Can't believe there isn't a topic on biofilm on most green sites (here my search-fu didn't even yield a passing mention), given that it's really starting to be drug out into the open lately with contamination issues in drinking water, medical facilities (and the tie to infection), etc.
It's not a new problem, but awareness has been low for far too long. It doesn't help that several industries -- hospitals, dentist offices, etc. -- really didn't publicly acknowledge the damage of biofilm in their industries for a long time (dentists are still behind, in my opinion). Nobody likes to think of bacterial infections in (what should be) sterile places.
Anyone else work with biofilm? If so, what's your opinion on the current (usually chemical) solutions?
For the uninitiated, here's a quick biofilm 101: http://spirofloblog....ds-biofilm-101/
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The Biofilm Thread
Started by SpiroFlo, Nov 10 2011 10:05 AM
2 replies to this topic
#2
Posted 15 November 2011 - 02:15 AM
OK - I just had to go clean my teeth for the second time today! Thank you very much....
That is a fascinating article and I recommend everyone should read it.
I tend to think that I'm quite aware about most such issues - but I had never heard of biofilm. This is worrying in the light of this statistic that you quote : "80% of all chronic, recurring infections involve biofilm"
If biofilm resists purification what can we do in the home to keep it at bay?
That is a fascinating article and I recommend everyone should read it.
I tend to think that I'm quite aware about most such issues - but I had never heard of biofilm. This is worrying in the light of this statistic that you quote : "80% of all chronic, recurring infections involve biofilm"
If biofilm resists purification what can we do in the home to keep it at bay?
#3
Posted 16 November 2011 - 04:01 PM
I feel you, but to be fair, a lot of the biofilm hullabaloo on teeth stems from mouthwash companies wanting to give a new spin on plaque. Same ol' issue, new(ish) term.
Home biofilm removal applications are a little trickier as most people don't want to pay for chemical treatments there (and even if they could, it's hard to get them into the line). I've seen people use chemical treatments for visible biofilm (meaning a lot of build-up) on a drain, but like any other treatment, the biofilm grows back and you have to treat it again.(Yeah, makes you want to brush your teeth again.)
In industrial applications. we've used SpiroFlo devices to scrape biofilm from pipeline walls. That seems to keep biofilm at bay (so far -- that stuff is always evolving), since it's continually being scraped off the pipeline wall with the stable flow. Haven't had much of a demand for that in houses, but we've installed plastic SpiroFlo devices to deliver hot water faster (35% faster average with a 3.5% water volume savings). The flow is still the same though, so the biofilm gets removed (based on what we've seen in industrial testing). Maybe if more people were creeped out, we'd see more sales in residential biofilm removal applications.
Home biofilm removal applications are a little trickier as most people don't want to pay for chemical treatments there (and even if they could, it's hard to get them into the line). I've seen people use chemical treatments for visible biofilm (meaning a lot of build-up) on a drain, but like any other treatment, the biofilm grows back and you have to treat it again.(Yeah, makes you want to brush your teeth again.)
In industrial applications. we've used SpiroFlo devices to scrape biofilm from pipeline walls. That seems to keep biofilm at bay (so far -- that stuff is always evolving), since it's continually being scraped off the pipeline wall with the stable flow. Haven't had much of a demand for that in houses, but we've installed plastic SpiroFlo devices to deliver hot water faster (35% faster average with a 3.5% water volume savings). The flow is still the same though, so the biofilm gets removed (based on what we've seen in industrial testing). Maybe if more people were creeped out, we'd see more sales in residential biofilm removal applications.
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