We need to drink clean water regularly to stay fit, healthy, and less prone to diseases. But, many water sources contain harmful microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and cysts. Studies have shown that more than 100 types of microorganisms may be found in compromised water delivery systems like private wells and public water. Tap water is usually safer because strict rules and regulations must be followed. But, there are human errors to consider, and many parts of the water delivery infrastructure need investment. In this article, we will look at the efficacy of RO filtration for the removal of potentially harmful microorganisms.

The Scale of the Problem

Before we begin, it may be useful to show you some of the microorganisms that can be present in your tap water:

Adenovirus: This virus causes respiratory illnesses, and it can be found in public water sources that have been contaminated with human feces.

E.coli (Escherichia Coli): This is a well known bacteria that can cause diarrhea in

humans that ingest it. It may be present in an environment where there is intense human activity, including homes, hospitals, and schools.

Fecal Coliforms: These are bacteria that originate in stools that can find their way into the water supply via agricultural runoff. They can cause gastrointestinal distress and cholera too.

Campylobacter jejuni: This is another bacteria that originates from feces. It’s found in tap water that’s been contaminated by chicken poop from hatcheries, farms, slaughterhouses, and poultry markets. This is a very common cause of food-borne diarrhea problems.

Cryptosporidium: This is a protozoa that’s transmitted via water that’s been contaminated by human sewage, food contamination, and animal feces. It can cause severe gastrointestinal distress and diarrhea.

Giardia Lamblia: This is a parasite that enters the body after the ingestion of infected water from streams, ponds, lakes, and rivers. But, these water sources are often a source of tap water, too, and this can lead to intestinal infections.

Norovirus: This is a form of viral gastroenteritis that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and other health problems. It’s usually spread through drinks and foods that have been contaminated with sewage.

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa: This bacteria infects the eyes and nose after drinking high volumes of infected water. It’s also known to cause skin infections and bouts of pneumonia.

Salmonella Typhimurium: This bacteria is best known as just Salmonella, and it can cause food poisoning when ingested. The most common source is undercooked food, but it has been found in tap water too.

Rotavirus: This virus is a leading cause of diarrhea in children, and it can be found in water that has been contaminated by people that have the virus.

These are the best known microorganisms found in tap water, but there are many others that we cannot cover here. These bacteria, viruses, cysts, and pathogens must be removed to protect the health of everyone living in your home.

How Can I Remove These Harmful Microorganisms?

There are three tried and tested methods. They are: boiling, chlorination, and reverse osmosis filtration. Boiling all the water you need for drinking and cooking every day is impractical. Chlorination works, but if you’re getting contaminated tap water, there must be some problem with the disinfection or water delivery process. Installing your own RO water filtration system as a last line of defense is a smart move.

How Does RO Filtration Work?

The RO filter is part of a multi-stage filtration system with a pre-filter and granular activated carbon (GAC) filter to protect the RO filter membrane and a second GAC filter to add some character. This is a purely mechanical filtration process, no chemicals are added, and a wide variety of contaminants can be removed.

At the heart of this filtration system, there is a RO filter semi-permeable membrane with tiny pores that remove the contaminants. To get the incoming water through this filter membrane, it’s necessary to place the water under pressure. The contaminants are left behind on the surface of the filter membrane, and they are periodically flushed into the drain.

The RO filtration process takes some time. This is not a truly on-demand system, and to get around this problem, the filtered water is stored in a tank. Most people install a point-of-use (POU) system with a dedicated kitchen faucet and an under-sink storage tank. This is the most cost-effective way to get purer water for drinking, cooking, food prep, and other tasks. A whole-house RO filtration is more expensive, but it does deliver exceptionally clean water to every plumbing fixture and water using appliances.

A RO filter system is one of the better ways to remove bacteria and viruses from the incoming water supply without chlorination or boiling. A wide variety of other contaminants are removed, including up to 99% of harmful microorganisms. But, the RO filtration process cannot remove every contaminant, and most people combine it with other processes. The exact filtration, softening, and conditioning systems that you need will be determined by your local water conditions. So, it’s advisable to invest in professional laboratory water testing before you make any major purchasing decisions.

How Does a RO System Remove Microorganisms?

The RO filtration system separates the liquids (water) from the dissolved solids (contaminants) using high pressure and a semi-permeable membrane. This creates water that’s virtually pure, with no bacteria, viruses, cysts, or parasites present. Many systems use a combination of precipitation and filtering to remove these organisms as follows:

  • Ultraviolet (UV) Light: This light operates at a wavelength shorter than 300 Nm, which disrupts the DNA of microorganisms. They cannot replicate, and this is the characteristic that makes them harmful to our health.
  • Carbon Block Filtration: A carbon block filter traps the microorganisms and other contaminants in the filter media, which has a large surface area.
  • RO Membrane Filtration: This has been the focus of this article; it’s an extremely effective way to remove bacteria, viruses, certain harmful chemicals, and all known pathogens.

If you use these filtration and purification processes together, you can create exceptionally clean water for drinking and cooking.

If you want to install a RO filtration system in your home, contact your local water treatment specialist today.