharmacy undergraduates, it will complement the excellent text on pharmaceutical microbiology by two of the present editors."
The Pharmaceutical Journal: "This is an excellent book. It deals comprehensively and authoritatively with its subject with contributions from 31 distinguished specialists. There is a great deal to interest all those involved in hospital infection ... This book is exceptionally well laid out. There are well chosen references for each chapter and an excellent index. It is highly recommended."
The Journal of Hospital Infection.: "The editors and authors must be congratulated for this excellent treatise on nonantibiotic antimicrobial measures in hospitals and industry ... The publication is highly recommended to hospital and research personnel, especially to clinical microbiologists, infection-control and environmental-safety specialists, pharmacists, and dieticians."
New England Journal of Medicine: City Hospital, Birmingham, UK. Covers the many methods of the elimination or prevention of microbial growth. Provides an historical overview, descriptions of the types of antimicrobial agents, factors affecting efficacy, evaluation methods, and types of resistance. Features sterilization methods, and more. Previous edition: c1999. DNLM: Sterilization--methods. - Handbook of Disinfectants and Antiseptics, Joseph M. Ascenzi (Editor), CRC, 1995, ISBN-10: 0824795245 ISBN-13: 978-0824795245 "The evaluation of chemical germicides predates the golden age of microbiology..." -
This well-focused, up-to-date reference details the current medical uses of antiseptics and disinfectants -- particularly in the control of hospital-acquired infections -- presenting methods for evaluating products to obtain regulatory approval and examining chemical, physical, and microbiological properties as well as the toxicology of the most widely used commercial chemicals. - When Technology Fails, Matthew Stein, Chelsea Green Publisher, 2008,493 pages. ISBN-10: 1933392452 ISBN-13: 978-1933392455, "... how to find and sterilize water in the face of utility failure, as well as practical information for dealing with water-quality issues even when the public tap water is still flowing". Mr. Stein's website is www.whentechfails.com/
- "Bacteria in Drinking Water" - "Chlorine," Karen Mancl, water quality specialist, Agricultural Engineering, Ohio State University Extension. Mancl explains factors affecting the effectiveness of chlorine in water as a means to destroy bacteria and other microorganisms. OSU reports as follows:
Chlorine kills bacteria, including disease-causing organisms and the nuisance organism, iron bacteria. However, low levels of chlorine, normally used to disinfect water, are not an effective treatment for giardia cysts. A chlorine level of over 10 mg/1 must be maintained for at least 30 minutes to kill giardia cysts. -- http://ohioline.osu.edu/b795/index.html is the front page of this bulletin.
- Ohio State University article on the concentration of chlorine necessary to act as an effective disinfectant, and the effects of the water's pH and temperature: See http://ohioline.osu.edu/b795/b795_7.html for details.
- General water testing and corrective measure advice: contact your local health department.
- Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
- In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.
- Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. Tel: (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 Email: info@carsondunlop.com. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The HOME REFERENCE BOOK - the Encyclopedia of Homes and to use illustrations from The ILLUSTRATED HOME .
Carson Dunlop Associates provides extensive home inspection education and report writing material. In gratitude we provide links to tsome Carson Dunlop Associates products and services.
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