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AwwaRF report covers EDCs in drinking water
NEWS process, and the electronic circuitry self-calibrates to traceable standards in just four seconds each time the system is switched on. Multi-stage monitoring means that the user knows the condition of a cartridge at all times, and has advance warning of when it needs to be replaced. This allows the cartridge to be changed at the user’s convenience and scheduled around long-running experiments. Elga claims that the electronic dispensing system used by the Purelab Ultra has always been one of its most popular features – offering accurate flow control from single droplets up to 2 l/min. This has been improved with the introduction of a ‘volumetric profile dispense’ facility, which makes it easier for users to record, replicate and quickly dispense multiple set volumes. The product range still includes five models – the genetic and bioscience systems for life science applications; the analytic and ionic units for ultra-trace and trace analytical work, and the scientific version for general laboratory use. The systems’ purification technologies include reverse osmosis, primary cartridge adsorption and deionization, full-spectrum ultraviolet irradiation for microbial control and organics removal, cartridge polishing and ultrafiltration to ensure particles, micro-organisms and endotoxins are removed. The range also includes features such as PINcoded protection of critical operating parameters, fully automated sanitization of all wetted parts and an automatic organics pre-rinse to ensure optimum quality at start-up. As an additional aid to validation – a key requirement in many laboratories – the company offers a pre-designed validation support manual to meet good laboratory practice, US Food and Drug Administration or other validation protocols. Elga Process Water is part of Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies (VWS), a subsidiary of Veolia Water, which is a division of Veolia Environnement. VWS develops technology, and designs and builds water treatment facilities. With over 6500 employees, the company has operations in more than 50 countries. Contact: Elga Process Water, Marlow International, Parkway, Marlow, Buckinghamshire SL7 1YL, UK. Tel: +44 1628 897000, Web: www.elgalabwater.com
AwwaRF report covers EDCs in drinking water
A
wwa Research Foundation (AwwaRF), the US-based, non-profit
November 2007
water research organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the science of drinking water, has published a report on endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and pharmaceuticals and personal-care products (PPCPs). These contaminants have been detected at low concentrations in streams around the world. The study upon which the report is based is one of the first to comprehensively and systematically investigate how well these contaminants are removed by different treatment processes used by water utilities. AwwaRF has been a proactive leader in sponsoring research on EDCs and PPCPs in drinking water since 1999. Additional AwwaRF studies are under way to learn more about EDCs and other emerging contaminants. The foundation says the research will provide water utilities and regulatory agencies with important information to help them understand the issues involved in order to protect public health. ‘One of the goals of AwwaRF research is to anticipate issues that the water supply community may have to deal with in the future,’ said Robert Renner, Executive Director of AwwaRF. ‘By proactively sponsoring research on emerging issues, AwwaRF helps to develop solutions for the continued delivery of safe drinking water to consumers.’ The report, entitled ‘Removal of EDCs and Pharmaceuticals in Drinking and Reuse Treatment Processes’ is currently available only to subscribers of AwwaRF. However, there are plans to make it available publicly. In related news, the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) held a conference on 22–23 October 2007 in Costa Mesa, California, USA, that examined pharmaceuticals and EDCs in water. The ‘6th International Conference on Pharmaceuticals and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Water’ presented the latest scientific advancements in analytical methods; highlighted new regulatory approaches on human and environmental risk management in Europe and the USA; and provided an opportunity for innovative and cost-effective technologies in the equipment market place to be displayed. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, evidence suggests that environmental exposure to some anthropogenic chemicals may result in the disruption of endocrine systems in human and wildlife populations. Studies have shown the effects they can have, including sex change in certain aquatic species. Concerns of EDCs appearing in the environment, water, soil and foodstuffs have generated considerable national and international interest in their origin, transport, fate and manner of
detection given the persistence of certain EDCs in the environment. The conference was co-sponsored by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (Germany), Technical University of Berlin, US Environmental Protection Agency’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory, and the US Geological Survey’s Toxic Substances Hydrology Program. Contacts: Awwa Research Foundation, 6666 W. Quincy Avenue, Denver, CO 80235-3098, USA. Tel: +1 303 347 6100, www.awwarf.org National Ground Water Association, 601 Dempsey Road, Westerville, OH 43081, USA. Tel: +1 614 898 7791, www.ngwa.org
Ultrapure water produced efficiently
T
