Watts Premier, a subsidiary of Watts Water Technologies Inc., recently announced its completion of both NSF and California Department of Health Services (Cal DHS) certification for the reduction of perchlorate from drinking water on its line of residential reverse osmosis water filtration systems. Watts Premier's line of reverse osmosis units are the first and currently only NSF- and Cal DHS-certified products for which the claim can be made, achieving 96.5% perchlorate reduction.
Perchlorate is both a naturally occurring and man-made chemical, known to interfere with iodide uptake into the thyroid gland, which may also result in thyroid gland tumors. In the U.S., perchlorate is used chiefly as a rocket and missile propellant, and in fireworks. The full extent of perchlorate contamination is not yet known, however it has been detected in groundwater or soil in hundreds of locations in at least 43 states. Currently, the most recognized contamination of perchlorate is the Colorado River, which provides water to Nevada, Arizona and Southern California.
