Ditch the Chemicals and Choose UV for Safe Water

UV disinfection offers a safe, compact, and energy-efficient way to neutralize harmful pathogens without affecting water taste.

• By Stasia DeMarco
• Apr 02, 2025

Can a school in a village in Western Kenya inspire a public health revolution? Thanks to support from the AIHA Emerging Economies Microgrant Advisory Group, this school may be the first of many to benefit from a new water purification system.

The people living and working in Nyamesocho Village are among the two to four billion people worldwide lacking access to safe drinking water. At a primary school there, a University of British Columbia team led by Professor Sara Beck and research associate Paul Onkundi Nyangaresi is piloting an innovative water treatment system that uses ultraviolet (UV) light to disinfect water.

While traditional methods like chlorine treatment or boiling water can be costly, impractical, and unsafe, UV technology offers a compact, energy-efficient alternative without affecting taste. UV disinfection uses a specific wavelength range of energy to disrupt the DNA of disease-causing pathogens, preventing them from replicating and spreading.

 The same technology is already used in major metropolitan areas like New York City, home to a disinfection plant that treats two billion gallons of water daily for nine million people. Bringing similar solutions to small villages could reduce the impact of common, preventable waterborne diseases, dramatically improving public health and industrial hygiene.

After experiencing the impact of safe drinking water during a summer working in Uganda, Beck left her career as a NASA flight controller to focus on this critical issue. For her colleague, Paul Okundi Nyangaresi, the work is personal. Raised in the same region of Western Kenya as their current project, Nyangaresi witnessed the severe and sometimes fatal impact of unsafe water.

He was the first in his village to attend university and then continued his education abroad, earning a doctorate degree. Together, Beck and Nyangaresi are bridging the gap between knowledge and practice by researching the efficacy of UV disinfection in underserved areas.

Recently, the team was awarded an Emerging Economy Microgrant from AIHA, a non-profit committed to identifying, evaluating, and controlling health hazards in the workplace. The AIHA Emerging Economies Microgrant Advisory Group provides funding for education and research projects promoting health and safety for workers in economically developing nations.

The school’s water purification project is the first of hopefully many collaborations between AIHA and the International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA), which focuses on using ultraviolet technology for improving public health and protecting the environment. The two organizations joined in a memorandum of understanding, uniting in their commitment to global health and safety. With continued support and innovation, projects like the one described here could serve as a blueprint for providing clean, safe drinking water to millions around the world.

More information about the Emerging Economy Microgrants Program is available on the AIHA website.