Please read the facts and inform yourself for the sake of your family, as we are glad that we did for ourselves....
Dear Missionary Friend,
“The prudent man sees danger and takes refuge. The simple keep going and suffer for it.” Proverbs 22:3
Safe drinking water should be the number one area of concern for missionaries in the field. The United Nations has now declared SAFE WATER to be a top issue today as well as predicting the world will be well into an extreme water crisis by the time you read this information. The Center for Disease Control has also released current studies reporting over 2 billion persons worldwide are at risk of contracting a waterborne disease, and that millions of people will die from this contamination.
The
AQUARAIN GRAVITY WATER FILTER SYSTEM is the singular answer for people who serve in the mission field and who must deal with the difficult problem of finding safe drinking water each and every day. Our system has been developed with the latest state-of-the-art technology to address this very need, and will provide thousands of gallons of safe drinking water at an unbelievably low cost of operation. Please note just a few of the many unique and specialized features of the AquaRain:
• AMERICAN MADE STATE OF THE ART CERAMIC FILTER ELEMENTS filter out dangerous microbiological organisms such as bacteria and parasitic cysts utilizing a patented process technology.
• SILVERED ACTIVATED CARBON adsorbs and reduces dangerous pesticides, various organic chemicals, chlorine, chlorine by-products like TriHaloMethanes, and objectionable tastes and odors.
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VERY LONG LASTING FILTER ELEMENTS are easy to maintain and can produce many thousands of gallons of drinking water before replacement might be needed.
• END-OF-LIFE GAUGE is simple to use and takes the guess work out of when to replace the elements.
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RUGGED & ATTRACTIVE POLISHED STAINLESS STEEL HOUSING is sanitary and easy to clean.
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UNIQUE “SPLASH SHIELD” prevents splashed or overfilled water from contaminating the safe drinking water supply in the lower dispensing container, providing added security for confident, daily use.
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SYSTEM REQUIRES NO ENERGY, NO CHEMICALS, NOR BOILING OF WATER to operate as it uses only gravity to filter safe drinking water. Simplicity and safety are hallmarks of its design.
•OUR FILTERS CAN PRODUCE SAFE DRINKING WATER FROM ALMOST ANY SOURCE, including rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds.
Recognizing the seriousness of waterborne disease and the dangers involved for personnel who may become ill in the field, we are now committed to what we view as a progressive work of Christ, providing safe drinking water to missionary staff and their loved ones around the world at the very lowest cost possible.
The AquaRain Gravity Water Filter System has already been extremely well received by many missionary families and Peace Corps volunteers throughout the world. In fact, we have been told that prior to using the AquaRain, users of other water filtration units had to chlorinate or boil their water to insure safe drinking water in the field. They were ecstatic when they no longer had to go through these time consuming and unsafe practices.
The AquaRain Gravity Water Filter System, in normal usage, is able to safely filter thousands of gallons of water. Depending upon the quality of water and the care given, it is possible to increase the number of gallons of water to ten’s of thousands of gallons. The AquaRain System will provide clean, safe drinking water at fractions of pennies per gallon.
We wish to discuss this opportunity to partner with you in your work of spreading the gospel by providing the blessing of safe drinking water for you. (These units normally retail for $319.00 each.) Our vision is for each and every missionary family to have a reliable water filtration system in their home which would provide a means for safe, clean, and enjoyable drinking water. We do request that you please take a moment to look at the information and meditate upon the needs it would address for you and your family. We pray you will allow us to answer any questions you may have regarding this water treatment system and the helpful role it would play in meeting your safe water needs.
Thank you and best regards.....THe AquaRain Company and Greennews7
>Booklet information:
WATER QUALITY:
Should we be concerned?
THe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), located in
Atlanta, Georgia, USA, is an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. This agency employs thousands of people, in a number of locations throughout the United States, as well as working closely with other governments around the world. When seeking information on health and well being, many of us turn to information released by the CDC, knowing it will be accurate, enlightening, and beneficial.
