This multi-stage (six) inline filter does a lot more than just remove arsenic from water at a rate of up to 1 gallon per minute, a rate perfect for use with water fountains, bottleless water coolers, commercial coffeemakers, and ice machines. It uses all six of its filtration layers to effectively remove a number of drinking water contaminants.

• In stages 1 and 6 water flows through pre and post one – micron filters capable of removing suspended particles such as silt, sediment, cyst (Giardia, Cryptosporidium), sand, rust, dirt, and other types of unwanted matter.

• In stage 2 water flows through a specially engineered arsenic removal/reduction media.

• In stages 3 and 4 water flows through a media bed comprised of high purity KDF-55D ®, and KDF-85D ®, which operate using electrochemical and spontaneous oxidation/reduction (REDOX) principles. The combination of these two special media completely oxidizes any chlorine in the water.

  As an added bonus, heavy metals such as lead, mercury, copper, nickel, chromium, cadmium, aluminum, and other dissolved metals also get removed/reduced during this stage of filtration.

  While some KDF media beds can harbor unwanted bacteria, studies have shown that this particular unit reduces the likelihood of bacteria growth by as much as 90%, thus eliminating the need for silver, an element considered by some to pose health risks.

  Worried about the possible addition of copper or zinc to the water in any significant amount? On a sample of water containing 2.3 ppm chlorinated water, testing after filtration detected <0.05 mg/l copper and only 0.46 mg/l zinc. The EPA has set the aesthetic levels for copper at 1.0 mg/l and 5.0 mg/l for zinc. Additionally, the human body requires both zinc and copper for good health. The FDA recommends a daily intake of 15 mg of zinc and 2 mg of copper.

• In the fifth stage of filtration, water flows through granulated activated carbon (GAC) which adsorbs a wide variety of organic contaminants, such as any remaining chlorine (99.9%), chemicals linked to cancer such as Trihalomethanes and benzene, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), PCB’s, MTBE’s and a laundry list of other chemical contaminants that may exist in your source (i.e. tap or well) water.

What about replacement filters? Will I have difficulty finding them? Highly unlikely! The manufacturer of this inline arsenic filter, Crystal Quest has existed in one form or another in the commercial water purification industry for more than thirty years.

You can order replacement filters for the inline arsenic filter on FilterWater.Com, a leading online vendor of water quality improvement products from Crystal Quest and other manufacturers.

If we had a nickel for every single time someone asked us what NSF 42, 44, 53, 55, 58, 62 and 177 meant… we’d have a huge pile of nickels and STILL not have enough money for that diamond-plated, gold-encrusted, platinum embossed drinking fountain w/ the GIANT water purification FACTORY attached to it from the other side of the wall.

NSF/ANSI Standard 42: Drinking water filtration systems that are certified to this standard remove chlorine and sediment/particles from water for the purpose of improving its look, smell and taste. The design of these filter do NOT lend themselves to the removal or reduction of health-related contaminants.

NSF/ANSI Standard 44: Water treatment systems certified to this standard typically function as cation exchange water softeners designed to reduce or eliminate water hardness (i.e. calcium and/or magnesium). Water filters designed to remove barium and radium may also certify to this standard.

NSF/ANSI Standard 53: Water purifiers certifying to this standard have designs that remove health-related contaminants such as waterborne organisms and industrial chemicals. Cryptosporidium, giardia, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether) and trihalomethane compounds (THMs) fit into one of those categories or the other.

NSF/ANSI Standard 55: Devices rated to this standard function as point of use (POU) or point of entry (POE) ultraviolet microbiological water treatment systems. These water treatment systems feature designs which disinfect microorganisms (such as bacteria and viruses) potentially present in water.

NSF/ANSI Standard 58: Typically one will find reverse osmosis water systems (RO) certified to this standard. Devices in this category will normally have the ability to fully remove organic contaminants, but may only partially remove inorganic compounds and heavy metals.

NSF/ANSI Standard 62: Certified to this standard one will typically find water distillers. The process of distillation removes a wider range of drinking water contaminants than all other methods of drinking water purification. Arsenic, mercury and bacteria all get eliminated through the use of water distillation systems.

