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Professor Michelle Francl on The Washington Post: Is Raw Water a Raw Deal?

January 5, 2018
Michelle Francl
Professor of Chemistry Michelle Francl

"Raw Water," water that purports to come from a natural source and hasn't undergone any sort of treatment, is being sold as a healthier alternative to traditional spring water and tap water.

Professor of Chemistry Michelle Francl tells the The Washington Post she's not so sure the claims hold up to scrutiny.

From

Michelle Francl, who chairs the chemistry department at 一品探花论坛 in Pennsylvania, said truly raw water, which is simply hydrogen and oxygen, is fine to drink鈥攁s long as it is clean, which is the issue.

鈥淲ater pulled from a spring or water that comes out of the tap鈥攖he water molecules are identical,鈥 she said. 鈥淪o the only difference is what else is in there and some of those things might be innocuous like the minerals, some of them might be not so innocuous鈥攖hings like Giardia and bacteria have been found in springs.鈥


Bryn Mawr鈥檚 Chemistry Department has a more than century-long tradition of combining high quality, visible research programs with excellent teaching. The Chemistry Department seeks to provide a supportive and rigorous curriculum at the undergraduate and graduate level to students having diverse preparation and diverse goals.

Department of Chemistry

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