Evaluation of a new disinfection approach: efficacy of chlorine and bromine halogenated contact disinfection for reduction of viruses and microcystin toxin.
Contaminated drinking water is responsible for causing diarrheal diseases that kill millions of people a year. Additionally, toxin-producing blue-green algae associated with diarrhea and neurologic effects continues to be an issue for many drinking water supplies. Disinfection has been used to reduce these risks. A novel gravity-fed household drinking water system with canisters containing N-halamine bromine or chlorine media was challenged with MS2 bacteriophage and microcystin. Chlorine and bromine systems were effective against this virus, with an mean +/- SE reduction of 2.98 +/- 0.26 log(10) and 5.02 +/- 0.19 log(10), respectively. Microcystin toxin was reduced by 27.5% and 88.5% to overall mean +/- SE concentrations of 1,600 +/- 98 ng/L and 259 +/- 50 ng/L for the chlorine and bromine canisters, respectively. Only the bromine units consistently produced microcystin effluent < 1,000 ng/L (the World Health Organization recommended level) when challenged with 2,500 ng/L and consistently surpassed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency virus reduction goal of 99.99%.
Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, and Center for Microbial Risk Assessment, Michigan State University, 1405 S. Harrison Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. angiecou@msu.edu
Angela D
AD
Coulliette
Lauren A
LA
Peterson
Joshua A W
JA
Mosberg
Joan B
JB
Rose
D001966:Bromine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002713:Chlorine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004202:Disinfectants; D006801:Humans; D017909:Levivirus / Q000187:drug effects*; D052998:Microcystins / Q000737:chemistry*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D014871:Water Microbiology; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods
D004202:Disinfectants; D052998:Microcystins; D014867:Water; D002713:Chlorine; D001966:Bromine