Robert Potwora attended the Industry Forum and Joint Committee on Drinking Water Treatment Units (DWTU) Standards held at NSF World headquarters in Ann Arbor, MI this month.
The Industry Forum is composed of industry representatives while the joint committee includes industry representatives, regulators and product users. The committees met to review the NSF/American National Standards on DWTU (Drinking Water Treatment Units) to ensure they are current given the development of new technologies and the discovery of new contaminants in the drinking water supply.
The task force on Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds (EDC) and Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCP) proposed the possibility of a new standard to cover removal of these compounds. It was discussed that NSF / ANSI Standard 53 may not apply because the health effects are not clearly defined. A task force was formed to look a developing a new standard for sustainability/recycling. The green aspects of POU/POE treatment devices are becoming more important. Various clarifications and improvements to the existing standards were discussed to ensure the different certifying agencies are all using the same methodologies.
