Disinfection and purification of water

The destruction of the Kakhovka HPP became a real catastrophe for Ukraine: a tragedy for ordinary people and a blow to the economy and environment. A huge number of people in the south of the country were left without access to clean water not only for drinking, but also for technical needs. The flooding of cemeteries, erosion of livestock burial sites, and the death of domestic animals make the water in the affected regions not just unfit for drinking, but dangerous in terms of the spread of severe infectious diseases, including cholera, dysentery and hepatitis A. To avoid infection, competent water disinfection is the first and most important step.

METHODS OF DISINFECTION OF TECHNICAL WATER

To prevent intestinal infections and other life-threatening diseases, all water used must be treated. This also applies to technical water — that is, water used for washing (showering or washing the face), washing dishes, doing laundry, and rinsing raw vegetables and fruits. Although such water is not suitable for drinking, it still must be safe for people and free of pathogenic microorganisms.

Water disinfection can be carried out using several methods:

• Chlorination.This is the most popular, accessible and highly effective method. It is precisely chlorine that is used to disinfect water at municipal treatment plants. At home, you can use convenient and inexpensive granules or tablets for water purification. Excellent options are affordable products from the Ukrainian manufacturer MDM Group, including Khlorosan, Sanidez or Sanilit. Disinfection of water with chlorine effectively sanitizes it, destroying pathogenic viruses and bacteria and turning dirty, potentially dangerous water into clean technical water.

• Ozonation.This is an effective way to disinfect water, but it requires a special ozone treatment unit, which of course is not available in every home.

• UV disinfection.Disinfection of water with ultraviolet light destroys potentially dangerous microorganisms from the inside, but this method also requires a UV water treatment system.

• Ultrasonic treatment.This method is often used to disinfect water in swimming pools: ultrasonic vibrations destroy pathogenic bacteria. It is quite an effective disinfection method, but it also requires special equipment.

Thus, the simplest method of water disinfection is chlorination. It allows you to achieve the desired effect in a very short time, including in field conditions. However, it is important to remember that chlorination makes the water suitable only for technical use and not for drinking.

DRINKING WATER: HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM INFECTIONS

In conditions of high infectious risk, the safest drinking water is factory-bottled water. You can also use delivered water provided by volunteers or government organizations, but it must be boiled beforehand, and drinking water should be stored in tightly closed containers to reduce the risk of contamination.

It is important to keep in mind that well water in areas affected by flooding, as well as in nearby territories, cannot be considered safe. The same applies to tap water, even if it is still being supplied.

You should also note that disinfecting water with silver or iodine does not provide the expected result. This method of treatment cannot be regarded as an effective and safe way to obtain drinking water.

ANTISEPTICS: ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS FOR INFECTION PREVENTION

In conditions of increased risk of infection spread, antiseptics can also be extremely helpful. They are excellent products for emergency disinfection, including hand treatment. For effective destruction of viruses, fungi and bacteria, alcohol-based products are the best choice — they act quickly and evaporate completely from the skin within seconds, leaving no unpleasant smell or film.

For use at home or in the field, it is better to choose antiseptics that:

1. have a compact size;

2. contain at least 60% alcohol;

3. include emollient components (such as glycerin or panthenol);

4. are convenient to use (with a pump dispenser or spray nozzle);

5. have a valid quality certificate.

Excellent options include Manorm Expert, Manorm Color and Manorm Crystal. These are high-quality and safe products from MDM Group that reliably eliminate a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms and help protect health even in emergency situations.

Expert comment from MDM Group:

All company products undergo quality control and comply with current safety standards. We apply a multilevel testing system at every stage of production, including raw material assessment, finished formulas, and product stability. MDM Group continuously improves formulations and production technologies to ensure consistent performance both for household and professional use. We pay special attention to efficiency and safe application on different surfaces, in accordance with Ukrainian and international standards.

Yana Holovenko, Head of Quality Department, MDM Group