August 11th, 2017 10:06 PM by Dan Howard
The pictures show a biofilm in water in a medical office. The question I was asked is whether the bubbles and slime are mold. Short answer….let’s name it “biofilm” and discuss what that means
Biofilm that may contain mold, but is much more likely bacteria and chemical contaminants. When we disinfect water at the water treatment plant, the treatment process is designed to kill all of the nasty organic disease that can make us ill
Now for the gross part .......the dead bacteria (coliform, legionella, parasites and host of materials are still in the water.
The bodies of dead contaminants decay and become slime, and just like animal waste can become a nutrient for other things to grow. (yuck) The slime makes it through the municipal water system and into your drinking and flushing water ....and your fishes home in your aquarium By the way, the fish produce their own bio issues as they do swim in their own waste There is also sulfur, iron and other contaminants that encourage the growth of organic contaminants So.....I can test the water with a general test to show that there are a lot of things that are organic in the water (with a Luminometer) I can test for specific diseases and organic materials. (coliform does turn up in a high percentage of municipal water tests) The end story is that there is little to do with the water to make the bioslime go away
We can put Ty Di Bol or other product for toilet tanks in the tank to keep the slime from growing and neutralizing the minerals, copper, Mg, sulfur and iron
We can use distilled water in our relaxation fountains such as in the picture …..and clean it regularly (they will grow Legionella bacteria at room temperature) By the way, we still need to change water over time as dust in the air will settled into the water and be host for bio growth.
We can get a Reverse Osmosis water treatment for our drinking water or purchase distilled water (Notice.... DISTILLED water as most bottled water (spring water etc,) that we purchase has minerals and dead biological debris in it) I do have several articles on my website about water contaminants and water supply issues http://www.envirospect.com/SafeDrinkingWater .............and this subject will become a blog post in the next couple of days because it is a good question ( www.envirospect.com/blog )
Agsain, my apology for pointing out that most of the dead organic and mineral substances are still in drinking water. I think the young folks would say...... TMI (too much information)
Links About Biofilms in water
https://www.nap.edu/read/9595/chapter/12#208
http://www.blueearthlabs.com/maintenance-cleaning/treating-biofilms-in-your-water-distribution-system/
http://www.waterandhealth.org/battling-biofilms-aging-water-infrastructure/
Scholarly cites for biofilms in water
http://ws.iwaponline.com/content/2/1/271
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0958166908000505
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08927014.2013.772140