SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Recent concerns raised by Delaware Senator Tom Carper about the EPA’s appointment of David Dunlap in a key role to approve toxic chemical levels in drinking water has a Silicon Valley company responding with a scalable solution for millions of Americans.
In response to EPA coverage this week by POLITICO, Dr. Adrian Brozell, founder and CEO of zNano, said, “The news that a former KOCH employee is now in a key role with the EPA forced us to speak out. Failure to adequately regulate or limit a class of toxic compounds known as PFAS in drinking water has serious health risks. zNano’s patented bioinspired membrane coating could be applied to remove these and other harmful chemicals from our drinking water without the typical fouling resulting in membrane failure.”
Dr. Brozell said that these contaminants can be removed from drinking water. Membrane testing by zNano over two years at scale proved excellent in removing toxics such as dyes, which are similar to PFOA and PFOs, two PFAS toxic compounds currently under evaluation by the EPA.
According to POLITICO’s EPA coverage, while those two older chemicals are no longer used in the U.S., EPA estimates that there are between 5,000 and 10,000 similar chemical compounds, used in everything from nonstick cookware to water resistant jackets to microwave popcorn bags. Industry has argued that the newer compounds are less dangerous to human health, but scientists say there is reason to worry that the entire class of PFAS compounds poses a risk. EPA-mandated testing, reported by POLITICO, found the chemicals at unsafe levels in at least 16 million Americans’ tap water, but activists say the problem is even more widespread. It is reported an estimated 100 million Americans may be drinking water with levels of the chemical that could cause harm.
About zNano:
zNano restores water. zNano’s bioinspired coatings improve efficiency for Micro, Ultra, Nano and RO membranes. zNano has developed a filter that traps polyester and micro-fibers preventing them from entering the ocean. zNano’s advanced water recycling systems lower costs, preserve jobs and conserve resources in a drought-stricken world. The company is based in San Jose, California.
zNano has developed technologies for entities as varied as NASA’s urine water recycling, malt wastewater recycling, and textile wastewater cleanup. In addition, Dr. Brozell has designed a filtration box to remove polyester and plastic micro-fibers from laundry waste water that will soon be on zNano’s Open Source web page. zNano has developed coatings which improve the efficiency of both Ultra and Nano filter membranes and is in the process of taking them to market. The company is also developing coatings to improve the efficiency of brackish and desalination of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes.
zNano welcomes scientific collaboration for the company’s innovations through an upcoming Open Source section of the company’s website, www.znanotech.com.
