The United Kingdom Water Treatment Association (UKWTA) is the national Trade Association for companies involved in the sale and use of point-of-entry/point-of-use (POE/POU) water treatment chemicals and equipment in the UK.

Formed in March 2006, in response to changing legislation within the domestic water treatment sector, the Association already has over 100 member companies, including several well-known major household brand names.

The principal role of the Association is to establish the facts about the different types of water treatment products available in the UK and to advise industry, government and the public of the genuine performance benefits delivered.

The Associations aims to provide reliable and trustworthy information regarding what works where and when, and what installers and users need to do to conform to the requirements of the current standards and legislation.

By bringing together suppliers of products with end users, the Association seeks to develop best practice and produce information that will assist in product selection and installation.

In the first trial of its kind in the world over 300 families have been recruited to find out if water softeners can help in the treatment of childhood eczema.

The independent trial run by clinicians at The University of Nottingham has received funding of nearly £1million from the Department of Health’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme. The study is focusing on hard water areas in Nottingham and Leicester, Cambridge, London and the Isle of Wight.

The aim of the Soft Water Eczema Trial (SWET) is to discover whether eczema can be improved by deliberately softening all water used in the home — except at one tap in the kitchen which will supply mains water for drinking.

Results are due sometime during 2010 and we will bring you those results when they are available.

For more information about the water softener study visit The University of Nottingham website