NSF/ANSI Standard 177: Water filtration units certified to this standard function as shower head filters designed to remove chlorine from water.

Of all the things a person should have to worry about affecting their drinking water, who in their right mind would think that torpedo testing would ever become an issue?

Not us, but folks in the San Gabriel Valley region of California have something to think about… unfortunately.

The San Gabriel Mountains may be an unlikely site for a U.S. Navy torpedo lab, but 17,000 cubic yards of soil contaminated by torpedo tests is going to be hauled away from a lake in a canyon above Azusa, according to reports.

The Navy tested torpedo engines and shapes in the lake behind Morris Dam beginning in World War II. After 50 years, it closed the facility but left behind bad chemical residue.

Perchlorates, a cancer-causing type of rocket propellant, arsenic and other dangerous compounds coat rocks on the 20-acre test site on a peninsula in the lake, which is a domestic drinking water supply for the San Gabriel Valley. ( source )

Yeah… Not too many people will ever have to deal with the residuals of torpedo testing winding up in their drinking water supply, but plenty of other folks — whether they know it or not — really ought to keep a close watch on the quality of their drinking water.

Sneaky contaminants like arsenic, which occurs naturally in the environment, can show up in well water unannounced. Something as simple as a change in the weather can result in increased arsenic levels in well water. Therefore owners of wells owe it to themselves and everyone their wells serve to test for arsenic on a regular basis.

Most health officials suggest that private well owners have a thorough water quality analysis performed at least once a year by a certified water testing laboratory. Whether done by a local lab or a company like National Testing Labs, owners of private wells owe it to themselves and their families to have their water tested on a regular basis.

We recently received an email inquiry from Lisa containing a question about water treatment systems for people with compromised immune systems.

My son has just been diagnoses with an immune deficiency, and I should be sterilizing his drinking water -which I am doing by boiling for him. I am wondering if distilled or reverse osmosis, bottled water would effectively remove bacteria from the water, and be a safe alternative. Would one be better then the other.

Thank you for your time,

Lisa

Thank you, Lisa, for your question and it pains us to learn of your son’s condition. We hope that modern medicine can find a way to help your son live a long and healthy life.

Regarding your question about the best way to sterilize water for people with compromised immune systems, the EPA and CDC co-released a document back in 1995 that gives a lot of useful information on the topic entitled Guidance for People with Severely Weakened Immune Systems.

Below you will find excerpts from that document relating directly to the questions you asked:

• Cryptosporidium has caused several large waterborne disease outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness, with symptoms that include diarrhea, nausea, and/or stomach cramps. People with severely weakened immune systems (that is, severely immunocompromised) are likely to have more severe and more persistent symptoms than healthy individuals. Moreover, Cryptosporidium has been a contributing cause of death in some immunocompromised people.

• Although data are not sufficient for EPA/CDC to recommend that all severely immunocompromised persons take extra caution with regards to their drinking water, individuals who wish to take extra measures to avoid waterborne Cryptosporidiosis can bring their drinking water to a full boil for one minute. Boiling water is the most effective way of killing Cryptosporidium.

• Only point-of-use filters that remove particles one micrometer or less in diameter should be considered. Filters in this category that provide the greatest assurance of Cryptosporidium removal include those that use reverse osmosis, those labeled as “Absolute” one micrometer filters, or those labeled as certified by NSF International under standard 53 for “Cyst Removal.” …. Water treated with a point-of-use filter that meets the above criteria may not necessarily be free of organisms smaller than Cryptosporidium that could pose a health hazard for severely immunocompromised individuals.

• Many, but not all, brands of bottled water may provide a reasonable alternative to boiling tap water. …. Any bottled water treated by distillation or reverse osmosis before bottling assures Cryptosporidium removal.

• Neither EPA nor CDC maintains a list of point-of-use filters or bottled water brands that meet the above criteria. NSF International can provide a list of filters that meet the NSF criteria.

We suggest you take a look at the NSF Web Site to see what systems meet their requirements. In a situation like yours, you will want to make certain the product you purchase will accomplish all your objectives — and then some.

