After Technical.ly published the results of Tern Water’s Know your Water campaign, the Philadelphia Water Department raised some concerns around the info on the startup’s report, which said 90 percent of samples contained some level of risky contaminants.
“All results that relate to Environmental Protection Agency must come from accredited lab.
They seem to not to understand EPA guidelines and take a lot of license.” PWD customers, Dahme said, have called in with concerns after using the company’s test kits, to later find out that, per PWD’s test results, the water is safe to drink.
The contaminants Tern Water reports having spotted on its mail-in sampling offering don’t match up with PWD’s latest yearly report on water quality in Philly.
O’Connor also raised a concern with Tern Water’s methods: samples are not refrigerated in shipping, which might affect the accuracy of results.
The EPA established the maximum level at 100 PPB.
There’s no online reporting tool, but O’Connor said customers with concerns about the quality of their water can obtain a test free of charge through its 24-hour hotline by calling 215-685-6300.
We reached out to Tern Water founder Mo Zerban who responded to the comments about Tern Water’s lab accreditation.
“All Know Your Water tests are done with lab certified equipment, and fully trained engineers,” the founder said in an email.
“Our mission is to make sure that people are empowered to control their health and wellness through access to safe water,” the founder said.