Surfactant‐modified zeolite can protect drinking water wells from viruses and bacteria

Septic tanks, sewage effluents, and landfills can release microbial pathogens into groundwater. This problem is amplified in the so‐called colonias along the U.S.‐Mexico border and other low‐income areas around the world that have no public sewage systems. The result is often outbreaks of groundwater‐associated disease for which enteric viruses and bacteria, spread via a fecal‐oral route, are responsible. However, due to difficulties and limitations in detection and surveillance of disease outbreaks, the causative agents for more than 50% of the outbreaks are unknown, though the clinical features suggest a viral etiology for most of those cases U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 1993. Enteric pathogens such as E coli 0157:H7, Campylobacter , Enteroviruses, Hepatitis A virus, and caliciviruses have been responsible for groundwater‐related microbial infections in humans. Inexpensive solutions to this problem are urgently needed. The recent threat of bio‐terrorism and concerns about the safety of drinking water supplies further add to that urgency.