What Are Bacteria and Viruses?

 

For the vast majority of the consumer public, bacteria and viruses are undesirable in drinking water. They bring to mind disease and sickness, and prompt the average person to consider a water filter for bacteria and viruses.

 

Bacteria are microscopic organisms that can be found in the air, in the water, and on the land. Although some bacteria are beneficial, others can cause serious illness. These harmful bacteria are known as pathogenic bacteria, or pathogens, for short.

 

A virus is a type of microscopic infectious organism that consists of an acidic nucleus in a protein shell. Viruses that infect humans and cause disease are called enteric viruses; of these, the viruses that are waterborne and considered of significant health concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) are adenovirus, astrovirus, hepatitis A and E, rotavirus, norovirus and other caliciviruses, and enteroviruses. Other viruses, such as influenza and coronaviruses, may be transmittable through drinking water, but the evidence is currently inconclusive.

 

Although not all bacteria and viruses can survive and spread via water, it is still important for individuals to consider whether they require a bacteria water filter or virus water filter. Furthermore, drinking water filters that remove viruses or filter bacteria are not common, as such capabilities are beyond many inexpensive water filters you might find on a supermarket shelf. When it comes to general consumer-grade water filtration, bacteria and viruses are not a high priority. That means, for the average water filter, viruses and bacteria that are present in the water will readily pass through into your drinking water.

 

How Do Bacteria and Viruses

Affect People?

 

The presence of bacteria in water does not necessarily make the water unsafe to drink. The particular disease-causing bacteria are known as pathogens, which can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and headaches, among other symptoms.

 

Many of the previously mentioned viruses have been associated with gastroenteritis, which can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramping, vomiting, and fever. Some of the more severe illnesses associated with viral infection include encephalitis, meningitis, myocarditis, cancer, and hepatitis.

 

For both pathogens and enteric viruses, young children, the elderly, immunocompromised people, and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to the diseases they cause.

 

What Are Some Indicators of

Possible Bacteria and Virus

Water Contamination?

 

Turbidity - the cloudiness of water - can hinder disinfection, allowing for the growth of bacteria, viruses, and other disease-causing organisms.

 

Coliforms are bacteria naturally present in the environment; their presence indicates that other possibly harmful bacteria may be present (a warning sign is if coliforms are found in more samples than allowed).

 

Fecal indicators, Enterococci or coliphage, are microbes that can indicate human or animal wastes in water and can cause short-term health effects.

How Do Municipalities Treat Bacteria and Viruses in Drinking Water?

 

While municipal water treatment plants disinfect water before it travels through the pipes to homes, cross-contamination can still occur throughout the miles of water infrastructure. Chlorine and chloramine are common disinfectants added to the water to treat the presence of bacteria and viruses as the water is distributed throughout the municipality.

 

The efficacy of municipal disinfection will vary, depending on the specific pathogen, the pH of the water, the water temperature, presence of particulate matter, presence of protozoa, and water turbidity. Because of this, municipal disinfection - while generally effective - is never a 100% solution.

 

Why Do I Need to Remove Bacteria and Viruses from My Water?

 

Because the symptoms from exposure to harmful bacteria and viruses includes gastrointestinal issues, meningitis, hepatitis, and other very serious diseases, it is important to consider a water filter for bacteria and viruses.

 

What Are Some Methods to Filter Bacteria and Viruses in Drinking Water?

 

Some of the most commonly used forms of viral water filter and methods to filter bacteria include ultraviolet (UV) treatment, chlorine and chloramine disinfection, and mechanical or adsorptive filtration.

 

UV treatment involves the production of UV light when an electric arc is struck in mercury vapor. Exposure to UV light through cylindrical mercury arc lamps can disinfect water by destroying bacteria and viruses present in the water. High water turbidity can lessen the effectiveness of UV treatment as a water filter that removes viruses and bacteria, because the cloudiness can block the UV rays.

 

Chlorine is commonly used by most municipalities as an effective treatment for bacteria/viruses. Much like UV treatment, high turbidity in the water can lower the effectiveness of the disinfection.

 

Chloramine is an increasingly used alternative to chlorine in municipal water treatment plants. A compound consisting of chlorine and ammonia, it is less potent than chlorine at disinfecting water.

How Does Multipure Protect Me

from Bacteria and Viruses?

 

Although the core of our drinking water systems' incredible performance is our exceptional solid carbon block filter, the key to Multipure's water filter virus and bacteria treatment is our Aqualuxe drinking water system and our proprietary PureBlock technology. This powerful additional layer of protection offers 6-factor removal of bacteria (99.9999% removal) and 4-factor virus (99.99% removal) purification. In addition, the filter utilizes mechanical filtration, physisorption, chemisorption and catalysis to reduce the presence of other harmful chemicals and contaminants.

 

Multipure's Aqualuxe is NSF-certified according to NSF/ANSI Standards 42 (Aesthetic Effects), 53 (Health Effects), 401 (Emerging Contaminants), and Protocol P231 (Microbiological Purifier) for the reduction of dozens of contaminants. NSF certification is a very high standard of quality, so you can be confident that our filters do exactly what we say they do.

 

The result is a drinking water purifier that filters bacteria and viruses with the third-party verification that comes from NSF International.

 

This high level of protection, and the certified performance claims that verify it, are the most important considerations when considering a bacteria and virus water filter.

 

Order Your Water Purification System Now

 

If you are interested in home water filtration, bacteria and viruses should definitely be a consideration for the type of drinking water system you purchase. Whether you are considering Multipure's Aqualuxe water purifier, or if you are interested in any of our other exceptional water filtration products, please contact your local Multipure Independent Builder for more information, or check out the Multipure Aqualuxe above.