LISLE, Ill. – The Water Quality Association (WQA) advises consumers to be on the lookout for telemarketing water treatment scams in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. WQA has been made aware of at least one instance in Maryland in which a telemarketer posing as the Water Quality Association advised a homeowner that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) had determined that the coronavirus was being transmitted through water, followed by an offer to test their water.
“That’s absolutely untrue,” said WQA Technical Affairs Director Eric Yeggy. “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has specifically stated that the coronavirus has not been detected in drinking-water supplies.”
The Water Quality Association operates the Gold Seal Product Certification Program and Laboratory for the evaluation, testing and certification of water treatment technologies. It does not provide testing services directly to consumers and does not solicit door-to-door or over the telephone. Its members, who offer critical water technology products and services for households, businesses and industry, do not engage in such tactics and follow a strict Code of Ethics.
Consumers should be advised that based on current evidence, the risk to water supplies from COVID-19 is low, according to the EPA.
CDC information on COVID-19 and drinking water: https://www.cdc.gov/
EPA information on COVID-19 and drinking water: https://www.epa.gov/
WQA is a not-for-profit trade association representing the residential, commercial, and industrial water treatment industry. WQA’s education and professional certification programs have been providing industry-standardized training and credentialing since 1977. The WQA Gold Seal certification program has been certifying products that contribute to the safe consumption of water since 1959. The WQA Gold Seal program is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC).