There are many organizations that set stringent standards with regard to ultrapure water, and Culligan complies with them all. Some of them include AAMI, ANSI, NCCLS, CAP, ASTM, and USP. Within our systems, you will find technologies including absolute cartridge filtration, deionization, ultraviolet, reverse osmosis, and many others.
Culligan Water has the water technologies and services to meet your ultrapure water requirements.
Laboratory Water Use
All laboratories need ultrapure water, which prevents tests from being contaminated by impurities in the source water. We know how important water purity is for laboratories. This is why we offer you the best ultra-pure water on the market. Guidelines for water purity were created by many professional organizations in the industry, such as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS), U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), and the American Chemical Society (ACS).
ISO 3696, NCCLS, and ASTM classify ultrapure water into 3 different types, depending on the purity level. Each organization has similar (though not identical) parameters.
Classifying water into different types ensures that the right purity level is achieved for specific applications. Some laboratory or medical procedures require a higher grade of pure water than others.
ASTM Ultrapure Water Types
- Type I Reagent Grade Water is ultrapure water that is used for sensitive laboratory procedures, such as DNA sequencing, where an extremely high level of accuracy is required. This grade of water has the most stringent filtration requirements and the highest purity standards of all water types.
- Type II Reagent Grade Water is pure water that is used in general laboratory testing and analytical applications, such as microbiological procedures. This grade of water is the most commonly produced grade of laboratory water.
- Type III Reagent Grade Water is the lowest grade laboratory water and is suitable for rinsing glassware and most qualitative analyses.
Culligan Industrial Water has systems capable of producing all three types of reagent-grade laboratory water!
No matter the water quality standards, one thing is certain: even Type I water may require further purification, depending upon the type of application that the water is needed for. If the water is used in experiments pertaining to molecular biology for example, then it has to be RNase-free or DNase-free, and this requires special additional treatment for functional testing. Moreover, water used for microbiology experimentation has to be completely sterile and typically has to go through a process called autoclaving.
If the water is used for analyzing trace metals, then it also requires the removal of any metal traces and must be of a purity beyond that of traditional Type I water.
It is extremely important that ultrapure water not be placed in plastic or glass containers, as these containers leak contaminants. Contaminants even in low concentrations could interfere with water purity. Silica-based water vessels should be used for less-demanding applications. Vessels of ultrapure tin should be used for the highest water-purity applications.
Ultrapure Water Treatment Applications
- Electronics
- Laboratory
- Medical devices
- Pharmaceutical
- Semiconductor