Product Safety Assessment
DOW™ Membrane Products
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Names
Product Overview
Manufacture of Product
Product Description
Product Uses
Exposure Potential
Health Information
Environmental Information
Physical Hazard Information
Regulatory Information
Additional Information
References
Names
DOW™ UF module
Formerly OMEXELL™ UF module
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DOW EDI module
Formerly OMEXELL EDI module
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Product Overview
DOW™ membrane products are marketed through Dow Water Solutions. Two series of
membrane products are available: DOW UF (ultrafiltration) modules and DOW EDI
(electrodeionization) modules.1,2 For further details, see Product Description.
DOW UF modules are used in industrial and municipal water-treatment systems to remove
bacteria and viruses, very fine particulates, and silt without removing naturally occurring
minerals. When used as a pretreatment, they can extend the lifetime of reverse osmosis (RO)
membranes. The modules can be used to treat surface water, seawater, industrial
wastewater, secondary effluent wastewater, and as a final filter for bottled water. DOW EDI
modules are also used in industrial water treatment, but are designed to be a “polishing” unit
to remove contaminant ions that might remain after reverse osmosis or to replace
conventional mixed-bed ion-exchange units.3,4,5 For further details, see Product Uses.
DOW UF and DOW EDI modules are used in commercial, municipal, and industrial water
purification systems. Although consumers do not come into direct contact with the modules,
they may use purified water from these systems. For further details, see Exposure Potential.
DOW UF modules conform to all applicable safety standards when used for RO pretreatment.
DOW EDI modules conform to all applicable safety standards when used for post-treatment
of RO permeate water. For further details, see Health Information.
DOW membrane products are stable under normal storage and use conditions. For further
details, see Physical Hazard Information.
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Manufacture of Product
Capacity6 – DOW™ membrane products are manufactured by Omex Environmental
Engineering Company, Ltd., an affiliated company of The Dow Chemical Company, at
facilities in Huzhou, China. About 10,000 DOW UF modules and 2,400 DOW EDI modules
are produced and sold each year.
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®™
Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow
Created: March 25, 2010
The Dow Chemical Company
Page 1 of 5
Product Safety Assessment: DOW™ Membrane Products
Process7,8,9 – DOW UF (ultrafiltration) modules are assembled using hollow fibers made from
hydrophilic polyvinylidine fluoride copolymers as the internal permeable membrane, sealed in
a high-strength pressure vessel. DOW™ EDI (electrodeionization) modules incorporate a
multilayer spiral-wound design that contains both ion-exchange resins and an ion-exchange
membrane sealed in a high-strength pressure vessel.
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Product Description10,11
DOW™ membrane products are marketed through Dow Water and Process Solutions. Two series of
products are available: DOW UF (ultrafiltration) modules and DOW EDI (electrodeionization) modules.
• UF Modules – DOW UF modules make use of unique high-strength, double-wall, hollow
fibers made from hydrophilic polyvinylidine fluoride copolymers as the internal membrane.
The hollow fibers, which represent a large surface area and small pore size (nominally 0.03
microns), are sealed into a polyvinylchloride (PVC) cylindrical pipe section or housing.
Several module sizes are available depending on volume requirements and space limitations.
• EDI modules – DOW EDI modules are composed of a multilayer, spiral-wound assembly
surrounding a clean water collection tube. Membranes with several layers of both anion and
cation ion-exchange resin make up the layers. The assembly is sealed in a fiberglassreinforced plastic (FRP) cylindrical pipe section. An electrical current is applied to the module
to force contaminant ions out of the feed water and into the waste stream. DOW EDI modules
are typically about 22 cm (10 inches) in diameter and 67 cm (30 inches) long and can
process up to 2.2 m3/h (10 gallons per minute).
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Product Uses12,13,14
DOW™ UF modules are used in industrial, municipal, and water-treatment systems to remove
bacteria, viruses, very fine particulates, and silt from water, without removing naturally occurring
minerals. These modules are suitable pretreatment for reverse osmosis (RO) units, which are
easily fouled by particulates. In this way, DOW UF modules extend the lifetime of RO elements or
membranes. The modules can be used to treat surface water, seawater, industrial wastewater,
and secondary effluent wastewater.
DOW EDI modules are also used in industrial water purification and treatment, but are designed
to be a “polishing” unit to remove contaminant ions that might remain after reverse osmosis (RO)
or to replace conventional mixed-bed ion-exchange units.
