This is a commercial UV treatment plant. You might think (as I did initially) that it would not be possible to make such a thing portable for walkers, but in fact, several companies have done it. There are, for instance, units by Meridian Design (or Aquastar), Camelbak and by Steripen (also known as Hydro-Photon). Each of these claims more than full compliance with the EPA requirements. Each of them has packaged up a miniature switch-mode power supply with a miniature Phillips germicidal UV lamp. Each company has EPA registration as a maker of UV devices (as far as I know) but they do not have EPA 'approval' for the devices themselves as the EPA does not (again, as far as I know) issue approvals for this sort of product. The lack of control over just how the user will use the device may have something to do with this.
However, while the EPA does not 'approve' the devices themselves, they certainly do approve the UV treatment process. It is effective against viruses, bacteria and protozoa, and some other biological agents as well. Obviously, it isn't going to do much for dirt or simple chemicals, and too much suspended matter may block the UV from working very well. You can read the formal EPA Guidance document (a lengthy PDF) on UV treatment yourself.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Introduction
- Technology
- Microorganism Destruction Levels
- Batteries
- Flat Batteries
- UV LEDs
- Safety and UV Light
- Aquastar by Meridian Design
- Camelbak
- Steripen
- Summary
# WORDS: 2850
# PHOTOS: 9
Member Exclusive
A Premium or Unlimited Membership* is required to view the rest of this article.
* A Basic Membership is required to view Member Q&A events
Discussion
Become a member to post in the forums.
Companion forum thread to:
A Survey of Water Hazards and Water Treatment Methods – Part 6: Ultra-Violet Light Methods
I think I remember reading the user manual that you don't want to treat water that has snow or ice in it, because the UV won't completely penetrate into the snow or ice where there could be organisms.
Then when that snow or ice melts, it will release the organisms, which can survive being frozen in water.
> you don't want to treat water that has snow or ice in it, because the UV won't
> completely penetrate
Absolutely!
A girl on my staff went to Bali with her husband and friends. They all got the usual tummy (and bowel) troubles – except for the girl. Why?
Well, they were drinking spirits with ice while sitting around the pool – except for the girl, who was expecting. She only drank Coke straight from a can. The ice – the water came from the kitchen tap. She had the last laugh.
Cheers
What David wrote.
Cheers
Become a member to post in the forums.