Berkey Vs The EPA
Berkey Vs The EPA
EPA in an attempt to regulate gravity fed water filters reclassified Berkey’s Black Berkey elements as pesticides (The EPA’s definition of “pesticides” are substances or mixtures of substances that are intended to prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate pests.) and the EPA’s definition of Pest is "(1) any insect, rodent, nematode, fungus, weed, or (2) any other form of terrestrial or aquatic plant or animal life or virus, bacteria, or other micro-organism (except viruses, bacteria, or other micro-organisms on or in living man or other living animals).
By these definitions Berkey filters are considered a pesticide because they do indeed intending to prevent destroy or mitigate pests (virus and bacteria) from the drinking water by mechanical means and well as thought the use of silver impregnation ion the Black Berkey Elements. (it is worth noting that silver impregnation to stop recontamination of the source water this is common practice with Doulton and ProOne and others leading filters and a that all testing shows that none of this sliver passes thought the filter.)
This classification has always stood but filters were except as it is clearly not the intention of the act. However last year with a change of attitude within the EPA they have now classified Berkey filters as a pesticide alongside drums of unknow toxic liquids?
Further they have recently added a stop sale order in the USA to one of Berkey manufacturing facilities in Puerto Rico because as the filters are now considered an Unregistered pesticide (Berkey has not registered their filters as a pesticide) and unregistered pesticides are not to be moved or sold in the USA.
This order only applies to one facility and does not apply to us here in Australia and is in our opinion ridiculous (currently being fought in court) we want be open and upfront with our current and future consumers on these developments.
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Finally last months while testing a three potential new filters systems at the southern cross university in Lismore. We tested the Black Berkey Elements we have been using in our warehouse system for the past 3 years. Tat performed perfectly removing heavy metals and other chemicals found in the source water from our town water in Sydney. These filters been running constantly for 3 years serving the thirsty warehouse team.