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Exposure Potential
DOW™ UF modules are used in commercial, municipal, and industrial water purification systems.
Although consumers do not come into direct contact with the modules, they may use purified
water from these systems. These modules are constructed from essentially inert plastic
components and polymeric films and hollow fibers, and do not contaminate the water.
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Workplace exposure – Workers using these modules in commercial and industrial water
purification systems must follow product-handling guidelines. Wearing protective gloves and
long sleeves helps prevent contact with contents of the module if the outer housing is
damaged. For details, refer to the relevant Safety Data Sheet, product data sheet, and
system manual.
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®™
Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow
Created: March 25, 2010
The Dow Chemical Company
Page 2 of 5
Product Safety Assessment: DOW™ Membrane Products
Health Information
Certifications from the National Sanitation Foundation/American National Standards Institute
(NSF/ANSI 61 certification) and the California Code of Regulations, Title 22, which require specific
health or filtration parameters for water-treatment systems, have been obtained for these products.
At the time of publication of this document, DOW™ EDI modules did not have any drinking-water
certifications. Some regulatory authorities do not consider EDI technology to be suitable for
drinking-water applications because essential minerals may be removed upon water treatment
with the modules.
For specific regulatory information for these products, visit the Dow Water and Process Solutions
web site or Contact Us.
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Environmental Information
For specific environmental information, visit the Dow Water and Process Solutions web site or
Contact Us.
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Physical Hazard Information
DOW™ membrane products are stable under normal storage and use conditions.
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Regulatory Information
Regulations may exist that govern the manufacture, sale, transportation, use, and/or disposal of
DOW™ membrane products. These regulations may vary by city, state, country, or geographic
region. Information may be found by visiting the Dow Water and Process Solutions web site or
Contact Us.
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Additional Information
Contact Us (http://www.dow.com/liquidseps/contact/geninfo.htm)
DOW™ Ultrafiltration: Meaningful Protection for Your Water Treatment Processes, The Dow
Chemical Company, Form No. 795-00005-0608XBBI, June 2008
(http://www.dow.com/PublishedLiterature/dh_0139/0901b8038013933c.pdf?filepath=liquidse
ps/pdfs/noreg/795-00005.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc)
DOW Electrodeionization: A Meaningful, Cost-Effective Solution for Polishing Reverse Osmosis Permeate, The Dow Chemical Company, Form No. 795-00006-0608XBBI, June 2008
(http://www.dow.com/PublishedLiterature/dh_0139/0901b8038013933f.pdf?filepath=liquidsep
s/pdfs/noreg/795-00006.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc)
DOW Ultrafiltration Product Manual, The Dow Chemical Company, Form No. 795-000221209, December 2009
(http://www.dow.com/PublishedLiterature/dh_0393/0901b80380393f10.pdf?filepath=liquidsep
s/pdfs/noreg/795-00022.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc)
DOW Ultrafiltration Modules: Model SFP-2660 and Model SFD-2660, Product Information,
The Dow Chemical Company, Form No. 795-00011-1109, November 2009
(http://www.dow.com/PublishedLiterature/dh_035b/0901b8038035bbe9.pdf?filepath=liquidse
ps/pdfs/noreg/795-00011.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc)
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®™
Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow
Created: March 25, 2010
The Dow Chemical Company
Page 3 of 5
Product Safety Assessment: DOW™ Membrane Products
DOW™ Ultrafiltration Module: Model SFP-2680, Product Information, The Dow Chemical
Company, Form No. 795-00012-0808, August 2008
(http://www.dow.com/PublishedLiterature/dh_0164/0901b80380164896.pdf?filepath=liquidse
ps/pdfs/noreg/795-00012.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc)
DOW Ultrafiltration Module: Model SFP-2860, Product Information, The Dow Chemical
Company, Form No. 795-00013-1109, November 2009
(http://www.dow.com/PublishedLiterature/dh_035b/0901b8038035bbf0.pdf?filepath=liquidsep
s/pdfs/noreg/795-00013.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc)
DOW Ultrafiltration Modules: Model SFP-2880 and Model SFD-2880, Product Information,
The Dow Chemical Company, Form No. 795-00030-1109, November 2009
(http://www.dow.com/webapps/lit/litorder.asp?filepath=liquidseps/pdfs/noreg/79500030.pdf&pdf=true)
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For more business information about DOW membrane products, visit the Dow Water and Process
Solutions web site at www.dow.com/liquidseps/.
