CRUSADOR Interviews Brad Emerson About The British Berkefeld Wate

June 29, 2007

For generations, health-conscious people around the world have recognized that the foundation to a healthy life and healthy body is clean, fresh drinking water. No amount of vitamins or supplements can substitute for the vital life-sustaining properties found in clean drinking water.

Unfortunately, securing your access to good-tasting, sparkling, wholesome drinking water can be harder than you might expect. Drinking water is often laced with chlorine, lead, fluoride, cysts, sediment, organic chemicals, high levels of harmful bacteria, and other unwanted contaminants. Even bottled water can contain these same contaminants, and moreover it is very expensive.

The Berkey water filtration system has become the standard of excellence by which all other water filtration systems are measured.  This simple, highly effective system was developed almost 200 years ago, yet it still produces the finest drinking water available.  In this interview, CRUSADOR editor, Greg Ciola, has a one-on-one conversation with Brad Emerson, whose company is the authorized North American distributor. 

Crusador:  Brad, can you share a little bit about the history of the Berkey filter; why it was developed, when was it invented, who invented it, etc.?
 
John Doulton founded his first pottery in 1815 at Lambreth, England on the banks of the Thames river. The main products of the original company were ceramic busts, figurines, canning jars, and tableware. Influenced by the unrelenting progress of the Industrial Revolution, Doulton placed equal emphasis on industrial applications for ceramic technology. As early as 1827, this fine China manufacturer was in the water treatment business, using various earth and clay materials in the first Doulton water filters.

In 1837, Queen Victoria recognized the present health dangers in her drinking water and commissioned Doulton to produce a water filter for the Royal household. Doulton created a gravity fed stoneware filter that combined the technology of a ceramic filter with the artistry of a hand crafted pottery water container. In consideration of her pleasure with the new device, Queen Victoria bestowed upon Doulton the right to embellish each of its units with the ROYAL CREST.

John Doulton’s son, Henry, introduced the Doulton Manganous Carbon water filter in 1862, the same year that Louis Pasteur’s experiments with bacteria conclusively exploded the myth of Spontaneous Generation. This more advanced understanding of bacteria made it possible to direct Research and Development efforts to the creation of a porous ceramic capable of filtering out these tiny organisms.

By 1901, King Edward VII knighted Henry Doulton and honored the company by authorizing it to use the word ROYAL in reference to its products. In 1906, Doulton introduced a filter that proved to be equal to the one Louis Pasteur had developed in France. It was rapidly adopted by hospitals, laboratories, and for use in domestic water filtration throughout the world. The popularity and effectiveness of even the early 20th century designs has resulted in their continued use in Africa and the Middle East. The range and efficiency of Doulton domestic water filters has been widely extended over the years to meet the demands of increasingly sophisticated uses.

At the core of the Doulton ceramic filter element is the most basic of elements ...EARTH. This is the same substance which artisans, first in Asia, then in Europe, refined into exquisite porcelain and pottery of the Shoguns and Kings. This material is Diatomaceous Earth [D.E.], a fossil substance, made up of tiny silicon shells left by trillions of microscopic, one celled algae called diatoms that have inhabited the waters of the earth since our planet’s beginning.

Diatoms have one property that sets them apart from other algae. They weave microscopic shells which they use for protection and locomotion. These shells are covered with a pattern of tiny holes so regular that even the slightest change in their design usually signifies a different species. As the diatoms died, their shells survived, slowly piling up in deposits at the bottom of geological lakes and lagoons. When these lakes dried up, what remained were huge deposits of “diatomaceous earth.” Today there are over 1500 uses for Diatomaceous Earth, from abrasives for toothpaste, filtering agents for water and milk, heat insulators for kilns, to polishing agents in nail polishes, and many more.

The latest designs of Doulton filter elements incorporate Oligodynamic silver impregnated into a porous ceramic outer shell [80,000,000 pores] that can trap bacteria down to as low as .22 of a micron in particle size [1/100,000 of an inch]. Laboratories consider a filtering medium with an effective pore size of .01 micron to .45 micron to be bacteriologically sterile and .45 micron to 1.0 micron to be bacteriologically safe.

Regrowth of bacteria that becomes trapped either on the outside of the element or in the ceramic’s pores is controlled by the silver which, on contact with water, releases small quantities of positively charged metal ions. These ions are taken into the enzyme system of the bacteria’s cell and neutralize it. The flow rate of the ceramic filter can be easily renewed by simply brushing its outer surface under running water. As the top layer of ceramic and the contaminants are brushed off and flushed away, a new layer becomes available. This process can be repeated several hundred times before the ceramic material is exhausted.

Doulton water filters have been manufactured since 1827 and available in the United States since 1983. They are currently sold and used in over 150 countries throughout the world.

Crusador:  Explain how the Berkey filter works and the kind of water it can filter?

This filter is the old man on the block with a history dating back to the early 1800’s. The British Berkefeld® Water Filter system is designed for use in a number of situations. It can be used for emergency purposes, camping, situations where a reliable supply of treated drinking water is unavailable, or for standard everyday use to purify your home drinking water. As unbelievable as it sounds, you can actually pour creek water in this filter and a short time later have clean, good tasting water without requiring any electricity to make it. How?

The pore structure of the ceramic filters inside is designed to remove very fine particles and bacteria. The gravity feed system also works when water pressure is too low for other filters. Water from a pond, creek, lake, river, mud puddle, well, cistern, rain water or even water you have stored yourself can be used for drinking or cooking with peace of mind.

Crusador:  How pure and free of chemicals, bacteria, pollutants, etc. is the water that runs through the Berkey?

