About Us : Our Guarantee

HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATED ION-EXCHANGE RESIN GUARANTEE

Separation Technologists, Inc. GUARANTEES that no ion-exchange resin is used for kidney dialysis patients, residential users, research laboratories and other sensitive applications.

Typical USA Ion-Exchange Regeneration Operation
More than 95% of the resin regenerators In the USA offer these services to the high purity user market, specifically, laboratory, hemodialysis, biotech, microelectronics, medical and others. The great majority will not accept any resin from any wastewater treatment process in their operations. Some may have separate building facilities to assure that no tanks from a wastewater treatment and high purity water applications are ever interchanged. A small minority will allow heavy metal contaminated resin into their facility. Some even take extra precautions using specially colored tanks in their operations. However, this does not prevent possible resin intermixing when the resin is removed from these tanks. Once heavy metal contaminated resin is in a facility, there is no 100% protection against operator error, a disgruntled employee, or other reason. Regardless, the generator is still responsible.

Why do you need a guarantee?
The heavy metal generator is responsible indefinitely, for any lead that was generated from recycling a heavy metal contaminated water or anyone who handles the resin regardless who misuses the resin, whether legally, illegally or by error. This has been repeatedly upheld in the courts during the past 20 years. Today, the liability for the misuse of lead in the environment can be severe. Violation of environmental regulations can cost up to $25,000/day. Whenever the lead-contaminated resin is moved and handled, cross-contamination will likely occur unless the regenerator only handles wastewater treatment resins.

Let's examine the ways that a non-wastewater regenerator could cross-contaminate your heavy metal contaminated resin with resins used in critical applications. Anytime the resin is transported and handled, there is a chance for a cross-contamination. Typically, operators remove the heavy metal contaminated resin from the original tanks and then treat the resins in other tanks or bulk regeneration tanks. Errors are likely despite the best efforts. In the past, Separation Technologists handled high purity resins, but after much experience we decided that operator errors were inevitable. We found that there was only one way to assure absolute protection to the heavy metal generator. That is, not to expose any resin used in critical applications to customers in kidney dialysis, research laboratories, or home drinking water applications. This was the decision that Separation Technologists made in January 1993. No one is more interested in preventing the misuse of lead-contaminated resin than you, the generator, therefore, you should make sure that your supplier uses the safest procedure possible.

Conclusion
The best way to assure that no resins are ever intermixed is to make sure that none of a company's employees ever handle any tanks used for kidney dialysis, research laboratories, or home drinking water applications. Also, the greater the number of parties between you and the ultimate disposal site, the greater the chance of misuse of the lead-contaminated resin.