I'm shocked. I was listening to a radio news story about the aftermath of Hurricane Ike in the south Texas area. In an effort to provide local citizens with clean drinking water, a spokesman was saying that they were adding more chlorine to their water purification process. While you can expect chlorine to kill bacterial contaminants that have fouled the water system due to the hurricane, chlorine cannot be counted on to remove synthetic chemical contaminants that were probably also deposited in the water. Chlorine is a disinfectant. It is not a filter. When you explain water purification, that distinction must be made!

Disinfection

With the landscape of southern Texas dotted with numerous oil refineries it only makes sense that people would be alarmed about the possibility of their water being contaminated by refinery chemicals. Add to that the possible contamination by all types of waste (industrial, medical, etc.) and it becomes apparent that the need to explain water purification can be crucial.

Adding more chlorine to a chlorine-based water purification process has the potential for making a dangerous situation even worse. While it may be able to prevent water-borne diseases like typhoid and cholera from erupting, chlorine has serious drawbacks that are going to be magnified with increased doses in the water.

Chlorine leaches heavy metals, like lead, as it flows through the aging plumbing systems of many homes. Lead is poisonous to humans.

Chlorine also creates chloroform gas in the vapor of a bathroom shower. And who knows what kind of dangerous chemical reactions increased levels of chlorine will have with any of the contaminants that have been introduced into the water as a result of Hurricane Ike.

If you explain water purification based on disinfection, then chlorine is probably going to make up a large part of that explanation.

Filtration

It is apparent that a water purification process that is based on filtration, rather than disinfection, is going to have to be utilized if people want to ensure that the water they drink, cook and bathe in is completely safe.

When you explain water purification based on filtration, several commonly-used systems immediately come to mind.

Reverse osmosis is a popular system that uses filtration, but usually requires the addition of a carbon filter to make sure that contaminants that are small enough to make it through the reverse osmosis membrane are caught. This water purification process is expensive and requires a lot of upkeep. People dealing with the costly destruction of a hurricane may find that a reverse osmosis system is not feasible.

Distillation is another potentially expensive water purification process. It, too, requires the addition of a carbon filter in order to catch all the contaminants that distillation is unable to remove. Ongoing maintenance is another requirement of distillation. The carbon filters must be changed frequently due to continuous build up of potentially harmful bacteria.

Multi-stage filtration is a water purification process that is gaining in popularity with home owners. In home multi-stage filtration systems begin by reducing the most concentrated and competitive chemical in the water: chlorine. With chlorine out of the way, the filters are better able to locate and remove difficult contaminants like lead and synthetic chemicals. The micron filter used in these systems then goes to work on reducing chlorine-resistant organisms and cysts.

To you explain water purification based on multi-stage filtration means pointing out that this method of water treatment effectively incorporates both disinfection and filtration. These systems deliver purified water through kitchen faucets, showers and whole house filters. Multi-stage filtration systems have been found to be easy on the wallet and easy on maintenance.

You don't have to be the victim of a hurricane to understand the importance of an effective water purification process. The demand for clean water is an issue faced by all families. Locating the best water treatment method for your family is as simple understanding how these methods work and which is best suited to the needs of your household. I've attempted to explain water purification so that your decision will be easier.

Olivia Romero is dedicated advocate and researcher of healthy water filtration systems. Visit http://www.cleancoolwater.com to read about the results and recommendations that she shares with interested readers.