Waterborne viruses affect many people every year, especially those who drink untreated water. According to WHO (World Health Organization), billions of people use dirty water as a drinking source.
Viruses get mixed with water when it is polluted by human or animal feces or urine. A damaged sewage system, contaminated stormwater, and floods increase the risk. Also, water from rivers, lakes, and wells is unsafe against contamination. The reality is, viruses tend to linger in unfiltered or untreated water.
The most prevalent viruses found in water are rotavirus, norovirus, and hepatitis. People can get them by bathing, washing, eating, or drinking contaminated water.
How to Remove Viruses
You can eliminate viruses by boiling, distilling, placing chlorine, and more. Here’s how:
Boiling water
Boiling water can kill viruses. Let the water boil for at least one minute. In cases where you get your source from streams or rivers, boiling water can inactivate bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
Distilling water
Distillation can eliminate viruses. It is a process that simulates how nature purifies water, which is through evaporation. Distillers transform water into vapor, removing viruses. When water returns into liquid, it becomes free from contaminants.
Placing chlorine
Chlorine removes pathogens or viruses from the water via a chemical process. When you add chlorine to the water, hypochlorous acid passes the cell membranes of bacteria and viruses, killing them.
Placing the right amounts of chlorine in water is one of the most accessible treatments all over the globe, and it keeps the water safe to use for long periods.
Nevertheless, it may cause a particular chemical smell in the water. To solve that, you can use a carbon filter to remove foul odor and improve water taste.
There are also other ways to kill viruses in water, such as ozone treatment and ultraviolet purification. Water filtration systems can also do these for you.
