do water filters remove e coli ?
Question
do water filters remove e coli
Ruth M. Mark
Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link and will create a new password via email.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.Morbi adipiscing gravdio, sit amet suscipit risus ultrices eu.Fusce viverra neque at purus laoreet consequa.Vivamus vulputate posuere nisl quis consequat.
do water filters remove e coli
Answer ( 1 )
Short answer yes, but only if the filter you use is fine enough to physically trap the cells.
E. coli cells are roughly 0.5 by 2 micrometers, so a true microbiological barrier needs pores smaller than 0.2 μm. Many ceramic candles, hollow fiber ultrafiltration straws and reverse‑osmosis membranes meet that spec and they will remove the bacteria just by size exclusion.
On the other hand most pitcher style carbon blocks or “taste and odor” filters have much larger pores. They improve chlorine flavor but they do not reliably remove live E. coli, even if the marketing copy sounds reassuring.
If you want to be sure look for NSF / ANSI standard 53 (cyst reduction) or 58 (RO) on the label, that means the device was actually challenged with organisms and passed.
Finally, remember filtration only removes, it does not kill. If the filter or storage vessel is not maintained the trapped cells can multiply on the cartridge. For emergency use it is still safer to follow filtration with a disinfection step like boiling, UV or a measured chlorine tablet.
Hope that helps, stay safe!