Practical Application of Ultraviolet Radiation in Purification of Naturally Contaminated Water

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Abstract
Recognizing that UV can be a useful lethal agent against some water-borne bacteria, given sufficient exposure, an apparatus was designed and tested for water purification. Factors important in use of UV radiation in water purification can be broadly grouped into 2 categories: (1) those affecting available intensity, and (2) those affecting use of the available intensity. Laboratory studies of these factors are reported. In addition to laboratory studies, extensive field studies were made consisting of 450 water examinations, the source of water being privately.owned wells known to be heavily contaminated. These studies were carried out by the Pike County Health Department in McComb, Miss, and the State Hygienic Laboratory of the Miss. State Board of Health. Evidence presented in these studies showed UV purified water to be potable in accord with accepted standards of the USPHS for potability as long as conditions of use expressed by the purifier manufacturer are fulfilled. The data presented offer in a systematic way the limits of those factors which have been repeatedly stated to render UV irradiation impractical. It can be seen that those factors, although real, can be reliably compensated for by proper design, thus opening a new and useful agent for purification of individual water supplies. The apparatus used in these tests is known as the ARF water purifier.