Since 1971, the Center for Disease Control and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has maintained a collaborative surveillance system for collecting and periodically reporting data that relate to occurrences and causes of waterborne-disease outbreaks. The surveillance system includes data provided by state, territorial, and local health departments covering outbreaks associated with drinking water and recreational water. This reporting to the CDC is on a voluntary basis. While we all understand that statistics released are not necessarily as current as we would like them to be, when the CDC issues information, it is always informative, pertinent, and revealing.
• When a person becomes sick with a waterborne disease, a range of syndromes take place. In fact, one in three people will believe they have the ‘flu’ rather than a waterborne disease! The symptoms range from actue dehydrating diarrhea (cholera), to prolonged fever with abdominal pains, and/or bloody diarrhea.
• Common causes assigned to these outbreaks include Vibrio cholerae, Campylobacter (virtually all human illness is caused by one species, Campylobacter jejuni), Salmonella, Shigella, and Escherichia coli (E. coli).
• Each year, an estimated 3-5 billion episodes of diarrhea result in an estimated 5 million deaths, mostly among children. Waterborne bacterial infections may acount for as many as half of these episodes and deaths.
• Transmission occurs through contaminated surface water sources and even large poorly functioning municipal water distribution systems. Chlorination and safe water handling can eliminate the risk of waterborne bacterial diseases. (More on chlorination.)
• The Center for Disease Control reports that sporadic cases are often under-reported since many do not recognize certain illnesses as waterborne caused. CDC surveillance may detect a small proportion of outbreaks in the United States and outbreaks abroad are often missed.
THE CURSE OF CONTAMINATED WATER
There are three basic categories of pathogen that can be found in water. The first is protozoa which is the largest organism of the three categories, ranging in size from 1-16 microns. Protozoa include the well-known Giardia Lamblia, and the not-so-well-known Cryptosporidium Parvum, which have even been detected in 90% of U.S. surface water. These protozoa are more resistant to disinfection by chlorine or iodine than either bacteria or virus, but can be effectively filtered. The second category is bacteria, which are considered intermediate sized organisms, ranging from .2 to about 10 microns. Bacteria include such commonly-known organisms as Typhus, Campylobacteria, E. coli, Vibrio cholera, and Salmonella. The third category is viruses, which are truly tiny in size between .02 and .085 microns. Commonly known viruses include Rotavirus, Polio, Norwalk, and Hepatitis A.
It has been determined that healthy people can be infected with minute exposure to Cryptosporidium, a small parasitic organism. Cryptosporidium can remain viable for months in sewage, runoff from feedlots, or groundwater until it finds a new host. This protozoa is neither killed by chlorine nor removed by standard filters. Like the very young, the elderly are at greatly increased risk from waterborne pathogens such as E.coli or Cryptosporidium parvum. Officials are concerned with the seriousness of this problem, and it has been recently said by Mr. L.D. McMullen, CEO of the Des Moines, Iowa, public water system and chairman of the National Drinking Water Advisory Council that he envisions a future in which utilities would deliver bottled water door to door, like milk. Others said physicians could write prescriptions for bottled water!
Cryptosporidium is a very real and serious threat to the quality of water. According to University of Florida researcher Joan Rose, the minimum infectious dose is very low, JUST ONE SINGLE OOCYST! Recent data has indicated that pregnant women, as well as children and the immunocompromised, may be more susceptible. Most importantly, NO EFFECTIVE TREATMENT has been found. In one test, after soaking cryptosporidium oocysts in straight household bleach for 24 hours, it was still able to infect mice. You may recall the 1993 outbreak of cryptosporidia which swept through water-treatment filters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. An estimated 400,000 people became sick with varying degrees of illness including diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, and fever. Almost one hundred persons died associated with this outbreak.
The AquaRain Gravity Water Filter System removes waterborne pathogens including cysts and bacteria. These filter elements offer the tightest effective ceramic filtration, providing removal of pathogenic bacteria and cysts far exceeding EPA purifier requirements...all without having to boil your water, use potentially dangerous chemicals, or rely on man-made energy.
