EFFECTIVENESS OF DOMESTIC WATER FILTERS IN REMOVING SUSPENDED SOLIDS, RESIDUAL CHLORINE AND COLIFORM BACTERIA

Abstract

Water filters are being increasingly promoted and used in the home. There are many types of commercial water filters available for domestic use but almost all of them employ a physical filter media and an activated substance. The study showed that water filters effectively removed suspended solids and residual chlorine. However, as far as removing coliform bacteria is concemed, in 22 .5% of the cases, bacteria were in fact introduced into the water. And in 20% of the cases, the amount of bacteria introduced was "too numerous to count (TNTC)" Furthermore, water filters can lose their ability to filter bacteria without losing their ability to filter suspended solids and residual chlorine. This highlights the necessity of some authorized body looking into the claims made by these water filter manufacturers and impose certain standards to ensure that at the very least, the water quality of the filtered water is not worse than the unfiltered water.