Arsenic-laced Drinking Water Engineer builds inexpensive cattail
treatment system in his backyard - By Jared Brox - Apr 24, 2009
Photo courtesy of Jeremiah Jackson A casual phone conversation
with his brother led engineer Jeremiah Jackson to develop an
innovative arsenic filtration system that has the potential to
improve the lives of millions of people worldwide affected by
arsenic-contaminated drinking water. Arsenic contamination
affects more than 20 nations, including the United States,
India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and
Taiwan. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more
than 35 million people in Asia alone are consuming arsenic-
contaminated water with concentrations high enough to cause
chronic illness and premature death. Typical small-scale
treatment processes include reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and
activated alumina adsorption. Unfortunately, these approaches
are technically sophisticated, require trained operators, and
cost between $53 and $300 per 1,000 gallon