Shining a Light on Water to Prevent Infections(1/2)

Viruses, bacteria and other organisms in dirty water sicken" class="hjdict" word="sicken" target=_blank>sicken hundreds of millions of people every year. Yet there are many different water-treatment technologies available. Some systems use ultraviolet light to destroy harmful organisms. One product that disinfects water with UV light is called AquaStar, made by Meridian Design.

The American company says most UV water-purification systems put into homes have one or more filters. These use carbon or mesh to catch impurities. The filters are added to improve the taste and smell of water.

But the company says a complex system like this is often not needed in situations where the aim is just to make water safe to drink. The AquaStar device is a one-liter bottle with an ultraviolet lamp inside. The user pushes a button and the light goes on for about a minute and a half. The lamp is powered by two small batteries.

Two electrical" class="hjdict" word="electrical" target=_blank>electrical engineers, Dan Matthews and Kurt Kuhlmann, designed the system. They brought it to market in January of two thousand five. Since then, they say, Meridian Design has sold about two thousand devices a year, at a price of eighty-nine dollars.

参考译文：

脏水中的病毒，细菌和其他有机物每年使得亿万人患病。但是，有许多种不同的水质处理技术是可行的。某些系统使用紫外线光照来杀灭有害有机物。其中有种利用紫外线杀菌的产品叫做"水之星"，由子午线设计公司出品。

美国公司称大部分的紫外线净水系统投入到家庭中要求有一个或一个以上的过滤器。这些使用碳或筛网来过滤杂质。过滤器是来帮助改善水的口感和味道。

但是该公司提到像这样复杂的系统在目的仅仅是为了使得水质安全饮用的情况下是不必的。 AquaStar 这套设施是由一个一升容量的瓶子内装一盏紫外线灯构成的。用户推动按钮，灯会持续亮大约一分半钟。这盏灯是由两块小电池供电的。

这项设施是由Dan Matthews和Kurt Kuhlmann两名起点工程师设计的。在2005年1月，他们把这项设施向市场推广。从那时起，Meridian设计的设施以89美元销售，每年销售额为20万美金。