One system we came across recently, the Pentek RO-3500 Monitored Reverse Osmosis System,

NSF Tested & Certified Standard 58 for reduction of TDS, Fluoride, Turbidity, Lead, Nitrates, Selenium, Arsenic, Copper, Cadmium, Barium, Cyst, and Radium.

The Pentek R0-3500 features the 3 stage system, one ROM-230TN membrane, a D15 sediment filter, a D20 carbon filter, and one long-reach lead-free faucet. Unit comes with a standard installation kit and instructions.

Another feature of the the Pentek RO3500 which makes it quite nice… an electronic monitoring system that keeps track of the water filters cartridges’ lifespans and informs the owner when they need replacing.

What elements does the RO-3500 Reverse Osmosis System reduce and/or eliminate? The unit has the ability to filter out the following elements as well as many other chemical compounds:

• 90.2% TDS ( test for TDS )
• 98.9% Arsenic ( test for arsenic )
• 90.5% Fluoride
• 98% Phosphates ( test for arsenic )
• 99.99% Cysts
• 99.7% Turbidity
• 98.7% Lead ( test for lead )
• 87.4% Nitrate ( test for nitrates )
• 80.7% Nitrite ( test for nitrites )
• 97.5% Selenium
• 99.9% Copper ( test for copper )
• 97.3% Cadmium
• 86.6% Hexavalent Chromium ( test for chromium )
• 92.8% Trivalent Chromium
• 80% Radium 226/228
• 90.7% Barium
• Chlorine ( test for chlorine )
• Sediment & Particulates

For more information on the Pentek Reverse Osmosis System mentioned above, please read its detailed specifications on FiltersFast.Com.

One final word

Use of a reverse osmosis systems does NOT guarantee the elimination of ALL possible biological contaminants since some biological contaminants have sizes smaller than the membranes in RO units can filter out.

For that reason you may want to consider adding a UV Sterilizer to your filtration setup. These devices render biological contaminants incapable of reproducing by altering their genetic structure with specific wavelengths of light.

A recent study done on fish and sediment taken from Mountain Island Lake in North Carolina detected higher than expected, and some cases safe, levels of toxic metals and PCB’s.

Toxic chemicals and heavy metals are collecting in the tissue of fish and the sediment beneath the water of Mountain Island Lake, according to a new study out this week.

A recent independent study by the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation determined that drinking water supplied by the lake is safe but the fish and sediment from the lake contains high levels of unacceptable industrial matter, according to David Merryman, Catawba Riverkeeper.

“I think from these results we should at least evaluate our fish consumption for PCBs, and that’s something I’ll be calling for,” said Merryman.

…

A PCB concentration of 70.7 parts per billion was found in largemouth bass that were tested. That is more than 20 points higher than levels considered safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said Merryman.

Mountain Island Lake provides water to Gastonia, Mount Holly and several other municipalities and is also a popular fishing spot for anglers in the area.

Samples of fish also showed signs of barium, mercury and selenium.

…

Any advisories about the consumption of fish would have to come from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

…

The water in Mountain Island Lake proved to be free of PCBs but did include arsenic and barium. Sediment contained arsenic, barium, lead, selenium and mercury. These elements may not surpass acceptable levels, but they are alarming to Merryman.

“This is important. This is the water we drink. It’s where we swim,” he said.

Many of the chemicals detected during the independent test come from the neighboring coal-ash ponds operated by area power plants, according to Merryman.

While the coal-ash ponds are independent of Mountain Island Lake, water is skimmed off the top of the ponds regularly and dumped into the lake.

“Those coal-ash ponds are a source of heavy metals to that lake that a million and a half of us depend on to drink, to cook and wash our clothes,” said Merryman. “We really shouldn’t let industry pump heavy metals into a lake that we depend on.”

Duke Energy is allowed to discharge into the river system under a permit.

…

The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation contracted with Pace Analytical Laboratories in Huntersville to conduct the tests on Mountain Island Lake.
( source )

We will post more information about the water quality in Mountain Island Lake as we learn it. For now, though, please take a look at the test kits below, as they will work for testing lake water, tap water and well water for potentially hazardous levels of metals in water.