THE BLESSING AND CURSE OF CHLORINATION
The problem of contaminated water is an old problem. Hundreds of Americans, even through the 1920s and the 1930s, have died from typhoid fever and amoebic dysentery caused by drinking polluted municipal water. The use of chlorine to purify water supplies is considered one of the most important public health advances of the twentieth century. Following the introduction of widespread water chlorination, once-common diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid fever were practically eliminated. Using disinfectants, along with improved filtration and sewage treatment, dramatic improvements in water quality have been achieved. Today 98% of U.S. drinking water is disinfected by chlorine.
The bad news is that the chlorination “cure-all” does have a downside. Disinfection by-products (DBPs) resulting from the reaction between chlorine and organic material, such as leaves and sediment in the source water, are now found in our drinking water. In the 1970s, certain DBPs were found to cause adverse health effects. According to the EPA, chronic exposure to chlorine and chlorine by-products may cause liver, kidney, heart, and neurological damage, as well as affecting unborn children. Chlorinating, which kills bacteria, also kills body cells. Chlorinating can produce trihalomethanes (THM), which have been found to be carcinogenic.
A study led by Kenneth P. Cantor at the National Cancer Institute, which was published in the December 1987 issue of the Journal of National Cancer Institute, found that people who drank 8 cups of chlorinated tap water for 40-59 years had a 40% greater risk of bladder cancer than those who drank less tap water or unchlorinated water. People who drank 8 cups of chlorinated tap water for 60 or more years had an 80% greater risk of bladder cancer.
Dr. Joseph Price, writer of Coronary/Cholesterol/Chlorine, noted an elevated rate of arteriosclerosis among servicemen in Vietnam who drank chlorinated water. He noticed unusually increased rates of cholesterol in 18 and 20 year old men and concluded that it was caused by the chlorinated water. His theory was born out when he tested it in a controlled situation with animals...he gave some chlorinated water and some not. While researching his book, Dr. Price also found the small city of Fullerton, Pennsylvania, which had no water treatment, boasting a population which suffers with no heart disease. This was true, even though most of the population of Fullterton is of Italian ancestry, and they consumed what should have been a high cholesterol diet. The question is, can chlorinating our water lead to heart disease??
A February 20th news article out of the United Kingdom reported that an independent study into the use of chlorine-treated drinking water has been ordered by the Government because of fears that it may cause spina bifida and stillbirth. Scientists will carry out the research after doctors in other parts of the world reported higher levels of birth defects in areas where chlorine is used, compared with drinking water treated by alternative methods. All of Britain’s water companies chlorinate their supplies.
A Norwegian study of 141,000 births over three years, found a 14 percent increased risk of birth defects in areas with chlorinated water. Scientists have already found an association between chlorine and an increased risk of bowel, kidney, and bladder cancer, but it is the first time that a link has been found with higher levels of spina bifida.
It is important that each family takes precautions as to the quality of water which we drink. The AquaRain Water Filtration System has been specifically engineered to provide safe drinking water from raw water sources as well as municipal sources which we wish to filter. The innovative ceramic elements are filled with a high grade silvered granulated activated carbon and will remove bacteria, cysts, pesticides, chemicals, chlorine, tastes and odors, while leaving the naturally occurring minerals and beneficial electrolytes found in the water unaffected. The ceramic shell is manufactured of natural inert materials (diatomaceous earth and clay) and will gently filter drinking water the natural way, with gravity.
Water is simply poured into the upper container of the AquaRain system where it trickles down through the highly specialized ceramic filter elements, leaving cysts, bacteria, and sediment in the outer layer of the ceramic. After passing through the thick ceramic wall, the water flows through a bed of silvered coconut shell carbon which adsorbs pesticides, various organic chemicals, and chlorine. The filtered water then drips into the lower storage container where it accumulates for easy dispensing with a handy lever-action faucet. The ceramic filters are easily cleaned - up to 200 times - and feature individually attached wear indicators.
