Water & Air – Filter Systems News

 Do you know what’s in your family’s drinking water?  Asbestos, antimony, copper and even chromium can be found in  in your home’s drinking water. According to the Drinking Water Contaminants Chart produced by the Environmental Protection Agency, there are microorganisms, disinfectants, organic chemicals and even radionuclides found in your primary drinking water. While there are regulations preventing too many contaminants or particles from being in your water, there are ways that you can personally protect both you and your family.

What can be most unnerving about contaminants being in your drinking water is the possibility that it can make you sick. To prevent this, consider using a whole house filtration system. These systems will filter things like sediment, chlorine and cysts not only from your drinking water, but your entire water system.  The Culligan HF-360 is a whole house water filter housing that can be attached to your main water line at the point of entry. The clear housing makes it easy for you to see when to change your filter, and to view all of the contaminants that you are no longer drinking!

Another easy way to filter the water  you drink is to use a water pitcher. Rather than drinking directly from the tap, put your water through a Brita Pitcher to ensure that contaminants are filtered out. If you, like me, are guilty of buying a bottle of water at the store which is harmful not only to the environment, but your wallet as well, consider the Filtrete Water Station. This water station features 4 portable bottles of water that are easy to take with you everywhere.

With the cold, drying winter months just around the corner, you are no doubt feeling the effects of dry, cracked skin. Most people don’t know that much of this can be attributed to contaminants and particulates in the water that you bathe with. To combat this, consider a Sprite Shower Falls shower head filter. This shower head comes in a stylish chrome finish and has a 5-way massaging spray. Beat the need for expensive moisturizers and skin treatments with this stylish shower head.

While there are contaminants and particulates in your water, there are ways to protect yourself and your family. By taking a few simple steps and installing a whole house water filtration system, or purchasing a filtering shower head, you can combat the effects of contaminants in your water.

Now-a-days people are more focused on buying gifts with a specific purpose in mind. Gone are the days of purchasing an impractical gift just for the sake of saying you gave someone a present. We understand what it’s like to streamline our household budgets, but at the same time we are savvier about giving gifts that will be remembered and appreciated for years to come. Filters Fast offers 10 functional and reasonably priced gift-giving suggestions to consider:

Water Filter Pitchers: This gift is ideal for college students or apartment dwellers who want filtered drinking water that is convenient, portable and reusable. See our selection of space-saving water filter pitchers available from Brita, Mavea, Pur, GE, Omnifilter and 3M Filtrete.

Klean Kanteen Wine Karafe: This 27 ounce wine carafe is made from BPA free, food-grade brushed stainless steel, wine enthusiast who wants to avoid taking a heavy wine bottle or decanter on a hike, carriage ride or picnic. that does not impart any unsavory flavors into your wine or other beverages. This gift is ideal for the wine enthusiast who wants to avoid taking a heavy wine bottle or decanter on a hike, carriage ride or picnic.

Sprite Baby Shower: The Sprite Baby Shower is the perfect gift for parents with infants. It features a small easy-to-hold handle and uses an adapter to attach to your kitchen sink faucet to easily bathe your infant. Replacement filters are available for continued use.

Fluval C3 Aquarium Power Filter System: This high performance system produces optimum aquarium filtration foryour tropical fish lover. The Fluval Aquarium Filtration System is designed for quick and easy maintenance with built-in features to remind you when components need to be cleaned or replaced.

Crane Animal Cool Mist Humidifiers: These ultrasonic cool mist humidifiers features assorted fun animal designs to choose from. Crane humidifiers will help a child breathe easier at night, while preventing dry skin and chapped lips triggered by dry indoor air.

Dog It and Cat It Fresh and Clear Water Fountains: Do not forget about your pampered pooch or feline this holiday season. The Fresh and Clear Water Fountains for cats and dogs, constantly recirculates water to provide a steady stream of cool, crisp and clean water for your pets. With a sleek modern design, this fountain can help to prevent recurrent kidney or urinary tract infections in your pets.

Plane Clean Air Filter: The Plane Clean Air Filter is just the thing for the frequent flyer in your family. This airplane air filter is designed to help you breathe easier while you fly. It easily attaches to the overhead nozzle in most planes and helps to remove approximately 99.5% of bacteria and viruses from the air stream.

Watersafe Science Project Kit: This gift is great for your science aficionado. This test kit compares water quality and is easy for elementary students to use, yet scientifically sophisticated enough for high school experiments or projects. Available in a 4-pack or 10-pack value set.

