FIRST WATER - Product Testing and Certification


		Many of First Water's products have been tested rigorously by the manufacturers. The efficacies of all Katadyn water treatment products and Grade A and Grade B ceramics have been verified by independent laboratories. Test information will be posted on this page at a later date. In the meantime, test information is available on request from enquiries@firstwater.info. First Water is awaiting results from research being conducted at the University of Surrey, UK and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA to determine the efficacy and longevity of ceramic filters sourced from low-cost and local manufacturers around the world. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has written guidelines for the laboratory testing of microbiological water purification devices. A PDF copy can be downloaded here. First Water has lobbied the US National Sanitary Foundation (NSF) to develop a modification to NSF/ANSI standard 53 that would extend the current coverage (cysts only) to bacteria and viruses. Standard 53 has since been split into two parts. Part Two will cover treatment of water of "unknown microbiological quality". Watch this space for future developments.