AquaRevival Achieves Unique NSF Certification for Crypto Reduction Technology
AquaRevival, a company dedicated to providing the highest standard of water filtration technology in the attractions industry, has announced that its new technology has been tested and certified by NSF International. This innovative system significantly reduces the risk of transmitting Cryptosporidium parvum (commonly known as crypto), a parasite that causes severe gastrointestinal disease and is resistant to chlorine alone, thus posing a persistent threat to commercial swimming pools.
For over six years, AquaRevival has been certified by NSF International, the foremost testing and certification organisation in the water industry, ensuring compliance with the latest criteria within NSF/ANSI/CAN Standard 50, which pertains to Equipment for Swimming Pools, Spas, Hot Tubs, and Other Recreational Water Facilities.
The latest certification from NSF International specifically underscores AquaRevival’s ability to mitigate the presence of crypto. When the filter media is loaded according to instructions, it provides “a 0.48 log reduction of Cryptosporidium parvum at a filtration rate of 3 GPM per square foot when tested with 3-um polystyrene microspheres.”
This results in a 67% first-pass reduction of crypto in the water while the filter operates at maximum speed.
A Key Breakthrough for the Industry
“This is a monumental breakthrough for the aquatics industry,” states Paul Nehlen, president of AquaRevival. “Pool facility managers are acutely aware of the dangers that crypto can pose to swimmers, and we are proud that AquaRevival offers the first and only filtration system certified by NSF Certification as envisaged in the Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC) for reducing that risk.”
NSF/ANSI/CAN Standard 50 serves as the established performance and safety standard in the US and Canada for evaluating materials, chemicals, products, and systems used in recreational water environments such as pools, spas, and water parks. This standard encompasses a variety of product types and technologies, detailing explicit technical requirements for testing and validation.
AquaRevival stands out as the first and only company to have its filtration systems tested and certified in accordance with the new cryptosporidium reduction standards.
The validation testing regimen for cryptosporidium filtration removal in NSF 50 aligns with municipal drinking water standards. This elevated performance standard was included in the 2021 update of NSF 50. The cryptosporidium reduction tests specified in NSF 50 are derived from standards established for the municipal drinking water sector and NSF/ANSI 419: Public Drinking Water Equipment Performance – Filtration.
The criteria in NSF 419 were developed based on state and federal regulations, including the US EPA Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2), which aims to minimise the risk of cryptosporidiosis.
The updated NSF 50 criteria for filtration and crypto removal facilitate the testing and validation of recreational water systems to ensure public health and safety, as well as to protect swimmers. The independent certification and testing by NSF International reinforces AquaRevival’s commitment to delivering superior performance and safeguarding public health in the management of recreational water facilities.
Reducing Risk is Crucial for Operators
The Centers for Disease Control found that between 2009 and 2017, Cryptosporidium was the leading cause of water-related diarrhoea outbreaks in the US, accounting for 35% of these incidents, with over half (56%) of reported cases linked to contaminated water in pools or playgrounds. While healthy individuals typically recover, infections can lead to severe malnutrition and wasting in immunocompromised patients.
According to the CDC website:
“The 2024 MAHC (5th Edition) underscores CDC’s long-term involvement and commitment to improving aquatic health and safety. MAHC guidance stemmed from concern about the substantially increasing number of reported [Crypto] outbreaks starting in the mid-1990s.
“Creation of the MAHC was the major recommendation of a 2005 national workshop, which was charged with developing recommendations to reduce the incidence of these outbreaks. Local, state, and federal public health officials and the aquatics sector formed an unprecedented 7-year collaboration to create the 2014 MAHC (1st Edition).”
AquaRevival provides NSF-certified filters that utilise regenerative media filtration technology, capable of filtering particulates as small as 1 micron. Furthermore, the company has developed patented technology that achieves the industry’s highest filtration rates at 3.0 gallons per minute (GPM) per square foot. This system, combined with a unique blend of media within the filter, has met the necessary criteria for the new NSF Certification for Cryptosporidium reduction.
The NSF, a national accrediting organisation that evaluates products for their ability to protect public health in aquatic environments, has established this new certification as the benchmark for water treatment technology that prevents Cryptosporidium outbreaks.
