ABSTRACT
There has been a steady increase in the purchase and use of point-of-use (POU) and point-of entry (POE) devices in the United States. Along with this growth has come increasing oversight and regulation at the Sate and Federal levels. The US Federal Government has several regulatory activities that affect the POU/POE industry. POU devices only treat drinking water at a single tap, leading to potential exposure via ingestion at untreated taps and exposure introduced through indoor air transport, for example, from showers or dermal contact. With respect to the disposal of exhausted granular activated carbon (GAC) media, the State prefers to leave that responsibility with the filter installer. Consumption of untreated water could occur and may result in either illness or lawsuits; therefore, the liability of the utility to new homeowners must be investigated. As a result of the increased public concerns about drinking water quality, the bottled water industry recorded a significant increase in sales in 1985 and 1986.
