Ultraviolet (UV) Disinfection

The Need

It is proven scientifically that 85% of child sickness and 65% of adult diseases are produced by water-borne viruses, bacteria and intestinal protozoa such asCryptosporidium and Giardia. Inappropriate water treatment can lead to heath problems - hepatitis B, tuberculosis, meningitis, typhoid fever, tricomoniasis, and cholera, glaucoma, gastrointestinal pain, salmonella, poliovirus, and diarrhea. In North America, E.coli O157:H7, an extremely dangerous strain of E.coli bacteria, infects more than 80,000 people annually. Fortunately, E.coli O157:H7 is easily inactivated by UV light.

Disinfecting your drinking water with ultraviolet light (UV) makes good sense. It's environmentally safe, it's well proven, and it's the way of the future for water disinfection requirements around the globe.

The Process

Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection uses a UV light source, which is enclosed in a transparent protective sleeve. It is mounted so that water can pass through a flow chamber, and UV rays are admitted and absorbed into the stream. When ultraviolet energy is absorbed by the reproductive mechanisms of bacteria and viruses, the genetic material (DNA/RNA) is rearranged and they can no longer reproduce. They are therefore considered dead and the risk of disease has been eliminated.

UV-rays are energy-rich electromagnetic rays that are found in the natural spectrum of the sunlight. They are in the range of the invisible short wave light having a wavelength ranging from 100 to 400 nm (1 nanometre = 10-9m).

UV, like distillation, disinfects water without adding chemicals, and therefore possesses some of the same benefits as distillation. It does not create new chemical complexes, nor does it change the taste or odor of the water, and does not remove any beneficial minerals in the water.

UV Applications

Water already Purified by Reverse Osmosis

Ultraviolet devices are most effective when the water has already been filtered, and only the cleanest water passes through the UV flow chamber.

Well Water

Many rural homeowners who draw their water from private wells assume that their water is safe. Unless the water has been tested, however, there is no way to know whether it contains potentially harmful pathogens. A coliform count indicates that a well is contaminated. Faulty sewage or manure systems or field run-off can be sources of the contamination.

Many livestock producers wish to protect their animals from poor water quality and install water treatment systems that incorporate UV for disinfection.

Surface Water

In many rural regions, homes and cottages draw their water directly from lakes or streams, which collect potentially harmful storm run-off. Add that many animals live in these lakes and streams, and the likelihood of microbial contamination in these supplies is high. Again, the water can be tested, and a coliform count will indicate whether the water should be disinfected.

As with any water supply, the level of contamination can vary throughout the seasons. Water is most likely to be contaminated with microorganisms during rainy season when levels are high and run-off peaks. Consequently, the rainy season is an ideal time to test your water.

Testing private water supplies is typically necessary before selling a rural home. But often only then do water contamination problems become known. If a problem does exist, vendors must often prove that the water is safe before the prospective buyers will take ownership. Installing an ultraviolet water disinfection system is an effective, straightforward way to solve these types of water contamination problems.