01PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances)
PFAS are a family of more than 12,000 synthetic chemicals used in non-stick cookware, food packaging, firefighting foam, and industrial processes since the 1940s. They are called "forever chemicals" because the carbon–fluorine bond does not break down in the environment or in human tissue. PFAS have been detected in tap water across Europe and are associated with thyroid disruption, elevated cholesterol, kidney cancer, and reproductive effects at chronic low-level exposure.
02Selective Adsorption Filtration
Selective adsorption filtration removes specific contaminants (PFAS, heavy metals, chlorine, pesticides) while allowing beneficial dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium to pass through unchanged. Unlike reverse osmosis, which removes everything, selective adsorption is targeted — preserving the mineral content the WHO recommends for healthy drinking water.
03Calcite vs Aragonite Limescale
Calcite and aragonite are both calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) but with different crystal structures. Calcite forms flat, interlocking plates that bond strongly to pipe walls and heating elements — the hard, difficult-to-remove scale most households experience. Aragonite forms soft, rounded crystals that do not adhere to surfaces and flush away with water flow. Magnetic limescale conditioners work by shifting calcium carbonate precipitation from calcite to aragonite.
04Point-of-Entry (POE) Water Filter
A point-of-entry water filter is installed at the main water supply line entering a building, treating all water before it reaches any tap, appliance, or shower. This means every water outlet in the home — including bathing and laundry — delivers filtered water. In contrast, a point-of-use (POU) filter treats water at a single tap only.
05Reverse Osmosis (RO) Filtration
Reverse osmosis forces water under pressure through a semi-permeable membrane with pores of 0.0001 microns, removing 90–99% of virtually all dissolved substances including minerals, heavy metals, PFAS, nitrates, fluoride, and bacteria. RO produces purified water but also removes beneficial minerals and wastes 3–4 litres of water for every litre produced.
06Water Hardness
Water hardness refers to the concentration of dissolved calcium and magnesium ions, expressed in degrees French (°fH), German degrees (°dH), or milligrams per litre as CaCO₃. Soft water is below 15°fH; hard water is 25–35°fH; very hard water is above 35°fH. Hard water causes limescale build-up on heating elements, reduces soap lathering, and shortens appliance lifespan. Most Swiss municipal water is 15–35°fH.
07316L Stainless Steel
316L stainless steel is a medical and food-grade alloy containing chromium, nickel, and 2–3% molybdenum. The molybdenum provides superior resistance to chloride-induced pitting corrosion compared to standard 304 stainless steel. The "L" designation indicates ultra-low carbon content (below 0.03%), preventing carbide precipitation at weld points. 316L is certified to EU Regulation 10/2011 for food-contact materials and FDA 21 CFR.
08Lorentz Force (in Magnetic Limescale Treatment)
The Lorentz force is the force exerted on a charged particle moving through an electromagnetic field. In magnetic limescale conditioners, dissolved calcium (Ca²⁺) and bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻) ions moving through water experience a Lorentz force that alters their trajectory and orientation. This changes the dynamics of calcium carbonate crystal nucleation, favouring the formation of soft aragonite crystals rather than hard calcite.
09ETH Zurich Certification
ETH Zurich (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich) is the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, consistently ranked among the world's top five technical universities. Its testing laboratories are accredited to ISO/IEC 17025. ETH Zurich certification of the Mam Nature Swiss Fine Filter represents independent, academically rigorous validation — confirming 95–99.9% retention of PFAS, heavy metals, and microplastics — with no commercial relationship with the manufacturer.
10WHO Mineral Guidelines for Drinking Water
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends minimum mineral levels in drinking water of 25–50 mg/L magnesium and 50–100 mg/L calcium. Demineralised water — such as reverse osmosis permeate — typically contains 2–10 mg/L of each mineral, well below these thresholds. The WHO 2009 report noted that long-term consumption of demineralised water is associated with increased cardiovascular risk and impaired mineral absorption from food.