Klean Kanteen Sippy Cup: Kids can now enjoy their favorite drink from an environmentally safe, stylish and BPA-free water bottle. This 12-ounce water bottle can easily provide a cool drink for younger kids and comes in a marine blue or pastel pink finish.

Katadyn MyBottle Water Purifier: This gift is perfect for the hiker, camper or outdoor enthusiast. The Katadyn advanced water bottle filtration system can be used with untreated fresh water sources such as lakes, rivers and streams. This water bottle purifier includes the technology of a microbial purification filter cartridge and is ideal for emergency and natural disaster situations.

Thinking of going camping this fall season? Across the country the leaves have changed and there are a multitude of beautiful colors to be seen.  The cool, crisp air means less bugs and clear night skies full of stars. If you, like me, are not THRILLED at the prospect of sleeping outside and not having clean fresh water to drink, the following products will save the day.

Katadyn MyBottle Water Purifier- Blue Splash

This sleek and stylish Katadyn water bottle does more than simply hold water. This water bottle features a personal filtration system directly inside the bottle. The built in virustat and cyst filter will remove bacteria, viruses, cysts and other impurities from virtually all fresh water sources. In addition, the carbon cartridge removes chemicals, making your water taste better. The MyBottle is even registered with the United States Environmental Protection Agency for its efficiency at removing impurities.

Use the Katadyn MyBottle to filter the following water sources:

1)      Lakes

2)      Ponds

3)      Rivers

4)      Streams

Katadyn Mini Ultralight Series Microfilter- Black

                The Katadyn Mini Ultralight Microfilter is ideal for camping and hiking. This filter removes protozoa, cysts, sediment, dirt, viruses, spores dirt and bacteria down to 0.2 microns in size. This microfilter has a 2,000 gallon capacity before needing a filter replacement. Weighing less than a pound, this easy to carry filtration system is great when you do not have a readily available fresh water source.

Klean Kanteen 18 oz Bottle & Loop Cap- Red

    The Kleen Kanteen 18 oz Bottle is BPA free and is manufactured out of the highest quality stainless steel. This is an eco friendly alternative to bringing a 24 pack of bottled water to your next camping trip. The convenient loop cap makes it easy to attach to backpacks and camping equipment.  This water bottle comes in a variety of colors.

 Nite Ize Carbiner, Klean Kanteen S-Biner # 3

         The Kleen Kanteen Carbiner will make it easy for you and your family to attach your Kleen Kanteen water bottle to belts, backpacks and camping equipment. Manufactured out of the same stainless steel as your Kleen Kanteen water bottle, two snaps is all it takes to bring your bottle everywhere you need it to go.

Vapur Anti Bottle Water Bottle- Pink 16 oz.

Perfect for the little campers in your party,  this reusable water bottle  features a space saving design. They are extremely flexible and almost completely collapsible, making this water bottle ideal when you are tight on space. The matching clip on the water bottle makes it easy to clip onto hiking bags and camping equipment. This water bottle is made out of BPA free plastic and holds 16 ounces.

With these easy to use products, you can be sure that your next camping and hiking trip will be a great success!

One of the most common physical occurrences in marine science is the accumulation of   microorganisms, algae, mussels, seaweed, plants and other water-related growth that is attached to the hull of ships or on the posts of a pier. Such undesirable growth decreases the performance of a ship and increases fuel consumption. This accumulation is called biofouling or microbiological fouling. Biofouling consists of biofilms, which under normal circumstances are harmless, but can be problematic when they produce build-up on pipes and wells, or completely clog water filtration systems.

Waterborne bacteria and other contaminants can trigger allergic reactions, but you can do something to thwart these harmful pollutants from infiltrating your drinking water supply. Water test kits are available to easily check for waterborne contaminants in your drinking water. If you are in an area where you experience more comprehensive problems with your drinking water, then you will probably need an expert to test your water and advise accordingly. Often water-related allergies associated with biofouling result from improperly maintained water filtration systems, cartridges, filters or membranes that are long overdue for replacement.

Cooling towers, water distribution networks and membranes are not immune to biofouling. If membrane filtration or reverse osmosis systems contain the presence of a huge amount of phosphate, this could reduce production of your system, decrease the life of the membrane for your water filter system and increase maintenance costs. In a cooling tower, the presence of biofouling can lead to an excessive amount of harmful bacteria growth and migration. Biocides are used to prevent biofouling in cooling towers, but could create an environmental concern.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established enforceable standards to apply to public water systems called National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWR). According to the EPA, primary standards protect public health by limiting the levels of contaminants in drinking water. The typical agents for microbiological fouling include iron, sulfur-reducing and slime producing organisms, although many others exist. Your drinking water will contain some type of sediment, rust, scale or other waterborne pollutants that could create an environment for biofouling in the walls and membrane of your filtration system. This could lead to water-related allergies or diseases if precautions and proper maintenance are not taken ahead of time.