he Neptune Ultimate system was recently added to the Select Neptune range from Purite Limited, a UK-based manufacturer of high performance water purification equipment. Specifically designed to provide ultrapure water for use in both analytical and molecular science laboratory procedures, the system offers efficient production rates of up to 2 l/ min, and incorporates ultraviolet (UV) photooxidation technology at 185 nm, bactericidal UV irradiation at 254 nm and nuclear grade ion-exchange polishing resin, to produce ionfree ultrapure water at a guaranteed resistivity of 18.2 MΩ.cm from a feed-water source of less that 20 µS/cm. Purite says that the unit, which is benchmountable, combines the benefits of both its analytical and life science water purification systems, featuring a hollow-fibre 0.05-µm ultramicrofilter and an integral deionizing cartridge pack. Ideal for procedures that require low levels of DNAse, RNAse and total organic carbon (TOC), the ultra-microfilter reduces endotoxin levels to below 0.02 EU/ml and bacteria levels to less than 0.1 cfu/ml, while the replaceable cartridge pack provides a low TOC specification of less than 1 ppb. The latest model also features an easy-to-view display to ensure quick and simple monitoring of system parameters, such as flow-rate, water quality, temperature, TOC and pressure, while an automated disinfection routine ensures that system hygiene is maintained. Contact: Purite Limited, Bandet Way, Thame, Oxfordshire OX9 3SJ, UK. Tel: +44 1844 217141, www.purite.com
Membrane Technology
7
AwwaRF report covers EDCs in drinking water
A
wwa Research Foundation (AwwaRF), the US-based, non-profit
November 2007
water research organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the science of drinking water, has published a report on endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and pharmaceuticals and personal-care products (PPCPs). These contaminants have been detected at low concentrations in streams around the world. The study upon which the report is based is one of the first to comprehensively and systematically investigate how well these contaminants are removed by different treatment processes used by water utilities. AwwaRF has been a proactive leader in sponsoring research on EDCs and PPCPs in drinking water since 1999. Additional AwwaRF studies are under way to learn more about EDCs and other emerging contaminants. The foundation says the research will provide water utilities and regulatory agencies with important information to help them understand the issues involved in order to protect public health. ‘One of the goals of AwwaRF research is to anticipate issues that the water supply community may have to deal with in the future,’ said Robert Renner, Executive Director of AwwaRF. ‘By proactively sponsoring research on emerging issues, AwwaRF helps to develop solutions for the continued delivery of safe drinking water to consumers.’ The report, entitled ‘Removal of EDCs and Pharmaceuticals in Drinking and Reuse Treatment Processes’ is currently available only to subscribers of AwwaRF. However, there are plans to make it available publicly. In related news, the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) held a conference on 22–23 October 2007 in Costa Mesa, California, USA, that examined pharmaceuticals and EDCs in water. The ‘6th International Conference on Pharmaceuticals and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Water’ presented the latest scientific advancements in analytical methods; highlighted new regulatory approaches on human and environmental risk management in Europe and the USA; and provided an opportunity for innovative and cost-effective technologies in the equipment market place to be displayed. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, evidence suggests that environmental exposure to some anthropogenic chemicals may result in the disruption of endocrine systems in human and wildlife populations. Studies have shown the effects they can have, including sex change in certain aquatic species. Concerns of EDCs appearing in the environment, water, soil and foodstuffs have generated considerable national and international interest in their origin, transport, fate and manner of
detection given the persistence of certain EDCs in the environment. The conference was co-sponsored by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (Germany), Technical University of Berlin, US Environmental Protection Agency’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory, and the US Geological Survey’s Toxic Substances Hydrology Program. Contacts: Awwa Research Foundation, 6666 W. Quincy Avenue, Denver, CO 80235-3098, USA. Tel: +1 303 347 6100, www.awwarf.org National Ground Water Association, 601 Dempsey Road, Westerville, OH 43081, USA. Tel: +1 614 898 7791, www.ngwa.org
Ultrapure water produced efficiently
T
he Neptune Ultimate system was recently added to the Select Neptune range from Purite Limited, a UK-based manufacturer of high performance water purification equipment. Specifically designed to provide ultrapure water for use in both analytical and molecular science laboratory procedures, the system offers efficient production rates of up to 2 l/ min, and incorporates ultraviolet (UV) photooxidation technology at 185 nm, bactericidal UV irradiation at 254 nm and nuclear grade ion-exchange polishing resin, to produce ionfree ultrapure water at a guaranteed resistivity of 18.2 MΩ.cm from a feed-water source of less that 20 µS/cm. Purite says that the unit, which is benchmountable, combines the benefits of both its analytical and life science water purification systems, featuring a hollow-fibre 0.05-µm ultramicrofilter and an integral deionizing cartridge pack. Ideal for procedures that require low levels of DNAse, RNAse and total organic carbon (TOC), the ultra-microfilter reduces endotoxin levels to below 0.02 EU/ml and bacteria levels to less than 0.1 cfu/ml, while the replaceable cartridge pack provides a low TOC specification of less than 1 ppb. The latest model also features an easy-to-view display to ensure quick and simple monitoring of system parameters, such as flow-rate, water quality, temperature, TOC and pressure, while an automated disinfection routine ensures that system hygiene is maintained. Contact: Purite Limited, Bandet Way, Thame, Oxfordshire OX9 3SJ, UK. Tel: +44 1844 217141, www.purite.com
Membrane Technology
7