Polisseur EDS-Pak^®

When the Associated Press published results from a five-month study on the presence of pharmaceuticals in drinking water in 2008, the study made headlines across the country. In addition to pharmaceuticals, contaminants in drinking water such as perchlorates, pesticides, herbicides, endocrine disrupting chemicals, brominated flame retardants, and personal care products make for a steady stream of news about what is in the water supply. While such contaminants can be found in drinking water, should they be a concern for researchers? Are these contaminants making their way from the tap into the high-purity water used in the laboratory?

Endocrine disrupters are substances or mixtures that alter functions of the endocrine system and consequently cause adverse health effects in an intact organism or its progeny. They have structures that resemble the natural hormone, and interfere with natural hormones by binding to the hormonal receptor. For example, bisphenol A, nonylphenoll and stylbazol all have a common sub-structure close to oestradiol, and they all interact with the estrogen receptor.Developing analytical methods sensitive enough to identify and quantify the presence of endocrine disrupters at low levels in drinking water and environmental monitoring requires high purity water free of endocrine disrupters. The combination of technologies normally embedded in water purification systems bring concentrations of endocrine disrupters to a low level, and in cases where Endocrine Disrupter-free water is required, traces can be removed with a specific polisher at the point of use of the purification system.