Cool, crisp, clean, clear water. In the hot summer days of August, there is nothing better. We run to the faucet or Brita Pitcher when temperatures reach over 100 degrees. Imagine a truly sizzling hot day, running for the tap, turning on the cold faucet and the water that comes out is not the regular water you are used to, but cleaned wastewater. As the name implies, cleaned wastewater is water that “has been used in your toilet or sink or shower is purified through a variety of technological processes that make it clean enough to drink” (Alix Spiegel, NPR Article)  Would you feel the same relief from the heat? Or would your mind stop you from enjoying the cool glass of water?

Some scholars say yes.  Dr. Carol Nemeroff, of the University of Southern Maine speculates that many people are not able to get over the “ick” factor of drinking water that could have previously been found in their toilet. The scientific term, contagion, refers to the phenomenon of people thinking that once something has contact with another thing, those two things are always joined. In this case, water and your toilet.  Significant research of over 2,000 people suggests that it is difficult for people to dispel this kind of thinking; regardless of if it is scientifically proven that the cleaned wastewater is safe for consumption.

Therefore, getting Americans on board for the use of wastewater as drinking water may involve less science, and more psychology. The key it seems is to change the identity of the filtered water by connecting it closer to nature. As water reuse expert Dr. Haddad says, people feel more comfortable if the treated water sits in an underground aquifer for a significant period of time. However, this brings up additional problems, as exposing already treated water back to nature can have negative effects on the quality of the water.

It is clear that our water thinking has a significant impact on the way water is used and distributed in this country. Now that we have the science to turn wastewater into drinkable water, we need to find a way to change its identity so that people no longer have visions of drinking water formally found in the bottom of a bath tub or toilet bowl.

When most people think about icebergs, visions of the Titanic teetering precariously in the Atlantic Ocean often pop into their heads.  These gigantic sources of frozen, fresh water dot the oceans around the world. More than just a site to see from the bow of a cruise ship, French eco-entrepreneur Georges Mougin, sees icebergs as a solution to the world’s water crisis.

Over 40 years ago, Mougin first began exploring the possibility that the world’s icebergs could be used as source of fresh water for those in need. Today, it may become a reality.  Mougin has invented a way to transport these gigantic icebergs with an insulated harness that will reduce melting.  With the assistance of a tow, the iceberg will ride on ocean currents to those countries that need it most. To assist with this invention, 3D computer simulations have been created to demonstrate that one tugboat from Newfoundland can transport as much as 7 million tons of iceberg to the Canary Islands in as little as five months.

Watch a simulation of towing the iceberg here:

The drawbacks of this amazing technology are as you might have guessed, cost. To tow the iceberg from Newfoundland to the Canary Islands would cost approximately $9.8 million dollars. However, Mougin is hoping to raise enough funds to sponsor a smaller trip from the Antarctic to Australia. If successful, the iceberg, weighing in at 30-million tons will provide enough water for 500,000 people for an entire year.

Since 1972, the Clean Water Act has protected our streams, rivers, lakes, and other waterways from being polluted by industry. This legislation has served as a model for other countries since its inception. Now, there are forces at work in the U.S. that would dismantle this landmark law and make it easier for industries to discharge pollutants into our waters. Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2018, the so-called Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011, which gives states more control over whether restrictions of industrial sources are tightened or relaxed. If passed, federal oversight would be lessened, and those states that desire to give industry less restriction would have more leeway to allow pollution into public waters. Presently, when a certain state isn’t tough enough on polluters, the Clean Water Act allows the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to step in and police that state’s industries more closely. If H.R. 2018 passes the Senate and is signed into law by the President, (who has threatened to veto the bill) we could see a return to the state of affairs that dominated the U.S. prior to 1972, when our waters were grossly polluted.

The assault on the Clean Water Act doesn’t stop with H.R. 2018. A Senate committee has approved H.R. 872, with the partisan sounding title “the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011.” If passed, those who would spray pesticides into U.S. waters will face less restrictions and oversight than now presented under the Clean Water Act.

The Clean Water Act has protected the waters of our country for almost 40 years. Even with this safeguard in place, the quality of many waterways has continued to decline. Those who would see the Clean Water Act dismantled see this decline as evidence of the Act’s ineffectiveness and a reason to ease restrictions. If anything, this shows that greater regulations are needed.

