Ultraviolet Water Purifiers - The Best Way To Purify Drinking Water?

Ultraviolet water purifiers are used by many public treatment facilities to reduce bacterial content. Ultraviolet systems have been adapted for use by homeowners with private wells that have a high bacterial count.

Similarly portable ultraviolet water filters are now available for people who are camping or traveling abroad.

But even though Ultraviolet purifiers can reduce bacteria to levels that don't cause illnesses, there are some pathogens that are resistant to UV treatment. They are known as cysts.

Cysts are parasites in a very early stage of development that can only be neutralized by boiling or by filtering them out. They are greater than a micron in size. So, any purifier that filters down to at least one micron will remove them. Some of the better kitchen units filter down to a half micron.

Depending on where you live and the quality of your supply, you may need both ultraviolet water purifiers to kill common bacteria and sub-micron filtration to reduce cysts.

The amount of cysts in the environment depends on the year round temperature, the number of animals that are in the area and the season of the year.

In the US, public treatment facilities test for them on an occasional, but not a regular basis. The EPA has said that regular testing is impractical. They warn that at-risk individuals should make every effort to protect themselves from this type of infection.

Those that are most at-risk include infants, toddlers, the elderly and those with weakened or absent immune system function.

In addition to cysts, many homeowners must worry about the chemicals that are used to kill bacteria and control algae growth in the pipelines. The most popular chemical for this purpose is chlorine, because it is cheap and readily available.

Chlorination causes the release of byproducts known as THMs. Exposure to THMs greatly increases the individual's cancer risk.

Ultraviolet water purifiers serve some purposes, but like reverse osmosis and distillation devices, they cannot kill cysts, nor can they remove chlorine or THMs.

If you do have the need for ultraviolet purification in your home, you should know that recent studies done for the EPA showed that all methods of disinfection cause the production of THMs, even ultraviolet.

Other studies have shown that THMs become airborne when chlorinated water is heated for showering, cleaning, cooking or other purposes. Well-insulated homes have some amount of chloroform gas (a known carcinogen and a THM) in the air.

So, if you do have ultraviolet water purifiers in your home, it is a good first step to having the cleanest water in your home, especially if you get water from a private well. This is because private well owners are responsible for their own water treatment, not the local water authority.

However, be aware that there are better water purifiers available which are capable of removing both chlorine and THMs. Some top of the line kitchen and shower water filters are capable of removing both these type of contaminants.