UV article biased.

As an AFO instructor, board chair of the Professional Pool Operators of America (PPOA), Certified Service Professional (CSP), International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA) member and 12-year industry veteran, I read aquatics articles such as "Ray of Light" by Tom Schaefer featured in the February 2006 issue carefully and weigh statements for accuracy and truth. In my opinion the article does not meet either one of those criteria.

The author, a salesperson for a company that markets low pressure amalgam ultraviolet systems, tried in vain to keep the article "topic-neutral." He just couldn't help but to throw in comments that happen to favor his technology.

For instance, the five-line matrix on page 36 that compares and contrasts low pressure and medium pressure UV technology is accurate until the fifth line. There, the author lists a product differentiation, not a technology differentiation. To clarify, a NEMA rating concerns an electrical component's enclosure, not its technology.

Other leading statements such as: "There are two types of UV technology to choose from and one type has been shown to be more effective at reducing free chlorine and less effective at reducing monochloramines" and "A Duke University study concluded that monochromatic [amalgam] UV is more effective reducing monochloramines and medium pressure is better at reducing free chlorine," don't further the reader's knowledge. Without a specific citation as to which study the author is referencing, these statements are little more than propaganda.

You may ask why I am taking the time to point all this out to you. The answer is simple. I believe that UV is perhaps the most important water treatment technology for the aquatics industry to come along in many years. I also think that it is incumbent upon the individuals and/or organizations that have the visibility and means to spread the good word about technologies such as UV, to provide the most accurate information possible.

Therefore I suggest that we, as a group of aquatics professionals, must carefully censure and monitor ourselves in order not to muddy the waters by broadcasting incorrect and unvalidated information and propaganda. To the public I say: Inform yourself; seek information from multiple sources and weigh each "fact" you gather. To the industry professionals I say: With great power comes great responsibility.

Robert C. Kappel, AFOI, CSP

Siemens Water Technologies-Stranco Products

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