Silver-ion sanitation systems have been used by tens of thousands of delighted swimming pool owners for over 50 years. Now, a silver-based swimming pool sanitation system using a higher oxidation state of silver has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. It likewise avoids the use of chlorine and other caustic chemicals. In fact, in concentrations of only one part per million, Sildate will kill 100 percent of bacteria in 30 seconds. In addition to silver-based systems for swimming pools, hundreds of thousands of households worldwide use silver impregnated activated carbon filter systems to provide healthful drinking water from the tap or in water containers kept in refrigerators.
Many backpackers carry silver-based filters to make stream water safe for drinking and cooking.
In the United States and Canada, more than 100 hospitals have installed silver-based systems to eradicate Legionnaire's disease, a deadly bacteria that infects hot water pipes and storage tanks in large buildings. Recent tests in the Pittsburgh Veterans Affairs Medical Center showed that, despite scalding high temperatures and frequent flushing of the water system, the organism that causes Legionnaire's disease was still present. Once a new silver-based water purification system was introduced, the bacteria disappeared. Additionally, millions of children have had their eyesight saved by a silver solution dropped in their eyes at birth. And, silver compounds are the preferred treatment for serious burns.