PETALING JAYA: The Water and Energy Consumers Association of Malaysia (Wecam) yesterday cautioned the people against being duped by companies selling water filters with dubious claims.

Its secretary-general, S. Piarapakaran, said among the claims were improvement in the body's immune system, reduction in allergy and elimination of toxic materials from the water.

He said a recent survey by Wecam found that a company was also claiming that its filters could "break water molecules into smaller particles so that they can be easily absorbed by the body".

This, he explained, was a false claim as water molecules were held by hydrogen bonds, which could not be broken by any filtration process.

Piarapakaran said the survey found that while more households were using water filters, more companies were also making false claims.

"This trend is very worrying and the authorities should intensify enforcement to ensure that the rights of consumers are safeguarded."

He said the level of awareness among consumers on the types and functions of water filers was low.

For example, he said, out of the 1,792 households surveyed, only 66 had sufficient knowledge on the types and functions of filters.

He said this needed immediate attention.

Piarapakaran said Wecam had submitted a memorandum to the National Water Services Commission, the Health Ministry and the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry, urging them to take immediate action against unethical water filter companies and to intensify educational programmes.

He advised consumers to contact Wecam or the Federation of Consumers Associations of Malaysia (Fomca) for information before buying water filters. -- Bernama