PURE LABWATER GUIDE An essential overview of lab water purification applications, monitoring and standards. THE PURE LABWATER GUIDE Introduction The Pure LabWater Guide is an Contents essential resource for individuals who use pure water or wish to learn more about the subject. 1 Introduction 1 - 4 Providing an overview of water 2 Research and analysis applications 5-22 purification requirements, 3 Clinical diagnostics 23-28 techniques and applications 4 Healthcare 29-32 in science and medicine, this 5 Water purification overview 33-72 educational guide will enable 6 Glossary 73-76 you to choose the correct grade of water and most reliable method of production at an economical cost to both your budget and the environment. Challenges: impurities and variations in drinking water Water for most laboratory and clinical applications is usually purified from drinking water. However, the unique ability Introduction 1-2 of water to dissolve (to some extent) virtually every chemical compound and support practically every form of life means that drinking water supplies contain many substances in solution or suspension; additional impurities are derived during the “Pure water is the most drinking water purification process. common substance Furthermore, unlike other raw that underpins a vast materials, drinking water may vary number of diverse significantly in purity both from one scientific and medical geographical region to another and applications – its from season to season. importance should never be undervalued.” In today’s laboratories, the availability of pure water is essential, and while domestic consumers consider tap How to use this guide water to be “pure”, laboratory scientists and healthcare professionals regard it This guide is written by ELGA and is based on more than as highly contaminated. Analytical and 70 years’ experience dedicated solely to the research, experimental scientists are concerned design, manufacture and installation of water purification with elements and compounds at systems. The comprehensive Pure LabWater Guide is an concentrations in the parts per billion amalgamation of our original Pure LabWater Guide and (ppb) range or lower as many of these Pure Clinical LabWater Guide, first published in 1991 and contaminants can have a negative 2003 respectively. In addition to providing updates in the effect on applications through their field of water purification (i.e. new water purification interaction with other substances, technologies, additional applications and revised standards) including the substance under analysis. the guide has been designed so that the information you require can be more easily accessed. Throughout this guide you will see hints and tips and “Pure Facts” about water purification with diagrams that summarise important There are 5 classes of impurities found technologies, systems and processes. A glossary is provided in natural and drinking water: at the back so that you can simultaneously refer to and • Suspended particles understand technical terms you are less familiar with. • Dissolved inorganic compounds This guide is divided into 4 easy-to-access sections. • Dissolved organic compounds • Research and testing (section 1) • Microorganisms & biomolecules • Clinical diagnostics (section 2) • Dissolved gases • Healthcare (section 3) The overall objective of water • Water purification overview (section4 , further purification methods for scientific divided into 5 subsections) and medical applications is to remove • Production of drinking water drinking water impurities while • Impurities in drinking water minimising additional contamination from purification system components • Water purification technologies and bacterial growth. • Maintaining the purity of purified water • Purified water standards Section 1 Research and testing Focuses on the vast range of applications that are performed in different laboratories, spanning basic glassware washing and rinsing through to the most critical molecular biology and cell culture techniques. It outlines the types of water required for each category of application. Section 2 About ELGA Clinical diagnostics As an integral part of Veolia, the Highlights the importance of using extremely pure water world’s leading water service to obtain valid and reliable chemical test results. It outlines company, ELGA provides a reliable the international standards and regulations required for source of water that economically these applications. meets the required compliancy of all our customers’ scientific Section 3 and medical applications. With Healthcare more than 70 years’ experience dedicated solely to pioneering We outline numerous applications in Healthcare that water purification systems, we require high-purity water, including the decontamination are continuing to apply cutting- cleaning process for rinsing surgical instruments (e.g. edge research with innovative and endoscopes) and the production of steam for instrument ergonomic design. ELGA delivers sterilisation. It details the stringent guidelines and robust and easy-to-install systems water standards that are now being imposed for these to meet our customers ever applications. changing needs. We also work very closely with leading laboratory Section 4 instrument companies to customise Water purification overview water purification systems for Provides a comprehensive overview about water, specific applications. Additionally, detailing the types of impurities found in water and the we play a pro-active role with the technologies, system design and components that are water standards organisations required to successfully remove them. The selection of which develop and recommend the the initial stages of a purification system will depend Lab water quality requirements. on the characteristics of the feedwater and the entire With a network of over 600 service process starts with a pretreatment stage. The major centres worldwide, ELGA guarantees water purification technologies are outlined and each an unrivalled package of service has its advantages and restrictions; for example, some and support, no matter where you technologies can remove large amounts of several are, for its entire range of water impurities, while others can remove one specific type purification systems. of impurity down to extremely low levels. Introduction 3-4 Pioneering laboratory water purification: 1937 – 1955 Walter Lorch founded ELGA. Distillation was at the forefront of water purification, however the limitations of this technology, with regards purity, There are a myriad of different provided a driver for change. The cartridge-type published standards that define the deioniser was invented by Walter Lorch water quality required for specific 1960 – 1970 ELGA collaborated with London School of applications. ASTM® (American Pharmacy to develop products aimed at the Society for Testing and Materials) hospital market, laboratories and general industry and ISO® (International Organization 1980 – 1989 ELGA established the School of Water Sciences. for Standardization) 3696 provide Walter Lorch published ‘The Handbook of Water guidelines for for laboratory Purification’. ELGA was the first to introduce UV applications; CLSI® (Clinical and photo-oxidation to a laboratory purification Laboratory Standards Institute) system. ELGA launched MedRo, a system guidelines define water quality specifically designed for the renal market requirements for clinical laboratories. 1990 – 1999 ELGA launched the PURELAB UHQ, a combination Some laboratories will also adopt of ion exchange, membrane processes, standards outlined in the European, US adsorption and photo-oxidation in a water or Japanese Pharmacopoeia. However, purification ‘system’ that provides high-purity very few of these standards are water at minimum costs. ELGA wins the Queens award for design. ELGA invented the ‘Type specific to your particular application; II’ or distillation replacement system, which going too far will result in unnecessary became incorporated into their ‘Option’ range of costs or not far enough will endanger products. ELGA developed MEDICA, the first water the accuracy of your results. This guide purification systems specifically designed for the will allow you to navigate through clinical diagnostic market. the maze of standards and help you ELGA launch the PureSure system (using multi- to choose with ease the right type of stage monitoring) as well as our real-time water and method of production to method of TOC monitoring provide you with the correct purity at 2000 ELGA became the Laboratory Water division an economical cost to your budget and of Veolia. ELGA launched the Option-E5, the the environment. first laboratory purification system to feature recirculating Electro Deionisation of treated water 2003 ELGA launched the revolutionary CENTRA systems, the first packaged centralised system for laboratory water purification 2004 ELGA launched BIOPURE the first product specifically designed to meet the latest stringent water standards in medical applications SECTION 1 Research and analysis applications Scientists perform a vast range of applications in many different kinds of laboratories. Therefore, different grades of water must be purified and utilised to match the required procedures or appliances. Water is one of the major components in many applications, but the significance of its purity is often not recognised. In this section we highlight some There are many water quality common applications and provide standards published throughout