Purefecta™ drinking water purifier from Pall and Kinetico removes pathogens that can harm immune compromised people

By removing pathogens, Purefecta produces biopure (microbiologically purified) water - - the highest quality drinking water available. It is the only drinking water system that surpasses the stringent U.S.E.P.A. Guide Standard and Protocol for Testing Microbiological Purifiers (OPP Task Force Report, 1987) to earn its exclusive certification as a multi-barrier purifier. Its unique seven-stage, process also removes other contaminants found in water including toxic metals, chemicals and pesticides.

Outbreaks of waterborne disease can have a devastating effect on people with compromised immune systems, according to Kelly A. Reynolds, Ph.D., microbiologist, environmental science researcher and public health educator at the University of Arizona.  "They are 10 to 1,000 times more likely to die from enteric (intestinal) pathogen infections than a healthy person," Dr. Reynolds says.  "When healthy people drink water contaminated with microbial pathogens, it could cause diarrhea. However, for an immunocompromised person, the resulting infection can be untreatable, persistent and even fatal."

Young and Elderly Are Also at Risk
Dr. Reynolds says health problems caused by contaminated drinking water aren't limited to people with pre-existing medical conditions. The elderly, pregnant women, infants and young children are also recognized as sensitive populations for waterborne diseases. 

"Although children generally consume less water than adults, they are more adversely affected by waterborne viruses, primarily due to their immature immune systems," Dr. Reynolds explains. "Studies have found that children 2 to 5 years in age who drank unfiltered tap water suffered from 40 percent more infections than those who drank filtered tap water." Conversely, the immune system of the elderly cannot always effectively battle waterborne bacteria, viruses and protozoa the way a younger person's body can. The elderly are at higher risk for infections due to changes in immune system and gastrointestinal functions that occur with aging.
        
"Although conventional municipal water treatment is effective against many microbiological contaminants, system failures do occur," Dr. Reynolds notes. "When that happens, healthy people can become sick, and already unhealthy people can become even sicker. By installing the new Purefecta Drinking Water Purifier, the risk of ingesting a potentially harmful or fatal pathogen is almost non-existent."

Waterborne Disease Outbreaks On the Rise
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, outbreaks of waterborne disease have increased in recent years. This has led to recognition by public health authorities that a large portion of waterborne disease is present at endemic (constant baseline) levels, is unrecognized in the general population and thereby underreported. According to the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, anywhere from $300 million to $3 billion is spent annually by U.S. hospitals on diseases caused by waterborne pathogens.

The bacteria, viruses and protozoa that pose a health risk are commonly found in the environment. Many are resistant to conventional treatment methods and are difficult to eliminate. They are also typically difficult to detect, akin to looking for a needle in a haystack.

Even well-operated, state of the art treatment plants cannot ensure that drinking water is entirely free of microbial pathogens. Outbreaks of waterborne disease occur primarily due to the use of untreated or inadequately treated drinking water supplies or from contamination in the distribution system after treatment. The EPA reports that 55,000 U.S. community water systems are in need of significant investment to install, repair and upgrade infrastructure to provide drinking water to their 243 million customers.

The available detection tests are not 100 percent reliable and efficient nor do they monitor for most pathogens.  Instead, they test for the possibility of pathogen contamination by detecting the presence of coliform or fecal matter. "Our monitoring systems have repeatedly proven to be ineffective in predicting the presence of many pathogens that can adversely affect people." says Dr. Reynolds.

This problem is further complicated as new pathogens continue to emerge. Some of these pathogens have always been present in water but have not yet been recognized or detected.  Others can be completely new pathogens or the result of a change in a pathogen’s genetic sequence. According to Dr. Reynolds, it is difficult to predict where and when new waterborne health threats may emerge.

Unfortunately, bottled water may not always provide a safeguard from pathogens.  According to the EPA, the origin of the source water, the types of microorganisms in that water and the treatment of that water before it is bottled vary considerably among bottled water companies and even among brands of water produced by the same company. 

Take Precautions
Susceptible individuals are encouraged to avoid tap water and drink only boiled water.  However, they must boil their drinking water for all uses at all times, even for water that is used for mixing beverages or washing fruits and vegetables. Studies have found that people with compromised immune systems who used precautions only part of the time were just as likely to become ill as people who did not use them at all.

Boiling water cannot be limited to only the times when there is an alert issued by local water or health authorities, such as during a power outage or when a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, occurs. By the time a pathogen is detected and an alert is issued, the public has likely already consumed the contaminated water.

"Purefecta provides the immune compromised and anyone who wants the purest drinking water possible, a more reliable, consistent and convenient way to eliminate ingesting a waterborne pathogen," Dr. Reynolds advises. It combines Kinetico’s reverse osmosis (RO) technology for filtering drinking water with Pall's bacteria and virus removal filters that were developed for the medical and biopharmaceutical industries where the need for ultra pure water is critical. These proprietary technologies are incorporated into a multi-barrier, seven-stage protection system that has been certified by the independent laboratories of the leading water quality agencies to remove greater than 99.99999 percent of bacteria, greater than 99.999 percent of protozoa and greater than 99.99 percent of viruses. It is the only available drinking water purifier that can be used by both healthy and immune compromised peopled to ensure they are reliably receiving the purest drinking water possible.

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Author Notes:

Tyler Baggs contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.water-purification-filters.com.  Get educated on the benefits of water purification systems and different water filters available