Well water worries: UV filters tested to protect kids from diarrhea

NCT ID NCT04826991

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Temple University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study looks at whether using a UV light filter on private well water can lower the chance of stomach infections in children under 5. About 900 families in Pennsylvania and New Jersey will either get a working UV filter or a fake one. Researchers will track how often kids get sick and test water and stool samples to understand the link between well water and illness.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Ultraviolet (UV) light water treatment device
What this could lead to: If successful, this could show that treating well water with UV light reduces stomach infections in children, providing evidence to guide public health recommendations.
What could go wrong: This is an observational-style trial with a sham control, not a treatment study. The UV device may not significantly reduce illness, and results may not apply to other regions or water sources.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 908 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jul 2021

Expected to finish

Aug 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

6 to 59 months

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Child resides in Adams, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northumberland, Northampton, Perry, Pike, Schuylkill, Wayne, Wyoming, and York county in Pennsylvania and all counties in New Jersey. * Household is served by a private well * Participant child is under the age of 5 (under 4 at time of enrollment), who is a full-time resident of the home and drinks untreated well water * Parent/guardian has access to a phone with texting capabilities Exclusion Criteria: * Child participant is immunocompromised * Child participant has a chronic gastrointestinal condition * Child takes daily oral steroids * Household treats water for microbiological contamination before consumption * Child exclusively drinks bottled water

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

diarrheal disease digestive system infectious disorder viral respiratory tract infection Waterborne Diseases

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Diarrhea Gastrointestinal infection Respiratory viral infection Waterborne diseases

Well water worries: UV filters tested to protect kids from diarrhea

What the study statuses mean