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Calgon Carbon Awarded Patent for Technology to Protect Drinking Water from Cryptosporidium
PITTSBURGH, PA — October 19, 2000 — Calgon Carbon
Corporation announced today that it has been granted a U.S. patent for
controlling cryptosporidium (crypto) in drinking water using ultra
violet (UV) light.
Crypto, a microscopic parasite present in almost all surface waters,
is highly resistant to traditional treatment methods such as
chlorination. When ingested through drinking water, it can cause
cryptosporidiosis, an illness characterized by severe abdominal cramps
and diarrhea. In individuals with suppressed immune systems,
cryptosporidiosis can be fatal.
Prior to Calgon Carbon's breakthrough discovery with Sentinel™ UV;
technology, it was thought that very high doses of UV light were
required to kill crypto. Calgon Carbon's research discovered that low
levels of UV could be used to prevent crypto from replicating.
This pioneering research was used to commercialize the Sentinel™
UV disinfection system as a reliable barrier against viruses,
bacteria, and parasites such as crypto at a fraction of the cost of
other treatment methods. Also, Sentinel is an environmentally safe
technology that does not produce disinfection by-products.
Commenting on the announcement, Bob O'Brien, senior vice president of
Calgon Carbon, said, "Calgon Carbon's inventive technology means that
continuous broad band UV light is a safe, extremely cost-effective
means for water treatment. We expect broad use by many facilities to
protect their customers from crypto."
Calgon Carbon Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
is a global leader in the production, supply, and design of products,
services, and technologies for making air and water cleaner and
safer. The company employs approximately 1,100 people with 13
facilities and 12 sales and service centers.
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe
harbor" for forward-looking statements. This document contains certain
statements that are forward-looking relative to the company's future
strategy and performance. They involve known and unknown risks and
uncertainties that may cause the company's actual results in future
periods to be materially different from any future performance
suggested in this document. Further, the company operates in an
industry where it may be influenced by economic and other factors
beyond the company's control.
Contact: Gail Gerono, Director of Investor Relations and Corporate
Communications, (412) 787-6795; gerono@calgoncarbon.com
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