Water is used by everyone, every day. Not only do all people need drinking water to survive, but water plays an important role in almost every aspect of our lives. While people in developed countries may take clean water from the tap for granted, hundreds of millions around the world still lack a safe and sustainable supply of water on a consistent basis.
Globally, contaminated water is a serious problem that can cause severe pain, disability, and even death. Contaminated water is linked to the transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) speaks of the risks that can come from unsafe water globally and in the United States:
Waterborne Risk Globally
The most common global water-related diseases caused by parasites include Guinea worm, schisto-somiasis, amebiasis, cryptosporidiosis (Crypto), and giardiasis. People become infected with these diseases when they swallow or have contact with water that has been contaminated by certain parasites. For example,individuals drinking water contaminated with fecal matter containing the ameba Entamoeba histolytica can get amebic dysentery (amebiasis). An individual can get Guinea worm disease when they drink water that contains the parasite Dracunculus medinensis. If an infected person with an open Guinea worm wound enters a pond or well used for drinking water, they can spread the parasite into the water and continue the cycle of contamination and infection. Schistosomiasis can be spread when people swim in or have contact with freshwater lakes that are contaminated with Schistosoma parasites.
In developing countries, as much as 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions. Water filters and treatments that can remove organisms such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites.
– World Health Organization/Center for Disease Control
Waterborne Risk in the United States
Parasites are also a cause of waterborne disease in the United States. Both recreational water (water used for swimming and other activities) and drinking water can become contaminated with parasites and cause illness. Recreational water illnesses (RWIs) are diseases that are spread by swallowing, breathing, or having contact with contaminated water from swimming pools, hot tubs, lakes, rivers, or the ocean.
The most commonly reported RWI is diarrhea caused by parasites, such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia intestinalis. Giardia intestinalis is also a common parasite found in drinking water. Both Cryptosporidium and Giardia intestinalis are found in the fecal matter of an infected person or animal. These parasites can be spread when someone swallows water that has been contaminated with fecal matter from an infected person or animal. Individuals with compromised immune systems who come into contact with these parasites can also be at greater risk for serious illness.
Filtering Water
The CDC states that many but not all available water filters remove Cryptosporidium. Some filter designs are more suitable for removal of Cryptosporidium than others. Filters that have the words “reverse osmosis” on the label protect against Cryptosporidium. Some other types of filters that function by micro-straining also work. Look for a filter that has a pore size of 1 micron or less. This will remove microbes 1 micron or greater in diameter (Cryptosporidium, Giardia). There are two types of these filters — “absolute 1 micron” filters and “nominal 1 micron” filters but not all filters that are supposed to remove objects 1 micron or larger from water are the same. The absolute 1 micron filter will more consistently remove Cryptosporidium than a nominal filter. Some nominal 1 micron filters will allow 20% to 30% of 1 micron particles (like Cryptosporidium) to pass through.
LightWaterLife’s clean drinking water system utilizes a Sawyer® water filter that attains the highest level of filtration available today. The filters are comprised of tiny “U” shaped micro tubes that allow water to enter into their core through tiny micro pores. The PointOne Filter pores are so small (0.1 micron absolute) that no bacteria, protozoa, or cysts like E. coli, cholera or typhoid, can get through. At 7 log (99.99999%) the filter attains the highest level of filtration available today and still has a very high flow rate due to the large amount of tubes. Simply put, it is impossible for bacteria to pass through the 0.1 micron filter.
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Source: CDC