Fantom develops breakthrough water-treatment technology
Fantom Technologies Inc FTM
Shares issued 9,010,608 Jun 23 close $17.00
Thu 24 Jun 99 News Release
Mr. Allan Millman reports
A new breakthrough in water-treatment technology has been developed by
Fantom Technologies Inc. that will combat consumer concerns about the
quality of their drinking water. Incorporating processes used by the
world's most advanced municipal water-treatment systems, Fantom plans to
launch its first household water-treatment appliance - a kitchen
counter-top unit - in the spring of 2000.
The technology
Fantom's counter-top unit:
kills micro-organisms like Giardia, E. coli and Cryptosporidium, all of
which can seriously affect people who have weakened immune systems;
reduces heavy metals such as lead as well as oils, fats, grease,
pesticides, herbicides, chlorine and other trace impurities;
provides good-tasting water, leaving in desirable levels of fluoride,
calcium, magnesium and potassium;
incorporates a computer-controlled monitoring system to ensure that the
dispensed water is disinfected; and
treats the carbon-block filter used in the system to prevent bacterial
growth.
The purification process uses activated oxygen, known as ozone, to kill
micro-organisms. This same process is used in more than 3,000
state-of-the-art municipal water-treatment systems around the world,
including over 200 in the United States. The Fantom system produces no
harmful emissions.
Product testing - third-party accreditation
Preliminary testing on the new countertop unit has shown an unprecedented
seven-log reduction (that is elimination of 99.99999 per cent) of
micro-organisms. To the company's knowledge, no other household
water-treatment appliance offers this level of purification. In addition,
testing has verified that the unit eliminates a wide range of volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) like chloroform, benzene, heptachlor, styrene,
PCBs, trihalomethanes and 2,4-D. Further testing is continuing.
Building on strength
"This technology represents a whole new field of opportunity for our
company," commented Allan Millman, president and chief executive officer of
Fantom Technologies Inc., "and has evolved from our research and
development program with Omachron Technologies, Inc. We are combining our
company's expertise in product design, marketing and manufacturing with
Omachron's broad scientific knowledge to develop exciting new products with
groundbreaking technologies. We plan to market these new products not just
in North America, but globally as well."
The case for clean water
According to the U.S. Water Quality Association, many North Americans are
concerned with the quality of their drinking water. The association's 1999
National Consumer Water Quality Survey commented: "Consumer concerns about
some aspect of their water supply (aesthetic or health related) remained
steady and high at 72 per cent, with almost half of respondents indicating
worry about possible health contaminants in their drinking
water....consumer use of home water-treatment systems reached an all-time
high. Among adults surveyed, 38 per cent used some type of water treatment
device, an increase of 19 per cent since 1997 and 28 per cent since
1995....those using home water treatment, bottled water or both jumped
significantly from 57 per cent to 62 per cent."
While the water leaving most municipal water-treatment plants is clean,
problems can occur as water travels underground through old pipes, which
may have developed cracks and become encrusted with the buildup of sediment
over the years. These encrusted pipes frequently become breeding grounds
for bacteria. Moreover, water-treatment plants that use chlorine as a
disinfectant do not kill certain micro-organisms such as Cryptosporidium,
which has been linked to gastrointestinal illness around the world and
severely affected over 400,000 people in Milwaukee, Wis., in the spring of
1993.
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