NSF International, The Public Health and Safety Co., verified the first drinking water technologies for arsenic reduction through the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Drinking Water Systems Center. NSF develops standards, product certification and offers education services for public health and safety. The ETV Drinking Water Systems Center started in 1995 as a pilot program created through NSF's agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide independent performance testing for drinking water technologies. In October 2000, the pilot was officially established as a Center through which NSF develops protocols and tests technologies to verify manufacturer claims, such as arsenic, nitrate or microbiological contaminant reduction or inactivation.
NSF verified the following products for arsenic reduction: Watermark Technologies LLC's eVOX Model 5 Removal of Arsenic by Coagulation/Filtration; TFC-ULP4 Reverse Osmosis Membrane Module by Koch Membrane Systems; CPS100CPT Coagulation And Filtration System by Kinetico Inc.; and ESPA2-4040 Reverse Osmosis Membrane Element Module by Hydranautics. These products produced water with arsenic levels at less than 5 micrograms per liter. This water quality is better than the World Health Organization's recommendations and the EPA's requirements for drinking water.
"These four arsenic treatment technologies were designed for small systems," said Bruce Bartley, Manager of the ETV Drinking Water Systems Center. "Small communities historically have the most difficulty affording technologies to meet new regulations. Our independent test results should help them choose the most cost-effective technologies."
Source: NSF International
