can you filter iodine-131 or any other radioactive particles out of water
I was reading the post to the pregnant lady and it said to drink reverse osmosis filtered water. does this really filter radiation out?
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I was reading the post to the pregnant lady and it said to drink reverse osmosis filtered water. does this really filter radiation out?
Black Berkey
The Black Berkey cartridges should do the trick. They are water *purifying* elements. Certified for Radon, should work for I-131.
Water Filtration for Radioactivity
Sorry this is being posted late in the discussion stream - took time to research all of this. Here's the bottom line...
Cs137 can be filtered by zeolites (be careful which zeolites are used - some have toxic silica (inhalant) as a component AND they may be of variable quality with respect to their ability to adsorb Cs137. If you have an under sink water filtration system, I suggest going with an Anti-rad filter cartridge:
http://pureeffectfilters.com/antirad-plus.html
This should take care of most isotopes. It uses a nuclear grade ion exchange resin (certified for potable water). You could buy separate resin cartriges (special order) or buy loose resin and pack your own cartridges, but this is more expensive and time consuming.
When you combine this filter with a reverse osmosis membrane, you should be able to remove most of the radioactivity in your water. Be sure to follow the instructions about how often to change your filters.
A couple more things on filtering radioactivity...
FYI...
The zeolite resin used in the Anti-Rad catridge mentioned above will also take out Sr90 in addition to Cs127, however, due to chemistry, the Cs137 is more preferentially removed than the Sr90. Zeolite also removes ammonia,(which can limit uptake of the Cs127 and Sr90), to that is why the KDF material is incuded in the cartridge... to adsorb any ammonia before the water hits the zeoite portion of the cartridge.
I have not read anything (other than the Anti-Rad web site) that indicates whether zeolite can remove other radioactive isotopes. However, regarding Uranium, Radium and other ionic radioactive contaminants, I provide the following link for your consideration http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/factsheets/dwgb/document...
The basic gist of the above link is that ionized radioactive particles can be removed via a mixed bed filtration system that uses two different specialized resins to capture anions and cations. This create ultra pure water that has few disolved solids. These filters also capture calcium and magnesium, and thus create water that is "aggressive" aka acidic because all the minerals get removed along with the radioactive particles.
Note that there is some controversy about whether drinking de-ionized water is a good thing or not. I have not had time to sift through all the info thats out there to reach my own conclusion about the merits (or lack thereof) of de-ionized water. If you choose to use a mixed bed deionization cartridge, you might want to read this first http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutdemineralized.pdf
A related question would be
A related question would be whether steam distillation has any effect.
Probably not
Probably not; you need something that will bind with the contaminants. The I-131, a gas, will simply travel up along with the water vapor.
We've trusted our family's health to the Black Berkey cartridges for awhile.
Knowledgeable Replies Only, Please
>..it said to drink reverse osmosis filtered water. does this really filter radiation out?
To those of you reading the above-mentioned question: Please do not post an "I'm not an expert, but I think it might help" type of response. Those of us in Japan drinking unclear water need correct answers. Unless you are an expert and have a definitive answer with a citation to published scientific research that supports your reply, please avoid the temptation to chime in.
water clean up
research the savannah river clean up in south carolina. i posted the link in another area of this forum (can't find it now). it tells the materials that were used to clean that river. so sorry you aren't getting accurate info/help. we on the west coast of the USA only have UCBerkeley for radiation amounts...
Ion exchange would seem to
Ion exchange would seem to be a possible option. The filters are loaded with Potassium that is exchanged for several other elements when the water is filtered. I seem to remember activated charcoal + ion exchange + paper filter devices in the range of $100-200 that hooked up to your faucet.
I can't say for certain, but it might be worth investigating.
Found something more concrete, but they don't give a citation
"It is possible to filter both Iodine-131 and Caesium-137. Iodine exists in both particle and gas phases but mostly as a gas. It is therefore necessary to use specific activated carbon for the gas and HEPA filters for the particles. Caesium-137 is a particle and therefore HEPA filters can be used to filter it."
http://www.camfilfarr.com/Camfil-Farr---Global/Global-news/Possible-Radi...
Comment: Wish they gave some data on the effectiveness of each approach as well as a citation to research...
A HEPA filter might remove a
A HEPA filter might remove a particle from the air, but Cesium is water soluble so I don't see how it can be filtered from water. I hope I'm wrong and that it can be filtered.
HEPA
Yes, that's correct: HEPA stands for "high-efficiency particulate AIR", not WATER, filtration. HEPA (air) filters typically are made up of a mat of randomly-arranged fiberglass, and analogous mat filtration is definitely available for water. But is the analogous water filtration effective for eliminating these radioactive isotopes, as claimed? And to what degree is it effective? These are the questions we need to have answered. Isn't there some published data? Many of us in Japan are drinking water that may be contaminated.
If interested, you can see up-to-date water data for I-131 and Cs-137 for all parts of Japan (in English) here:
http://www.mext.go.jp/english/radioactivity_level/index.htm