65% of all adult illness is due to water bourne infections. The incorrect treatment of water can often lead to health problems. Within the United States a water bourne strain of eColi known as O157:H7 Infects over 80,000 people every year. The use of ultraviolet light to treat the water supply would eradicate this issue. Many people are now turning to ultraviolet water treatment in order to protect them and their families within the household from infectious diseases such as:
Cryptosporidium
Meningitis
Typhoid
Cholera
Salmonella
Polio Virus
Ultraviolet light is a well established method of eradicating bacteria from a water supply and is growing substantially in popularity.
As the name suggest ultraviolet disinfection makes use of light from the ultraviolet spectrum, the light is typically encased within a stainless steel cartridge which the water to be treated passes through, whenever bacteria or viruses come into contact with ultraviolet light their cell structure is changed and consequently disables the cell from reproducing. Ultraviolet rays exist within the short wave spectrum of light from 100 to 400nm.
An additional distinct advantage of ultraviolet light is that with its use, no chemicals or additional substances are required for the process to take place and so no taste or odour (as is the case with chemicals) can be passed in to the flow.
Ultraviolet light doesn't act or perform like a water filter and operates best when the water supply has been treated via filtration methods prior to entering the ultraviolet chamber.
Typical Applications
Surface water
Households that draw their water from lakes or streams would be of particular benefit from ultraviolet disinfection, the risk of contaminants within such a supply is far greater and so water treatment would need to take place. Ultraviolet light would be able to rid the water from harmful contamination from an array bacteria and viruses that may be present. Properties would typically have to prove the water supply if safe for drinking purposes whenever selling, ultraviolet disinfection is a cost effective and efficient method of ensuring this is the case.
Well Water
Bacteria can also be present within well water, residents that draw their water supply from such a source can run the risk of water contamination, field run off and even defective sewage of manure systems can find there way into well water supplies. It is recommended that a water sample should be taken in order to determine whether a risk to health exists.
Public Water Supplies
With our ever increasing population more and more people are taking it on themselves to additionally filter their water supply in order to insure its safe to drink. Water companies are under ever an increasing pressure to produce fresh water with minimal expenditure and so the final product that reaches our taps may not be of the very best quality. With the addition of a domestic ultraviolet water filter consumers can be assured of a fresh water supply free from harmful bacteria and viruses.
Businesses
Any outbreak of disease caused by unsafe drinking water can be devastating for restaurants, hotels, nursing homes, hospitals etc, it is because of this threat that many of these establishments are turning to ultraviolet water treatment in order to ensure their water supply isn't going to cause harm to its users.