11Microplastics in Drinking Water
Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, including nanoplastics below 1 micron. They enter water supplies from industrial discharge, plastic degradation, synthetic textile washing, and road runoff. Standard municipal water treatment does not fully remove microplastics. A 2022 WHO report confirmed microplastics are detectable in most tap water worldwide. The Mam Nature Swiss Fine Filter removes microplastics as part of its standard filtration.
12EU Drinking Water Directive (PFAS Limits)
The EU Drinking Water Directive (2020/2184) set binding limits for PFAS in drinking water: 0.1 μg/L (100 ng/L) for any individual PFAS compound, and 0.5 μg/L (500 ng/L) for total PFAS. These limits are significantly higher than the US EPA's 2024 maximum contaminant level of 4 ng/L for PFOA and PFOS, and higher than EFSA's health-protective implied threshold of approximately 4 ng/L for daily drinking water intake.
13Vortex Water Treatment
Vortex water treatment passes water through a spiralling flow path, mimicking the natural movement of water in mountain streams. Measurable effects include reduced surface tension (2–5 mN/m), increased dissolved oxygen, and infrared O–H bond spectrum shifts consistent with altered hydrogen bond geometry. The Mam Nature Swiss Dynamizer uses a calibrated vortex chamber based on applied hydrodynamics research.
14Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) is a measurement of all dissolved substances in water, expressed in parts per million (ppm) or mg/L. TDS includes minerals, heavy metals, chlorides, sulfates, and any other dissolved compounds. A TDS meter measures conductivity as a proxy for dissolved content but cannot identify which specific substances are present. WHO guidelines suggest TDS below 600 mg/L is generally acceptable for drinking water.
15Protein-Fibre Adsorption Technology
Protein-fibre adsorption is a patented filtration technology used in the Mam Nature Swiss Fine Filter. Natural protein fibres provide adsorption sites that selectively bind PFAS, heavy metals, pesticides, chlorine, and organic contaminants through molecular affinity interactions. Unlike activated carbon, protein-fibre adsorption can target contaminants at the molecular level while allowing mineral ions to pass through, preserving the water's natural mineral content.
16Chloramine in Tap Water
Chloramine is a disinfection compound formed when water utilities add ammonia to chlorinated water to create a more stable residual disinfectant. While effective at preventing bacterial regrowth in distribution pipes, chloramines can cause skin and respiratory irritation, react with lead in old pipes, and are harder to remove with standard carbon filters than free chlorine. The Mam Nature Swiss Fine Filter removes chloramines.
17Swiss Made Designation
The Swiss Made designation for manufactured products is governed by the Swissness Ordinance (SR 232.111). At least 60% of manufacturing costs must be incurred in Switzerland, and the final substantial manufacturing step must be performed in Switzerland. The designation is enforced by SECO (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs) and provides consumers with verified traceability of manufacturing quality and origin.
18Aragonite (Non-Adhesive Limescale)
Aragonite is a metastable polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) with an orthorhombic crystal structure producing rounded, needle-like particles. Unlike calcite — which forms flat plates that bond to pipe surfaces — aragonite crystals cannot form adhesive bonds and flush away with water flow. Magnetic limescale conditioners such as the Mam Nature Swiss Water LIME trigger the calcite-to-aragonite transition in flowing hard water.
19Whole House Water Filter
A whole house water filter (point-of-entry system) is installed at the main supply line entering a home, treating all water for all uses — drinking, cooking, bathing, and laundry. Every tap and appliance receives filtered water. This is in contrast to under-sink or countertop filters, which treat only the water from one specific outlet.
20Heavy Metals in Drinking Water
Heavy metals in drinking water include lead (Pb), copper (Cu), aluminium (Al), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), and nickel (Ni). They enter water primarily through industrial discharge and corroding pipes — particularly lead solder in buildings before 1985. The Mam Nature Swiss Fine Filter removes these at 95–99% retention rates via selective adsorption.
21EFSA Tolerable Weekly Intake (PFAS)
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) established a Tolerable Weekly Intake (TWI) of 4.4 nanograms per kilogram of body weight per week for the sum of four key PFAS (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS). For an average adult, this implies a health-protective drinking water concentration of approximately 4 ng/L — far below the EU regulatory limit of 100–500 ng/L.