When seeking a safe, cost effective drinking water from an energy-free source, a gravity water system is the answer. It is gravity fed. No electricity or water pressure is needed. Ceramic filters safely remove dangerous waterborne pathogens such as cysts and bacteria without the use of dangerous chemicals like chlorine or iodine or the high energy costs of a distiller. The energy-free gravity operation of an AquaRain Water Filter, combined with very long life, state-of-the-art ceramic technology and high quality coconut shell carbon, allows this filter system to produce safe, clean drinking water at the absolute lowest cost per gallon. The durable and attractive stainless steel housing with long lasting ceramic filter elements make the AquaRain Gravity Water Filter System the absolute best value for the dollar in comparison to any other water filter system. All this with the ADDED benefit of its ability to keep producing safe drinking water in an emergency.
IS BOTTLED WATER AN ANSWER?
The deteriorating taste and quality of tap water and the fear of unknown contaminants have made bottled water a solution for many families. In fact, it is one of the fastest-growing “beverages” on the market, surpassing that of tea, wine, liquor, powdered drinks, and juice. Customers report that their primary reason for buying bottled water centers around taste, but other reasons are safety and concerns about chemicals in tap water. The question remains, is bottled water worth the difference in cost, at an average cost of 700 times more than plain tap water?
On March 15, 2000, Paul Harvey reported reported on a congressional panel that accused the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of not properly regulating the bottled water industry. Strict rules govern both bottled and tap water industries. Public water utilities are governed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), while bottled water, however, is considered a food and is monitored by the FDA. A 1999 report from the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington found that microbiologic contaminants exceeding allowed levels were found in nearly one third of the bottled water samples tested by the FDA. The FDA is responsible for setting standards for bottled water, making sure that it is tested periodically and to inspect bottlers’ test records as well as sanitary conditions. As Mr. Harvey reported, the panel contends that the FDA is not doing its job and also said that tap water may be safer to drink than bottled water!
Consider the following information regarding this ‘food’...VITAL FOR LIFE....:
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Storage of bottled water, often for weeks or months at room temperature and higher, promotes bacterial growth in the water. Elevated levels of bacteria in water can cause health problems for infants, the elderly, and immunocompromised people.
û Benzene, a chemical known to cause cancer in humans, was detected in bottles of a major bottled water company at levels that exceeded by four times the EPA standards for tap water.
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Municipal water supplies are used as the source for approximately 25% of the bottled water sold in the United States.
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Two major soft drink manufacturers, entering the bottled water market, were found to be using municipal water sources while representing the water as mineral or mountain spring waters.
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The word ‘natural’ is allowed for bottled water if any natural chemical (mineral and trace elements) has not been altered as a result of a treatment process.
“Water suppliers have an obligation to produce safe, clean drinking water, whether it comes from a tap or a bottle,” says American Water Works Association executive Director Jack Hoffbuhr. “Unfortunately, the public remains uninformed about bottled water quality, including what – if any – treatment water bottlers undertake before selling their product.”
The bottom line: bottled water may not be the answer both for health and economic reasons. A family purchasing water at discount center prices could easily spend close to $600 in one year’s time for only 600 gallons of water. This would not include the multitudinous number of bottled water sales at convenience stores which can run close to $2.00 for a single 32 ounce bottle! Safe, clean drinking water, is available with the AquaRain, for less than 1/2 of a penny! Is bottled water an answer to our needs? For the wise and the prudent, a quality water filter system at home and then the morning fill of your own sports bottle makes much more sense.
What Does All This Mean To Me?
When it comes to water and what must be done to improve its quality, all of this may make us feel like the dog who chases his tail. Without disinfecting water, our water can be the cause of serious illnesses, affecting thousands. However, history has shown that the disinfecting procedures in municipal water have sometimes failed the very ones that are depending upon it. The failure comes in two forms: either true decontamination has not occurred, or the chemicals used have been demonstrated to cause serious health problems. What do we do? It is prudent that we all take control of our health and that of our families, and seek the solution ourselves.
The advanced ceramic and carbon technology of the AquaRain™ is the answer for safe water and will provide your family with drinking water you can TRUST, all without having to boil your water, use potentially dangerous chemicals, or rely on man-made energy.
How Ceramics Work...
