Adding Beneficial Microbes to Drinking Water

Public water suppliers spend lots of money trying to eliminate bacteria from drinking water.  But not all bacteria is harmful.  Indeed, we couldn't live without the bacteria that lines our guts and helps us digest food.

redOrbit reports on an intriguing proposal to encourage the existence and growth of beneficial microbes in drinking water:

The award-winning Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions podcast produced by the American Chemical Society (ACS) has consistently been putting forth groundbreaking, research-based solutions to problems facing people around the world.

The latest episode, based on a paper recently published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology, explains how water filtration systems might be used to encourage the growth of beneficial microbes in “purified” drinking water that would benefit consumers and outcompete harmful bacteria.

It's interesting to think that municipal water plants and home faucet filters might  one day be selectively removing some bacteria and  adding others to improve our health.