HEALTH

Notice to readers

This health article is supplied by WorldWideNewsArticles.com. WWNA provides the latest general and health news, updated hourly, and new articles on health daily.

See WorldWideNewsArticles.com for the list of other currently popular topics available for your reading pleasure and interest. The use of the WWNA site is completely free, and you do not need to subscribe.

Water Purification Process and the Explanation of Water Purification

The American public water purification process has all but ended epidemics of cholera, typhoid and other water-borne illnesses. It can be difficult to explain water purification. It's more of a subject for the high school class room than a written article, since visual aids are often easier to understand. But, we will try to cover some of the basic facts, in order to help you understand where you fit in.

There are variations in the water purification process used by different facilities, depending on the quality of the source, be it a lake or stream, and environmental factors, as well as pollutants found in the area. But, the easiest way to explain water purification is as a series of "steps", each one serving a specific purpose.

The first step is a wire mesh filter that prevents large things from entering the facility's tanks. Things like fish, limbs and leaves are left behind here. The mesh must be cleaned regularly to maintain a constant flow.

Typically, then, a coagulant is added that causes dirt particles to stick together and sink to the bottom of the tank, making them easier to remove. As the water purification process continues, a variety of chemical treatments are used.

For example, lime binds with certain contaminants, so that they can be filtered out. Chlorine is often added at this point to serve as a disinfectant. Today, it is unwise to try to explain water purification, without mentioning the benefits and drawbacks of chlorination.

Briefly, chemicals such as chlorine are added to kill bacteria and other living organisms. In an emergency, such as follows a hurricane or other disruption of service, household chlorine bleach can be used to clarify and disinfect suspect water. It is a fairly effective disinfectant, only a few microbes are resistant to this step in the water purification process.

The biggest noticeable drawback to this method of disinfection involves taste and smell. Carbon filters in the home can be used to remove the remaining chemical and improve the taste, while reducing the odor. Other drawbacks may not show up for many years or may be attributed to other causes. Studies have shown that many of todays chronic and life threatening health problems are related to drinking chlorinated water. But, let's get back to our attempt to explain water purification.

The water purification process that usually follows chemical disinfection is sand filtration. Passing it through sand removes some of the tinier particles and organisms killed during the disinfection process. Depending on your area, there may be additional steps in the water purification process, but once here, it is usually tested and stored for consumer use.

The testing is done to determine if there are unsafe levels of pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, disinfection by-products or chlorine itself. The "safe" levels are set by the Environmental Protection Agency, but they don't really apply to everyone. When you explain water purification, you have to mention that the system is not fool proof and neither is the subsequent testing. What can you do?

In order to help protect groundwater sources, avoid using synthetic pesticides and other chemicals around the house. Never dump hazardous materials down the drain or on the ground outside.

In order to protect your family from faulty tests, contamination and chlorine's detrimental affects on their health, you should install an "end-user" or home filtration system. In this way, you become the final step in the complete water purification process.

About the Author

Warren L. Smith has been interested in getting the purest water techniques for awhile, now. He has researched the subject extensively. To read more about what he has learned visit www.water-clean-and-clear.com