Steel infusers and filters can be useful in cleaning up your workspace and reducing the risk of pollution, but they can also cause harmful contamination when they get into the water supply.
That’s the conclusion of a new report that examines how the metal and its filters affect water quality in wastewater treatment plants.
The report was published Monday by the American Chemical Society’s Environmental Science and Technology (ES&T) group, which analyzed wastewater from more than 1,500 U.S. industrial facilities between 2008 and 2014.
“The data suggests that the contamination risk associated with metal filters is significantly lower than that associated with nonmetal filters,” the report says.
In addition to its health and environmental effects, the research suggests that metals can trigger a range of harmful microbial reactions.
For instance, some metals are known to trigger a type of toxic green algae that can cause food poisoning in aquatic animals.
This is why the researchers say it’s important to be aware of the risk posed by contaminants in the wastewater, as well as how they can be avoided.
