Aquaculture (Fish Farming)
Fish grown to be consumed by humans need to live in safe, potable water. Materials used in housing, feeding, or filtering water for fish can contain chemical additives that leach toxins into the water or interact with the aquatic environment. When fish drink or “breathe” the water, the toxins are absorbed by their cells as well. These toxins can include plasticizers, heavy metals, or other dangerous chemicals. To ensure safety, liners used in aquaculture and algaculture must be tested and certified for food safety by NSF International, an independent federal agency tasked with developing and enforcing standards for the protection of food, water, consumer products and the environment. NSF ratings of 61 (potable water) or better are required for materials used in hydroponics, organic farming, and more. To achieve this rating, Liners like BTL’s AquaArmor line,as well as other materials are tested over long periods of time to ensure that the eventual breakdown of the material doesn’t allow chemicals to leach into the water.
Certain liner materials pose risks to health if allowed to come into contact with something humans consume. An unsafe liner can lead to dangerous effects later down the line, either individually or on a widespread level. PVC often contains plasticizing chemicals to make the material flexible. These plasticizers, commonly known as phthalates, have been found to be dangerous for long-term consumption by humans or animals. Since they’re designed to make sheet materials flexible, phthalates aren’t used for rigid pipes made from PVC, which is why some rigid PVC materials are approved for use with potable water. For a durable, flexible material that is approved for potable water containment, stick to multi-layered RPE. This material is highly flexible without the use of phthalates or other harmful chemicals. Durable, leach and chemical resistant, food safe, RPE liners are the best way to ensure quality and safety for your customers and family.
Ensuring healthy and food-safe water leads to healthy and safe-to-eat fish. Unlike most PVC liners, BTL’s RPE liners are leach-proof, meaning no plasticizers or toxins are released into the water. This ensures your fish are swimming, breathing and drinking in water that’s safe to consume.
Algaculture (The Good Kind of Algae!)
The production of various species of algae is a relatively new (and booming) business in the US and other places around the world. Algae is commonly used in the production of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, nutrition supplements, and directly as food. You’ve probably used many algae-based products over your lifetime. Have you ever consumed spirulina? How about ice cream?
Some algae are grown for other uses, such as in wastewater treatment, to produce biomass, or for green energy production like biodiesel. Those uses don’t require food-grade level safety, but algae used for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, as well as those intended for human consumption must be produced in environments geared to maximum safety.
When you’re considering liners for algae production, it’s important to remember that some types of liner materials can be extremely dangerous to human health. Aside from phthalate and other plasticizers, flexible PVC, sheet goods, and other products may contain hydrogen chloride and dioxins, which can cause severe respiratory ailments, birth defects and cancer in humans. Algae grown in water that’s been exposed to these substances absorb and concentrate the toxins, which are then consumed or absorbed by human contact.
Algae used for medicines, food, or dietary supplements need to ensure that everything coming into touch with the algae is food safe. This includes containers for storage, transportation, and the environments used to grow the algae. Liners with an NSF 61 certification are potable water certified, meaning they are safe for handling goods intended for human consumption.