The “Super Sterasyl” filters used in both systems, reduces up to 99.99% of particulates, cysts, parasites, and pathogenic bacteria, including but not limited to E. Coli, Cryptosporidium, Giardia and Salmonella Typhi. Additionally, these filters will reduce chlorine, rust, sediment and organic chemicals. With nominal particulate filtration rating efficiencies of:

> 99.99% filtration at 0.9 microns
> 99.9% at 0.5 microns
> 98% down to 0.2 microns (Spectrum Labs)

Crusador:  What kind of tests have been run to certify that this water is the safest and cleanest available to drink?

Doulton holds Certification, Accreditation, or Membership with the following Agencies:

ISO 9002 Quality Standard
National Sanitation Foundation standards 42 and 53
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Water Quality Association
Department of Health (Toronto, Canada)
Spectrum Labs (Minneapolis, USA)
Water Research Council (UK)
British 5750 Quality Standard
England’s Water Research council (WRc) Performance Standards
California Department of Health
Over 50 Independent Laboratories Worldwide

Crusador:  Why are the filters so unique?

The pore structure of the ceramic filters inside is designed to remove very fine particles and bacteria. Carbon Core to absorb chemicals and a Ceramic Shell is impregnated with Silver to prevent the growth of bacteria.

Crusador:  What would happen to micro-structured alkaline water produced from a water ionizer if you ran it through the Berkey system?

It would give users added assurance that all the chemicals and unwanted contaminants are removed from the water. The alkalinity of the water may be reduced slightly, but after checking various pH waters with the Berkey, the water is still around 8.5 to 9.0 pH. 

Crusador:  When and how do you clean the ceramic filter element?

You will know it’s time to clean the ceramic filters when the time it takes for the water to filter into the lower chamber substantially increases. To clean the filters simply hold the ceramic element under clean running water while scrubbing lightly with a 3M Scotchbrite pad or soft toothbrush. Cleaning should be performed evenly working from threaded mount down.

Crusador:  How long are the ceramic filters good for?

They are rated for 6 months to 2 years.  If you are filtering water that is relatively clean and free from sediment you will probably only have to clean the filters every 6 month or so. On the other hand, if are filtering extremely dirty water like that from a mud puddle or muddy river you may have to clean them weekly. Keep in mind you can clean the filters up to 100 times. So the more often you have to clean them the quicker they will have to be replaced.

Crusador:  Tell us about the Berkey PF-4 filters as far as why you would want them added to your Berkey filter and how easy are they to hook up?

The three Berkey units we sell are all designed to have extra filters added on called the Berkey PF-4 Reduction Element filter. These are in addition to the four ceramic filters that are included with the Berkey filter. The PF-4 filters absorb the following four unwanted elements most commonly found in drinking water:

• MTBE (Methyl-tertiary-butyl-ether)
• Fluoride
• Lead
• Arsenic

The PF-4 filters are also designed to absorb:

• DBCP (Dibromo-chloro-propane)
• THM’s (trihalomethanes)
• Herbicides & Pesticides
• Heavy Metal ions

Crusador:  How long will the PF-4 filters last?

6 months.

Crusador:  How widely used is the Berkey system around the world?

They are currently sold and used in over 150 countries throughout the world. Many international relief organizations like Unicef, the Peace corps, and the International Red Cross have used them or still use them. In early January 1999, 60 minutes ran a TV special on George Soros, and the assistance the Soros Foundation gave to Sarajevo after their water treatment had been destroyed by the Serbs. The Soros Foundation shipped 58,000 British Berkefeld gravity filters to the people of Sarajevo. In 1998 thousands of British Berkefeld gravity filters were shipped to international relief organizations in Honduras. Missionaries in over 150 countries use them along with mass populations in third world countries.

Crusador:  What kind of success have you had with the Berkey filter being used in remote parts of the world with serious water contamination issues like feces and potentially life-threatening bacteria and viruses in the water?

The “Super Sterasyl” filters used in both systems, reduces up to 99.99%
of particulates, cysts, parasites and pathogenic bacteria, including but not limited to E. Coli, Cryptosporidium, Giardia and Salmonella Typhi. Additionally, these filters will reduce chlorine, rust, sediment and organic chemicals. With nominal particulate filtration rating efficiencies of:

> 99.99% filtration at 0.9 microns
> 99.9% at 0.5 microns
> 98% down to 0.2 microns (Spectrum Labs)

Most Viruses cannot be filtered. They must be killed. However, viruses are not usually a water problem.

Crusador:  How effective would the Berkey system be in removing chemicals that could be put into water from a terrorist act?

It’s hard to say what they may use, if it is something that carbon will absorb they will definitely help. In a worst case scenario you could use water from a pond, lake, river, stream, creek, or mud puddle if you had to. We simply do not know what the future holds in store for this country and water is the first commodity we need for survival.

Crusador:  Why do you feel it is so important for everyone to own a Berkey filter?

Two thirds of the human body is water. Therefore, it is vital that the water we drink is clean and free from the potentially harmful contaminants, which commonly find their way into drinking water supplies. The simplest, most effective, low-cost way to ensure that drinking water is of the highest standard is to use a filter.

Fairey Industrial Ceramics Limited (FICL), based in the United Kingdom, is the sole manufacturer of the world-famous range of Doulton® and British Berkefeld® ceramic drinking water filters with over 150 years of continuous years in business.

In the field of water treatment the range offered by Doulton Water Filters gives a cost effective alternative to bottled water. There is no reason not to have one; you never know what could be in your water.