Water Biosecurity – What You Can Do Now!

In today’s information age there is so much material available on issues and problems and so little on solutions.  This is also true of drinking water.

Yesterday I introduced the topic of “Water BioSecurity” and tried to provide a concise overview of why an understanding of it is important in this unpredictable and insecure world we live in. Today, I want to give you a simple solution at your fingertips so you can protect your family from waterborne illness – which is often an upset stomach or diarrhea. 

Most water purification involves a filter, or “barrier” method to remove contaminants. A barrier is inserted into a typically pressurized water line.  This barrier is designed to “hold-back” or “filter out” contaminants in the water (figure 1). The basic operation is simple; raw water is forced under pressure against the barrier, which is designed to allow water through while rejecting the contaminants. This is typically achieved by simply having small holes that allow water to flow while stopping larger contaminants. Some systems can use electrical charge or other mechanisms to try to remove contaminants. In some systems the build-up of contaminants remains while other systems have a back-flushing mechanism.
Here’s the thing…the barrier (filter) WILL deteriorate over time, which is why you change filters periodically. Filters crack, seals come loose and bacteria can actually grow through the filter. When a hole happens you WILL get direct contamination; the bad water will contaminate the “good” filtered water.

So, what happens if there are biological contaminants in the water? If your raw water contains harmful biological contaminants, these contaminants will pass directly through to the filtered water and you, most likely, won’t even know it. If the system is exposed to life-threatening pathogens the barrier system is no longer safe! 

Now look at what happens if you have a premium water distiller.

1. Feed Water and feed water lines are contaminated by biological contaminants. 
2. Contaminated feed water enters the boiling chamber where it undergoes prolonged boiling, killing the biological contaminants
3. Water changes phase from liquid (water) to vapor (steam) leaving behind residual contaminants.
4. Steam rises through a non-pressurized AIR-GAP to separate feed water from distilled water.
5. Steam is condensed into BioSecure drinking water.
6. BioSecure distilled water is collected in a storage tank and is safe for drinking.

Steam distillation is a totally different approach to purifying water than the traditional barrier methods and is the single most effective purification method which also uniquely provides “Water BioSecurity”  That is why my family has been drinking distilled water for their pure water needs.