Ceramic water filters work in three ways. First, surface sieving, much like a screen door, does not allow larger particles to pass through the outer surface of the filter. Second, ceramic filters operate as a depth media, providing a twisting, tortuous path like a maze, trapping contaminants within the walls (usually in the top .005” below the surface). Third is surface charge or adhesion, whereby contaminants that are small enough to penetrate the walls of the ceramic may cling to the walls like opposite polarity magnets attract each other. This surface charge is often greater than the force of the water flow that might otherwise dislodge the contaminant. This is particularly true with gravity or siphon-fed ceramic applications.
Wall thickness is particularly important with regard to a ceramic’s performance as a depth media. The maze-like, tortuous path allows for filtration performance at an effective pore size that is much less than the actual median pore diameter of the diatomes from which the filter is made. As clogged filters are cleaned to restore flow, contaminants in the top .005” of surface material are removed. Gentle abrasive cleaning will gradually reduce wall thickness, making a reliable end-of-life indicator or gauge absolutely essential for easy determination of expended ceramics.
Gravity Filter Operation
The operation of the AquaRain™ Gravity Water Filter is simplicity itself. Water is poured into the upper container where it trickles down through the highly specialized ceramic filter elements, leaving cysts, bacteria, and sediment in the outer layer of the ceramic. After passing through the thick ceramic wall, the water flows through a bed of silvered coconut shell carbon which adsorbs pesticides, various chemicals, and chlorine, along with objectionable tastes & odors. The filtered water then drips into the lower storage container where it accumulates for easy dispensing with the handy lever-action faucet.
Our published water production rates have been established under controlled and optimum conditions with fully wetted elements. New, dry elements will need several loads of water run through them before they are fully wetted and reach their maximum flow rate. In normal everyday use, water for filtration may be placed in the upper vessel in the evening and allowed to filter through overnight. In the morning, most of the water will have filtered through into the lower dispensing container. Additional water may then be added to the upper container so that a continuous process of filtration and subsequent use may be established. Keeping the upper vessel as full as possible, perhaps refilling every fifteen minutes, is essential, if one desires to reach the maximum production potential. To halt the production of filtered water, simply lift the upper container and empty it. The stainless steel lid can then be placed on the bottom container which may be used as a convenient and compact counter-top water dispenser.
Over time, small particulates and bacteria may clog the walls of the element and slow the production of water through the filter. When this occurs, simply remove the filter elements, and while holding the threaded end, lightly clean the hard surface of the ceramic with a brush or the scrub pad provided. The element is then reinstalled in the upper filter vessel, taking care to not contaminate the clean water side of the elements or the bottom of the upper vessel.
Laboratory Testing
Extensive independent testing is the key to proving the performance of any water filter product. The ceramic filter elements used in the AquaRain™ Gravity Water Filter have been thoroughly tested by government agencies and independent laboratories and are currently under testing for NSF listing. These ceramic elements have been successfully tested in independent laboratories with Cryptosporidium parvum for cyst removal, and the EPA mandated Klebsiella terrigena for bacterial removal. The elements have also been successfully tested against the Health Industry Manufacturing Association’s test organism, Brevundimonas diminuta, which is approximately one-third the size of the EPA bacteria test organism. What is particularly noteworthy is that all of the above tests have been passed with fully expended elements, ready for disposal. We have gone the extra mile to insure that our product will perform as promised and remain effective in producing safe drinking water throughout its entire life. To the best of our knowledge, no other manufacturer has dared to test in this way and publish the results of this type of end-of-life testing.
Our filter elements are filled with the highest grade of silvered coconut shell granulated carbon. The coconut shell carbon has been acid-washed and de-dusted, making it the cleanest ash-free carbon available. This silver-carbon is also manufactured to meet NSF 42 requirements.
Product Innovations
AquaRain™ Gravity Water Filters offer several unique innovations that set them far ahead of other ordinary water filters:
Ü PATENTED EXTRUSION PROCESS: A patented extrusion process produces a perfectly formed ceramic “tube” that has exacting characteristics. The wall dimensions and concentricity are tightly controlled, allowing an exact external measurement of the remaining wall thickness with a safety guage.
