Introduction
It’s all about hydrogen ions and water. Hydrogen, you remember, the most abundant molecule on earth, is in the upper right-hand corner of the periodic table of elements. It is just one proton and one electron. Two hydrogen molecules combine with one oxygen molecule to form water. The hydrogen ion (H+) in water has a positive charge; the mirror image chemical is the hydroxyl ion (OH-) that has a negative charge. These two ions are like a teeter-totter. When one is up, the other is down. An acid has a high concentration of hydrogen ions and a low concentration of hydroxyl ions. A base is just the opposite. Put an acid and a base together carefully because they react with vigor to make water and release a lot of energy.
To understand pH, buffers, total alkalinity, and chlorine in any body of water like a pool, spa, pond or drinking water, you have to understand hydrogen ions. [Read more…]
Introduction
Walk into a building with a pool and you can instantly tell it’s there by the smell. No matter how big the building, small the pool, or robust the heating and ventilation system, that characteristic “chlorine” smell is there. If you are like me, a few minutes of exposure to the smell will bring tightness to my chest, itching to my eyes, and after about 20 minutes a light headed feeling. Go outside and it all goes away in about an hour. Swim and it can take days to return to normal. Competitively swim or swim daily and you probably get so used to the air you become acclimated to the irritation of disinfection byproducts (DBP). In the past few years, a lot of research has defined what causes this smell, what effect it has on swimmers, and what can change the creation of DBP’s so the pool becomes a “you don’t know there is a pool until you see it” experience. [Read more…]
Creative Water Solutions (www.cwsisthebest.net — CWS) announced October 19th, 2011 that it has filed for a patent under the heading —Use of Moss to Reduce Disinfectant By-products in Water Treated with Disinfectants. The patent will cover all of its products that use the moss-based water treatment, including PoolNaturally®, PoolNaturally® Plus, SpaNaturally®, and SpaNaturally® Plus.
After a 33-week scientific study of two large, commercial indoor swimming pools in the Twin Cities area, CWS measured the levels of DBPs and VOCs and the impacts of the resulting from the use of Sphagnum moss. The test found that its sphagnum moss product, PoolNaturally Plus, dramatically reduced DBP and VOC levels, reducing odor, decreasing chemical smells and their unpleasant side effects on swimmers, lifeguards, maintenance and other staff.
DBPs are created in pool systems through the chemical reaction of the chlorine disinfectant with organic matter in a pool, or spa. Many DBPs are toxic compounds, such as trihalomethanes (THM) and halocetic acids, and are the main source of the odor and health issues associate with pool facilities and use.
“Our tests found significant DBP reductions and air quality improvements, clearly establishing another significant benefit of the PoolNaturally-Plus system. THM’s, such as chloroform, are created in the water and then move into the air of a facility. The demonstrated reduction of THM’s in the pool water correlates nicely with the reduction of chloroform in the air and the subsequent increase in air quality” says Vance Fiegel, CWS’s Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder. “Our data shows that besides reducing the amount of chemicals needed to treat water (and lessening irritants to swimmers, maintenance time and corrosion of motors and liners) the moss is also providing measureable air quality benefits:
• THM levels plummeted between 73-80% once the moss was introduced into the pools.
• Chloroform showed a 55% reduction in the air of the pool facility.
According to Dr. David Knighton, MD, CWS President, CEO and co-founder, the scientific data reflects the anecdotal reports the company has consistently been receiving from management and staff at other indoor swimming pools.
“We are very excited to discover yet another benefit of this miracle plant and innovative water conditioning agent,” Knighton notes. “Our customers at many college pools and those at indoor water parks like Chaos, located in Eau Claire, Wi., can corroborate our most recent scientific discoveries about air quality enhancement with the personal evaluations and experiences of those who work daily in an enclosed swimming environment.”
Knighton cited a representative case study recently done at Chaos with Barry Thompson, a retired Navy Master Chief who helped design the facility and currently is its chief operator:
· At most water parks, chlorine disinfection by-products permeate the air at a park’s indoor and outdoor areas: “You can usually smell the heavily chlorinated water in the parking lot. At Chaos you don’t get that smell inside or outside — or on your clothes and in your hair after you leave,” Thompson says.
· Lifeguards are reporting a dramatic reduction in headaches from chloramines and disinfection byproducts due to the reduced usage and the increased efficacy of chlorine to deal with bacteria producing agents and organic material in the water.
· The lifeguards and other staff are reporting less absenteeism thanks to a more natural, less chemical work environment.
For more information — or to interview Vance Fiegel or Dr. Knighton — please contact Martin Keller, Media Savant Communications Co., 612-729-8585, kelmart@aol.com
Creative Water Solutions President and co-founder David Knighton, MD has been recognized by Aquatics International magazine as one of their Power 25 Reinventors. Successful testing of sphagnum moss-based PoolNaturally Plus at Highland Park Aquatic Center in St. Paul, MN, during the summer of 2009 marked CWS’ entrance into the commercial side of the aquatics industry.