海湾南部研究所根据与美国环保局签订的合同，对商用家用水处理装置进行了一项为期三年的研究，以检查其在减少有机物方面的有效性及其使用中涉及的微生物因素。大量地下水污染的发现表明，需要了解家庭处理装置在减少挥发性有机化学品方面的效率。这项研究主要是为了测试大多数碳单元对三卤甲烷（THM）的还原作用。测定了30个市售活性炭装置的减排量。大多数测试的水样含有约200微克/升的三卤甲烷。美国环保局已经制定了一个100微克/升的三卤甲烷临时标准。在接受测试的家庭处理单元中，地下水中卤化有机物的减少率在55%到99%之间。 地表水测试与地下水测试平行，添加了3种化学品:对二氯苯、六氯苯和氯丹。由于使用了正己烷-甲醇，这些发现的有效性值得怀疑。对于其他装置的测试，数据被认为足够有效，以表明两个反渗透装置、臭氧发生器和紫外线活性炭装置在测试条件下的潜在处理能力。包括6个参考文献、表格和图表。

A study, administered over a three-year period by the Gulf South Research Institute under contract to USEPA, of commercially available home water treatment units was conducted to examine their effectiveness in reducing organics and the microbiological factors involved with their use. The discovery of extensive groundwater contamination demonstrated the need for information on the efficiencies of home treatment units in reducing volatile organic chemicals. The study was designed primarily to test most of the carbon units for trihalomethane (THM) reductions. These reductions were determined for 30 commercially available activated carbon units. Most water samples tested contained about 200 ug/L. The USEPA has established an interim standard of 100 ug/L for THMs. For the home treatment units tested, reductions of halogenated organics found in groundwater ranged from 55 to 99 percent. The surface water test paralleled that for groundwater, with the addition of 3 chemicals: p-dichlorobenzene, hexachlorobenzene, and chlordane. The validity of these latter findings are dubious, due to the use of hexane-methanol. With respect to the testing of other units, data are considered sufficiently valid to indicate potential treatment capabilities under the test conditions for the two reverse osmosis units, the ozonator, and the ultraviolet-activated carbon unit. Includes 6 references, tables, figure.