Ü ACCURATE KILNS: The ceramic elements are fired in small computer-controlled kilns which allow complete and accurate control of the porosity of the finished product. The firing of the ceramic is the critical step in the process that determines the final performance. Our ceramic elements are by far the most consistent, high performance ceramic available. Extensive testing proves it.
Ü WEAR GAUGE FOR SAFETY: Filter elements incorporate an end-of-life caliper gauge snapped onto each element. When this highly accurate gauge can easily slip off of the ceramic, the thickness of the ceramic wall has been reduced through cleaning to the point that we recommend replacing the element. The end-of-life measurement is possible only because of the unique patented extrusion process, which produces a consistent and measurable finished product. Laboratory testing has proven that the ceramic element will be safe to use, all the way to the element’s measured end-of-life.
Ü SPLASH GUARD: The AquaRain™ Gravity Water Filter incorporates a unique patent pending feature. The upper vessel that holds the questionable water has a stainless steel splash guard formed on the bottom of the housing that will deflect splashed or overfilled water away from the lower storage area holding the filtered drinking water. Since frequent filling of the upper vessel aids in maximum production, the splash guard adds extra insurance to the daily operation of the AquaRain™ Gravity Water Filter.
Ü EASY LIFT HANDLES: Two solid stainless steel handles have been added to the upper housing to allow easy removal for cleaning. The handles have been spot welded to the container with a special computer operated system that controls the process precisely, forming a perfect welded bond.
Ü SIMPLE & RELIABLE FAUCET: The lever-action faucet used on the AquaRain™ Gravity Water Filter is very easy to use with a simple push of the lever to draw a cup of clean water. The lever may also be flipped up to lock it in the open position for high flow dispensing of larger quantities of water.
Questions and Answers:
Question: How long do the filters last?
Answer: There are two parts to the filter elements; the outer ceramic shell, and the granulated carbon filling. It is the cleaning of the ceramic shell which wears out the ceramic portion of the filter. Over time, fine particulates and bacteria may clog the microscopic pores of the ceramic, slowing down the flow rate through the filter element. Occasional cleaning with a small brush or the enclosed green scrub pad will restore the original flow rates. Our ceramic formulation is very hard and will endure many cleanings, perhaps over 200 times, if moderate care is taken and light pressure is used when abrading the surface. In normal usage, this equates to thousands of gallons of water that can be filtered.
The inner carbon filter works by adsorbing and/or reducing certain chemicals, and has a finite lifetime based on the concentration of the compounds being reduced. Generally speaking, the carbon capacity should exceed the life of the ceramic portion of the filter.
Question: How much water will the filter produce?
Answer: We have established a water production rate of 25-30 gallons per day for the four filter element AquaRain™ Model 400. This maximum production figure has been established under controlled and optimum conditions with clean and fully wetted elements and relatively clear room temperature water. Keeping the upper vessel as full as possible, perhaps refilling every fifteen minutes, is essential to reach the maximum production potential. In normal daily use, a more conservative production figure of approximately one gallon per hour would be appropriate for the Model 400 Filter.
Question: Can I use fewer than 4 filter elements?
Answer: Yes. The only change is in the rate of water filtration. The water quality is exactly the same no matter how many filters you may choose to use. Plugs are provided, which will allow you to store away any unused filter elements. It’s like putting thousands of gallons of high quality drinking water on the shelf when you store spare filter elements!
Question: How do you clean the ceramic elements?
Answer: The ceramic elements are very easy to clean. You simply remove them from the upper container, and while holding the threaded end of the filter upright, brush lightly downward toward the end cap. Rinse the element after you have lightly abraded the surface, taking care that contaminated water does not enter the hole in the threaded end of the filter. If the inside of the element becomes contaminated, you may boil the element for 15 minutes, allow to cool, then reassemble the filter. When reassembling the elements into the upper container, be sure to keep all surfaces clean and free of contaminated water.
Question: How do you store the filter after use?
Answer: Simply remove the filter elements and allow them to air dry for at least 24 hours. Dry the containers and all parts and then slide the lower container into the upper container to nest them together. Pack the elements carefully with padding to avoid breaking them. For maximum protection, we recommend that you repack the filter system into the original box using the original packing materials when possible.
