|  | Public Health Safety | Environmental Health

UV Light for Water Treatment

UV light is growing in popularity as an effective way to treat water. Research has shown that UV light is more efficient than other popular and established treatment technologies at removing a wide range of harmful pathogens from drinking water. Uses for this technology include large scale treatment of municipal drinking water and small scale treatment of drinking water in the third world.

  1. Significance

    • UV treatment of water is a cost effective way to destroy harmful pathogens such as cryptosporidium and E. coli. In addition to saving energy and money, UV treatment also creates fewer byproducts than treatment with chlorine or related chemical disinfectants.

    UV Treatment of Municipal Supplies

    • UV treatment is growing in popularity at municipal drinking water treatment plants due to the technology's efficiency at destroying harmful pathogens without creating any negative byproducts. Since UV rays do not linger in the water after exposure, chlorine or another disinfectant is still typically added at the end of the treatment process to ensure any microbes that enter the water during transport through leaking pipes or other routes are also destroyed.

    Small Scale Treatment

    • UV treatment is also growing in popularity in the developing world. Cheaply produced recycled plastic bottles coated with titanium dioxide can be used to kill pathogens that cause some of the top health issues in the third world. Similar products have been developed to meet water demands for an entire family's daily usage.

    Issues

    • UV treatment is most effective in very clear water. The more turbid the water is, or the more particles it has floating around, the less likely it is that UV rays will reach their targets. In fact, if a harmful microbe were inside a small soil particle, UV light would be unable to reach it no matter how long the exposure.

    Expert Insight

    • UV research has shown that the technique is effective at destroying a variety of new, emerging pollutants that are now commonly found in our drinking water sources and in our wastewater. When combined with catalysts such as hydrogen peroxide or titanium dioxide, the effectiveness of this technology is greatly increased. Its ability to break down hormones, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals in addition to efficiently destroying harmful pathogens guarantees that UV treatment has a bright future.

Environmental Health - Related Articles