We wanted to do a follow-up on a previous post we did in June, Stockholm Junior Water Prize: A Different Class of Science Competition. The Stockholm Junior Water Prize taps into the unlimited potential of today’s high school students, as they seek to address current and future water challenges. We were impressed by the detailed structure and purpose of this competition and tip our hats to all of the hard working students who entered this prestigious water-related science competition. This year the U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize was hosted by the Illinois Water Environment Association, held in Chicago, Illinois.

Alison Bick representing Millburn High School

Congratulations to Alison Bick from Short Hills, N.J. for being the recipient of the U.S. 2011 Stockholm Junior Water Prize. Alison developed a low-cost portable and publicly accessible method for testing water potability. Alison attends Millburn High School and worked for over four years researching and developing several devices to accurately test water for inorganic materials and harmful bacteria.

The four U.S. finalists include Jenifer Brown from Hillsborough, North Carolina, Collin McAliley of Melbourne Beach, Florida, Leila Musavi from Orono, Maine, and Nishith Reddy from Naperville, Illinois. The 2012 U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize National Competition will be held in Boston, Massachusetts.  The New England Water Environment Association will host three days of camaraderie, competition and celebration where like-minded students will exchange ideas and discuss their research projects.

Bill Gates is reinventing the toilet. That’s right; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is donating a staggering $41.5 million dollars in grants to various organizations involved in developing new sanitation technology.  Here is a breakdown of where some of the funds will be going:

• $12 million dollars is going to the African Development Bank in their effort to bring sanitation management services to 1.5 urban poor in sub-Saharan Africa

• $10 million is going to a German-Kenyan collaboration to improve sanitation services for people living in Kenya

• $8 million to UNESCO Institute for Water Education, increasing education focus on water solutions that work for the poor

• $8.5 million going to USAID’s “WASH for Life”, this program will try and determine the best ways to deliver sanitation, water and hygiene services to the poor. Take a look at their website: www.usaid.gov/div/washforlife

Perhaps the most interesting use of the $41.5 million dollar donation is the $3 million that is going towards the “Reinventing the Toilet Challenge.” This grant will support eight universities across the world, including CalTech, Delft University, and Stanford to participate in the challenge of reinventing the modern toilet. The challenge outlines include remodeling the toilet as a stand-alone unit that does not use piped in water, electricity or a sewer connection. In addition, the unit has to work on less than 5 CENTS A DAY.

Although one of the smaller financial commitments, the Reinventing the Toilet Challenge presents a unique opportunity to change the world. The invention of the toilet nearly 200 years ago significantly changed the world.  As Sylvia Matthew Burwell, president of the Global Development Program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation stated:

“No innovation in the past 200 years has done more to save the lives and improve health than the sanitation revolution triggered by the  invention of the toilet,” Burwell continued, “But it did not go far enough. It only reached one-third of the world. What we need are new approaches. New ideas. In short, we need to reinvent the toilet.”

There have already been some rather interesting ideas generated in regards to this challenge. For example, turning waste into useful fertilizer or the creation of “dry toilets”. Whether a new toilet is invented or not, the nearly $42 million dollar donation will, no doubt, allow for significant advances and aid to those countries that need it most. While many people in Western countries take their toilets for granted, most people around the world do not have access to fresh running water or toilets. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation seek to change all that, and along the way, hope to reinvent the toilet

An ancient technique for purifying water may offer new hope for the over 1 billion people who have no access to clean drinking water.  The Moringa oleifera tree has been used for hundreds of years by people in Sudan to purify water, as well as for food.  The method has never been widely disseminated, but in 2010 a publication by Michael Lea revealed the Moringa tree’s properties.  According to Lea, when the seeds of this tree are crushed into powder and mixed with surface water, a reduction of bacteria by 90-99 percent can be achieved.

This news provides great hope for those living in areas where the tree is widely grown, including Africa, Central and South America, India, and Southeast Asia. In Ghana, the Moringa tree is grown on plantations, and its leaves are used for food and the seeds used as a spice. According to the UN site IRIN, the tree grows quickly and resists drought, and can be grown in many areas.  The seeds are soft and can be easily crushed, the IRIN site further states.  The fact that the tree is already widely grown, and the ease with which the seeds can be crushed, make this method ideal for those without other sources of water purification.

Kebreab Ghebremichael, a water purification expert with UNESCO, states that using the seeds of Moringa tree is probably best employed at a household level.  According to him, the seeds would pose problems with odor and taste if forced to sit for extended periods of time when used on a large scale basis.  He further states that this method would work better for surface water than with underground water, and that it is best used for emergencies and where other methods of water purification are not available.