[Andy CWS]

Rarely is ONE treatment method adequate to handle most contaminants. Health issues must be faced and then aesthetic ones. When you live in a place where the tap water is unsafe, then a constant, and reliable treatment system must be used, monitored and maintained.

Disinfection (as opposed to sanitizing) can be achieved by a variety of methods. UV lights, iodine, boiling, filtration and other chemical feeds have long been used with both positive and negative aspects. Just as well, each sytem may need to be accompanied by addition sytems to complement, support or back-up the disinfection process.

Clearly, testing is always the best 'first step'. China has made huge steps in the last decade in joining the modern world in both handling social ills as well as creating them. There are superior labs there that can detemine what's in the water. Finding one may be your biggest hurdle, especilly in rural ares. Sending a sample to the US many be awkward. Declaring to customs that you are sending a possibly hazardous material will raise a few eybrows and perhaps a big trash lid.

China also has an incredible supply of residential equipment to handle water issues. Many products are getting certified through third-party labs but many are still off-the-shelf and hyped by marketing.

Andy Chrsitensen, CWS-II