WATER HYGIENE AND SAFETY


products received the Official EU decision that copper was allowed for use in copper silver ionisation as a Legionella prevention method.


Today only three European companies have made ECHA’s Article 95 list for allowance to use both copper and silver in drinking water, and ATECA is proud to be one of them.


Why, then, should you choose copper silver ionisation? Copper silver ionisation systems and techniques evolve, and such is the case with this technology. Systems have improved, and their use around the globe has proven the technology’s effectiveness. Advantages of harnessing copper silver ionisation in the battle against Legionella and other harmful waterborne pathogens include: n The copper and silver ions can be active for up to 12 weeks. Flushing or refreshing water once a month is enough to maintain a stable and Legionella-free situation.


n Refreshing water every four weeks, rather than every 48 hours (which is necessary when using chlorine dioxide), means a significant decrease in the use of water.


n The copper silver ionisation has a long residual effect. Even if the system fails, the released ions will keep doing their work throughout the entire drinking water installation.


n The use of copper silver ionisation is non-corrosive to pipework, and doesn’t require the use of chemicals. This means that pipes, valves, and pumps remain unaffected.


n Copper silver ionisation is evenly effective at all water temperatures. This isn’t the case with chlorine dioxide, the effectiveness of which decreases drastically when temperatures increase. This makes copper silver ionisation ideally suited to buildings where estates teams have problems controlling their thermal management. Where copper silver ionisation is used, a circulating hot water temperature of 50˚C will not present any problem, and indeed the lower water temperature will not only save energy, but is also more cost- efficient. A temperature difference of 10˚C can save thousands of pounds annually.


Impact of climate change Due to climate change, and the rise of the earth’s temperature, the growth of Legionella bacteria also increases. This is reflected in the exponential surge of this bacterium in drinking water installations. With pressure to reduce energy use, and thus to lower water temperatures where this is feasible, there are increasing challenges in preventing Legionella proliferation – particularly since traditional Legionella prevention methods require a minimum water temperature of at least


Splashback from drains and sinks is increasingly seen as an infection transmission risk in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.


60˚C to kill the Legionella bacteria. Here copper silver ionisation has a unique advantage – it is not receptive to temperature. A hot water temperature of 50˚C is sufficient to prevent Legionella via the use of copper silver ionisation. A 913-bedded Dutch hospital which used ATECA’s ICA system reduced its hot water temperature by 10˚C, and in the process eliminated Legionella, improved its energy efficiency, and cut its annual costs by £25,000.


The ICA system in action ATECA’s ICA system operates via the ionisation of positive copper (Cu) and silver (Ag) ions, which are released into potable water systems and carried along in the flow throughout the piping system, penetrating and impacting on biofilm along the way. Known for their safety and reliability, these systems have been successfully installed to combat Legionella at over 700 locations Over 50 of these are hospitals, one notable such healthcare facility being the Erasmus University Hospital (Erasmus MC) in Rotterdam, the Netherlands’ largest hospital, which in turn also has the country’s most extensive potable water system – with around 11,000 tap points and an annual water consumption of 420,000 m3


. During the summer of 2010,


the Erasmus MC encountered a major Legionella problem, when 620 tap points out of 900 sampled gave a positive result for Legionella (100 cfu/litre or more). Over a six-week period, ATECA built and delivered three ICA systems for the three water mains (2 x 60 m3 1 x 20 m3


/hr and /hr). A month after the ICA


systems became operational there was already a major drop in Legionella counts. Within six months the entire hospital was Legionella-free. The ICA system is still operational at Erasmus MC to prevent another Legionella outbreak.


Why come to the UK? Since 2001, ATECA has successfully supplied copper silver ionisation, both in the Netherlands and across the globe. Until recently, however, ATECA has never


focused significant efforts on penetrating the UK market. There are a number of reasons why we haven’t crossed the English Channel, a notable one having been the overwhelming support for chlorine dioxide. However, today customer standpoints and preferences are clearly shifting. More locations, especially in the healthcare industry, are coming to realise that chlorine dioxide isn’t always effective and safe. In addition, there is currently only one supplier of copper silver ionisation in the UK, and the market is healthier with some competition. These factors explain our decision to open a new ATECA office in the UK, with the aim of both improving the safety of water in the UK healthcare sector, and providing local maintenance. The UK may just have left the EU, but that doesn’t bother us. We will simply look to bring the best of the EU to the UK.


hej


Joris Post


Joris Post, a director at ATECA, says he has had a passion for water ‘from the moment he could walk’, having spent most of his childhood either on a sailboat or on a surfboard. One of his first jobs was in Aruba – one of the Lesser Antilles Islands – as the manager at a large global ice brand, where he ‘learned the importance of the use of safe water as a base for the ice cream.’


He then returned to The


Netherlands, to oversee the design and construction of a demountable ice rink for speed skating in Rotterdam. Nearly five years ago, he started working at ATECA. He said: “Water has been the theme of my life for as long as I can remember, both privately and professionally. At ATECA everything I have ever done has come full circle, since reliable and clean water is the foundation of life. Free access to drinking water has become more uncertain as a result of climate change and drought.”


April 2020 Health Estate Journal 31


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