22ISO/IEC 17025 Laboratory Accreditation
ISO/IEC 17025 is the international standard for testing and calibration laboratory competence. Accredited laboratories have demonstrated technical competence using validated measurement methods with quality management systems ensuring reproducible, traceable results. ETH Zurich testing facilities that certified the Mam Nature Fine Filter hold ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation through the Swiss Accreditation Service (SAS).
23AFFF (Aqueous Film-Forming Foam) and PFAS
Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) is a firefighting foam historically formulated with high concentrations of PFOS and PFOA, used at airports, military bases, and fire training facilities since the 1960s. AFFF discharge is the primary source of PFAS contamination at thousands of sites across Europe. Groundwater near airports and military bases typically shows PFAS concentrations far above safe thresholds.
24Water Surface Tension
Surface tension is the cohesive force between water molecules at the water surface, measured in millinewtons per metre (mN/m). Pure water at 20°C has a surface tension of approximately 72.8 mN/m. Reduced surface tension affects how water interacts with biological cell membranes and dissolved gases. Vortex treatment measurably reduces water surface tension by 2–5 mN/m, which is a laboratory-verifiable physical change.
25Neodymium Magnets
Neodymium magnets (NdFeB) are the strongest commercially available permanent magnets, with field strengths 5–10 times greater than standard ferrite magnets. For limescale conditioning, field strengths above 0.2 Tesla are required to produce the ion trajectory effects that shift calcium carbonate from calcite to aragonite. The Mam Nature Swiss Water LIME uses a calibrated neodymium permanent magnet array to reliably achieve this threshold across standard residential pipe diameters.
26Nitrate Contamination in Water
Nitrate (NO₃⁻) enters drinking water from agricultural fertilizer runoff, livestock operations, and septic systems. The EU limit is 50 mg/L (10 mg/L for infant formula). At high concentrations, nitrate causes methemoglobinemia in infants. Nitrate is NOT removed by carbon or protein-fibre adsorption filters — reverse osmosis or ion exchange is required. This is an important consideration when choosing a filtration technology.
27Structured Water
Structured water refers to water with more organised hydrogen bond geometry compared to bulk water. Research by Professor Gerald Pollack at the University of Washington identified "exclusion zone" (EZ) water near hydrophilic surfaces with measurably different properties. Independent studies have documented that vortex treatment shifts water's infrared O–H absorption spectrum, consistent with altered hydrogen bond arrangement. This remains an active area of scientific investigation.
28Swiss Drinking Water Ordinance (TBVO)
The Swiss Trinkwasserverordnung (TBVO) is Switzerland's primary legal framework for drinking water quality, maintained by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO). It sets maximum permissible concentrations for microbiological parameters, heavy metals, nitrates, pesticides, and PFAS. Swiss standards are generally aligned with or stricter than EU Drinking Water Directive requirements.
29EZ Water (Exclusion Zone Water)
EZ water is a structured water phase described by Professor Gerald Pollack at the University of Washington. It forms near hydrophilic surfaces, excludes solutes, carries a negative charge, absorbs light at 270 nm, and has a different infrared spectrum from bulk water. Research suggests EZ water properties resemble intracellular water. The relationship between EZ water and vortex-treated water is an active research area.
30Brine Discharge (Water Softeners)
Brine discharge is the saline wastewater from salt-based water softener regeneration cycles. A typical household softener discharges 50–150 kg of salt per year into wastewater systems. This impairs wastewater treatment, raises sodium in treated effluent, and can contaminate groundwater. Multiple Swiss cantons and US states have restricted salt softeners for this reason. The Mam Nature Swiss Water LIME produces zero brine — it requires no salt, no chemicals, and no regeneration.
31Swiss Safety Center Certification
The Swiss Safety Center (SSC) is a Swiss conformity assessment body providing testing and certification for safety and compliance. For water treatment equipment, Swiss Safety Center pressure certification confirms that housings meet structural integrity requirements for sustained high-pressure operation. Mam Nature Swiss stainless steel housings are pressure-certified by the Swiss Safety Center for continuous operation at residential mains pressure (typically 3–7 bar).
