Biography and Glossary Terms
Adsorption - The chemical process in which filter media encourage water contaminants to separate from the water molecules and bond to the filter media.
Alzheimer’s Disease - A disease marked by the loss of cognitive ability and memory due to abnormal tissue development in the brain.
Bacon, Sir Francis - A British scientist
and author of the 16th century. Besides his experimentations
in water filtration, Bacon is considered the father
of deductive reasoning.
Carson, Rachel - An influential writer
of the 1960s. Her publication of Silent Spring sparked
the environmental protection movement.
Chemical Filtration - A process by which water contaminants are attracted to the atomic charge of a filter media and encouraged to break their bond with water molecules.
Cholera - An infectious, gastrointestinal disease, caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Cholera is a waterborne disease that ran rampant throughout Europe and the United States until the introduction of water filtration and chlorination.
Clean Air Act - An act of the U.S.
legislature, passed in the early 1970s. The act was
intended to address the growing problem of air pollution
due to industrial operations.
Clean Water Act of 1972 - An act of
the U.S. legislature, passed in 1972. The act addressed
dramatically decreasing water quality in the nation
as a result of industrial waste and poor application
of pesticides. The goal of the act was to provide fishable
and swimmable surface water areas.
Dysentery - An inflammatory disease
of the intestinal tract, usually caused by bacteria
or protozoa infection. The
disease is characterized by fever and severe diarrhea.
Hippocrates - A Greek philosopher of the classical period (circa 460-370
b.c.e.). Hippocrates is traditionally acknowledged as the father of modern
medicine. Besides his theory of the four humors in the
body and his invention of the Hippocratic sleeve, a
simple, conical water filter, he is accredited with
the Hippocratic oath, “First do no harm,” which all
medical practitioners must take.
Hooke, Robert - An English physicist,
mathematician, and inventor of the 17th century. Among
his many achievements, Hooke was the first to recognize
biological matter in drinking water, using a microscope.
He also coined the term “cell.”
Hume, David - A Scottish philosopher
and historian of the 18th century. His writings shaped
19th and 20th century empiricist philosophy.
Janssen, Zaccharias and Hans - Dutch spectacle makers who first began to recognize the magnifying properties of concave lenses.
La Hire, Philippe de - A French scientist of Enlightenment
period. La Hire believed in the right of all individuals
to receive clean drinking water. His writings initiated
the formation of municipal water treatment plants.
Metropolis Water Act of 1852 - A British law that required the filtration of all drinking water distributed to urban residents.
Multimedia filter - Combines different
media elements to capitalize on chemical filtration
processes, usually incorporating carbon and at least
one other medium.
Parkinson’s Disease - A progressive nervous system disease associated with the destruction of brain cells that produce dopamine and characterized by muscular tremors. Onset of the disease is linked to ingestion of some pesticide chemicals.
pH - A measure of the general acidity or alkalinity of a substance. A neutral pH is 7.0 with acidic substances ranging from 0 to 6.9 and basic substances ranging from 7.1 to 14.
Physical Filtration - A process by which water contaminants are physically blocked from passage through a membrane or filter media.
Potable - A synonym for drinkable and
is a measure of water quality.
Sanskrit - An ancient Indic language. Sanskrit is the traditional language of Hinduism, as well as the classical literary language of India.
Simpson, James - A British scientist
and engineer. Building upon the filtration efforts of
Robert Thom, Simpson initiated the construction of municipal
water treatment plants throughout the United Kingdom.
Slow sand filter - Uses a granular
bed of sand crystals to physically block the passage
of contaminants. Slow sand filters were the first effective
municipal water treatment filters, but they are quickly
Smith, Adam - An important Scottish
philosopher and scientist of the Scottish Enlightenment
period, Smith created the theory of laissez-faire (free
market) economics. Laissez-faire economics are the foundation
of the U.S. Economy.
Snow, John - A British scientist. Snow
was the first to recognize the spread of cholera through
contaminated water as well as the potential of water
filters to prevent outbreaks of cholera.
THMs - Trihalomethanes. A byproduct of chlorinated water that contain natural organics. THMs are linked to several types of cancer.
Thom, Robert - A Scottish scientist
and engineer of the Scottish Enlightenment period. Thom
built the first municipal water treatment plant in Paisley,
Scotland using slow sand filtration.
Typhoid - A waterborne disease characterized
by high fever and violent diarrhea. This disease is
caused by the ingestion of bacteria in food or water.
VOCs - Volatile Organic Chemicals. Synthetic chemicals dissolved in water, like insecticides and herbicides, which vaporize at low temperatures.
Van Leeuwenhoek, Anton - Widely considered
the father of microscopy. Van Leeuwenhoek built on the
discovery of the Janssens to create the first simple