A quick look at the arsenic map on Arsenic-Test-Kit.Com will show you that arsenic can appear in groundwater all across the Continental United States and in some areas naturally occurring arsenic levels in ground water greatly exceed the 10 ppb (parts per billion) limit set forth by the USEPA several years ago.

Want to know if your drinking or well water contains dissolved arsenic in concentrations greater then recommended by the USEPA? At-home test kits such as the Arsenic Quick Test Kits for Drinking Water work well as a field screening tool, but the final word ought to come from a certified water testing lab such as National Testing Labs… or you can find lists of certified water testing labs in your state here.

As more and more people become aware of the fact that levels of arsenic in well water can fluctuate with the changing of seasons, after periods of heavy rain and in periods of drought, the demand for arsenic removal systems for residential and commercial use continues to rise.

One of the most common methods of arsenic removal requires the use of a specific type of water filter media, an example of which is a nano-particle based selective iron oxide resin media designed to remove arsenic (arsenate and arsenite) from water.

A quality arsenic removal resin of that nature will have passed all testing and quality requirements outlined in the NSF/ANSI 61 standard.

While the debate over public water system fluoridation rages on,

    – Arsenic and Fluoride Still a Problem

    – Fluoride Exposure Linked to Sperm Damage

    – Fluoride in Drinking Water Facts

    – More Information on Fluoride in Drinking Water

… more and more people install filters to remove fluoride in their homes, offices and places of business.

While some fluoride removal systems use replaceable filter cartridges and/or reverse osmosis membranes, larger units and whole house systems use special filtration media that must get replaced every so often.

A good quality fluoride removal water filter media will work using both adsorption and chemical reaction and not rely exclusively on an ion exchange reaction only.

The newest fluoride removal water filter media carried by FilterWater.Com contains a synthetic aluminum oxide adsorbent media, a resin designed specifically to have a high affinity for Fluoride, Lead and Arsenic.

The Arsenic Quick Test II Mini-Kit detects low levels of arsenic, as low as 2 ppb (micrograms/L), in just 14 minutes. Testing can take place as easily in the field as it can in a lab, in a home, or just about anywhere.

To make testing for arsenic in private wells more affordable, Arsenic Quick Test II Mini-Kits contain enough of the three needed reagents — tartaric acid (food grade), zinc powder, and monopersulfate — and patented detection strips to run two full tests for arsenic in water.

While other arsenic test kits use harsher acids and have more complex testing procedures, Arsenic Quick Test Kits provide a safer, faster method for testing arsenic in well water, groundwater, surface water, etc.

Arsenic Quick Test Kits work so well, in fact, that the States of Michigan and Arizona have each incorporated an Arsenic Quick Test Kit into their Arsenic Testing Compliance Regulations.

Lisa wrote in on behalf of her son who wishes to perform water testing on the water in the creek near their home for a science project:

My son is doing a science project on the water in the creek by our house. He wants to measure the runoff contaminants after a rain storm and then measure again a few weeks later to see the change and what was washed into the creek. What test kits should he buy and where should he get it.

thank you.

WaterSafe manufactures a science project test kit which may prove useful for your son’s project. The WaterSafe Science Project Kit includes tests for Lead, Bacteria, Pesticides, Nitrates, Chlorine, Hardness and pH. It comes with enough testing materials to test a total of four separate bodies of water or the same body of water on four separate occasions.

The kit also comes in a larger size which includes ten sets of tests for the parameters mentioned above. See Science Project Kit 10-Pack for additional details.

Testing for Chemical Pollutants and Contaminants

As a general rule, you will not find a test kit that can test for chemical pollutants because testing for such items typically requires the use of advanced laboratory techniques and/or equipment.

This does not mean, however, that you cannot test for other, more natural forms of pollution. The USEPA forbids the dumping excessive amounts of iron, copper, chromium, arsenic, mercury, cyanide, etc. into the environment… and at-home test kits DO exist for those compounds.