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Using Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth Filters to Decontaminate Drinking Water Sources

8th May, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Diatomaceous earth is a naturally-occurring sedimentary rock. It is made of the fossils of diatoms which are a kind of algae. DE is available in different grades, and one of these is called food grade. When we think about food, we all think about something to eat. So what is there about a chalky white substance made from algae fossils that would be edible?

Well, to be truthful, it isn’t exactly eatable. Some folks believe that it’s intended to be mixed with water and used to help someone better soak up the nutrients in the food they eat. It could also be mixed with animal feed to cut dung odour and reduce the number of flies. Of course, the main use of this higher grade of DE is as a filtering agent for the water we drink.

Diatomaceous earth filteration was first used during World War Two when it was important to filter water for the infantrymen. The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development labs ( ERDL ) popped up with a filter that was both movable enough for army use and which cleaned the water and made it safe for human consumption. Following the war the material continued to be used in filters for swimming pools.

You might wonder exactly what else these microscopically-small sea creatures that contribute their skeletons to DE have to do with human consumption. As well as the filtering of water, this material is used to filter lager, wine, syrup, and sugar. However , 68% of the DE that is mined is used for water filtration. It is fantastic for this reason, as it can trap particles which will run thru other filtering mediums, for example paper and sand. Since both drinking water and the water in swimming pools is ingested by humans, keeping it as clean as possible is important.

We all need to be glad that someone had the foresight to use DE in municipal water filtration. When we think about 3rd world states where folks eat polluted drinking water and come down with major illnesses, we can begin to appreciate what these filters do for us. DE is considered to be the grass of the sea, because it is eaten by ocean creatures much as land animals eat grass. There is also as much of it available as there is grass, so it is a renewable resource that we don’t have to worry about using up.
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