In recent days the media has reported on two infants suffering physical discomfort from the contraction of Legionnaires' disease. Fortunately these two young children were able to return to full health.

First, what is "Legionnaires' disease" ?
(Original News http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/paper/800073)

Legionnaires' disease is caused by many different types of " Legionella bacteria "
The main route of transmission and infection is through inhalation, breathing in Legionella through water vapour or droplets;
Symptoms often include: fever, cough, headache, abdominal pain, anorexia, etc., which can lead to pneumonia,

In an infected adult, if not treated in time, it can lead to respiratory failure and death. ; The mortality rate for adults who are infected in 15%.

Very few children are infected and the two babies referred to above are said to the world's youngest reported cases. The Legionella bacteria prefers a water environment, especially a warm environment (25 ° to 45 ° C, although the most suitable temperature is around 35 ° C), therefore, regular cleaning of water towers, open drink machines, drinking fountains and other facilities is very important!

The two babies were infected because the cold water in the water dispenser was contaminated, and they accidentally inhaled the bacteria into their lungs through drinking milk.

So, parents, please pay special attention to the home drinking water system (from the water tower through to water pipes and water purifiers, drinking fountains, etc.) and that they are cleaned.

According to the suggestions on Wikipedia's, legionella can be  eliminated  through the following action:
1. Temperature sterilization: water should be heated to at least 70 ° C and this temperature should be maintained for three minutes.
2. UV sterilization: exposure to ultraviolet light, wavelength 254 nm can make bacteria inactive.
3. membrane technology: There is now more and more use of membranes to remove microorganisms. Particles with a diameter of less than 0.2 micrometers can be generally used to ensure bacteria, and even some viruses, are filtered out.

ALYA water can provide a kitchen heater, with RO machine water purifier, which can block viruses, perform high temperature sterilization, and which can prevent the breeding of Legionella through the variety of UV sterilization water purifiers, ultrafiltration membrane water purifiers that are available. This can help you to protect your health! Now, it’s Fathers’ Day so you can enjoy an excellent discount!

If you have any doubts about the drinking water system at your home, please contact any of the ALYA water purification branches and we will provide you with water quality testing services.

ALYA for YiRui Co., Ltd. set up a water purification brand, 31 years ago adhering to manufacture in Taiwan and focussing on water purification products that effectively filter out sediments in water, to ensure the required minerals for the human body are retained.

The whole product range has 2 years warranty and have won a number of NSF, CE ... and other quality certifications as well as a number of government awards.

The most common filter to filter and remove scale to achieve soft water uses ion exchange resin.

“Ion exchange "refers to: when the water flows through the filter, the resin within the material and the minerals in the water produce billions of exchanges; the ion-exchange resins are used to replace the magnesium and calcium ions found in hard water with sodium ions. When the resin is fresh, it contains sodium ions. When in contact with a solution containing magnesium and calcium ions (but a low concentration of sodium ions), the magnesium and calcium ions preferentially migrate out of solution to the active sites on the resin, and are replaced in by sodium ions. This process reaches equilibrium with a much lower concentration of magnesium and calcium ions in the solution than it started with. Its chemical formula is as follows:

(There’s no need to memorise, the teacher will not test you)

Ca2++2Na-R→Ca-R2+2Na+1
Mg2++2Na-R→Mg-R2+2Na+1

Strictly speaking, this type of water softener made of ionomer as a filter element should not be called "water purification equipment" because it does not remove contaminants from water. What it does is: reduces scale, removes calcium and magnesium ions from the water. However, other pollutants in the water, such as organic pollutants, microorganisms, and suspended particles cannot be filtered. So the ion resin can only be used in the front of the water purifier. It cannot be used alone to ensure the purity of water.

In general, the life of the ionic resin is limited to about 2-3 months, (depending on the water quality conditions) before failure. Several filter kettle filters have added ion resin to remove scale, but the volumes are too small, and they usually have a shorter lifespan, so we are not very optimistic about the effectiveness of the unit’s ability to remove scale.

Ion resin filter shortcomings. In addition to a short life and a slightly higher unit price, the other shortcoming is in the ion exchange process where sodium ions are released and which, for kidney patients, there is a health risk. A no sodium ion resin can also be chosen but water filtered in this way releases hydrogen ions and makes the water quality acidic, so the choice is the customers.

In addition to inhibiting scale with ion resin the use of RO water purification equipment can also a good choice. The reason is that the water molecules passing through the membrane holes are only the diameter of a hair, one thousandth of the RO membrane, and will filter out heavy metal ions, organic toxins and bacteria; but the shortcomings of water obtained from reverse osmosis treatment, is that there is a discharge of waste, which is, generally, a waste of water resources.

No matter what kind of filter water purification method used there is no 100% perfect solution. The important fact is for consumers to understand their needs and preferences, and to choose a product with a good reputation, of excellent quality and which provides the protection required of a water purifier. ALYA water purification has won the Ministry of Economic Affairs Little Giant Award, because our “made in Taiwan” water purification products have obtained excellent export results, in order for us to obtain this honor, worthy of national trust.