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References™
1
DOW™ Ultrafiltration: Meaningful Protection for Your Water Treatment Processes, The Dow
Chemical Company, Form No. 795-00005-0608XBBI, June 2008, page 1.
2
DOW Electrodeionization: A Meaningful, Cost-Effective Solution for Polishing Reverse Osmosis
Permeate, The Dow Chemical Company, Form No. 795-00006-0608XBBI, June 2008, page 1.
3
Dow Water and Process Solutions web site: http://www.dow.com/liquidseps/prod/uf_index.htm
and http://www.dow.com/liquidseps/prod/edi_index.htm.
4
DOW Electrodeionization: A Meaningful, Cost-Effective Solution for Polishing Reverse Osmosis
Permeate, The Dow Chemical Company, Form No. 795-00006-0608XBBI, June 2008, pages
1–2.
5
DOW Ultrafiltration: Meaningful Protection for Your Water Treatment Processes, The Dow
Chemical Company, Form No. 795-00005-0608XBBI, June 2008, page 1.
6
Sales estimates from The Dow Chemical Company.
7
Dow Water and Process Solutions web site: http://www.dow.com/liquidseps/prod/uf_index.htm
and http://www.dow.com/liquidseps/prod/edi_index.htm.
8
DOW Electrodeionization: A Meaningful, Cost-Effective Solution for Polishing Reverse Osmosis
Permeate, The Dow Chemical Company, Form No. 795-00006-0608XBBI, June 2008, pages
1–2.
9
DOW Ultrafiltration: Meaningful Protection for Your Water Treatment Processes, The Dow
Chemical Company, Form No. 795-00005-0608XBBI, June 2008, pages 1–2.
10
DOW Ultrafiltration: Meaningful Protection for Your Water Treatment Processes, The Dow
Chemical Company, Form No. 795-00005-0608XBBI, June 2008, pages 1–3.
11
DOW Electrodeionization: A Meaningful, Cost-Effective Solution for Polishing Reverse Osmosis
Permeate, The Dow Chemical Company, Form No. 795-00006-0608XBBI, June 2008, pages
1–3.
12
Dow Water and Process Solutions web site: http://www.dow.com/liquidseps/prod/uf_index.htm
and http://www.dow.com/liquidseps/prod/edi_index.htm.
13
DOW Electrodeionization: A Meaningful, Cost-Effective Solution for Polishing Reverse Osmosis
Permeate, The Dow Chemical Company, Form No. 795-00006-0608XBBI, June 2008, page 1–
3.
14
DOW Ultrafiltration: Meaningful Protection for Your Water Treatment Processes, The Dow
Chemical Company, Form No. 795-00005-0608XBBI, June 2008, page 1–3.
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®™
Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow
Created: March 25, 2010
The Dow Chemical Company
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Product Safety Assessment: DOW™ Membrane Products
NOTICES:
As part of its 2015 Sustainability Goals, Dow has committed to make publicly available safety
assessments for its products globally. This product safety assessment is intended to give general
information about the chemical (or categories of chemicals) addressed. It is not intended to
provide an in-depth discussion of health and safety information. Additional information is available
through the relevant Safety Data Sheet, which should be consulted before use of the chemical.
This product safety assessment does not replace required communication documents such as
the Safety Data Sheet.
The information herein is supplied upon the condition that the persons receiving same will make
their own determination as to its suitability for their purposes prior to use. In no event will Dow be
responsible for damages of any nature whatsoever resulting from the use of or reliance upon the
information herein or the product to which that information refers.
Nothing contained herein is to be construed as a recommendation to use any product, process,
equipment or formulation in conflict with any patent, and Dow makes no representation or
warranty, express or implied, that the use thereof will not infringe any patent.
NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR OF ANY OTHER
NATURE ARE MADE HEREUNDER WITH RESPECT TO INFORMATION OR THE PRODUCT
TO WHICH INFORMATION REFERS.
Dow makes no commitment to update or correct any information that appears on the Internet or
on its World-Wide Web server. The information contained in this document is supplemental to the
Internet Disclaimer, http://www.dow.com/homepage/disclosure.html.
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Form No. 233-00424-MM-0310
®™
Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow
Created: March 25, 2010
The Dow Chemical Company
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