Vital Living Products, Inc.'s Pesticide Kits Available at ACE Hardware Dealers

Vital Living Products, Inc. dba American Water Service, manufacturer of PurTest(R) water testing kits, has announced that ACE Hardware, headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, has added the PurTest(R) Pesticide kit to ACE warehouse distribution network serving 5,800 ACE dealers nationwide. ACE has carried four of PurTest(R)'s award winning, professionally endorsed, kits for all their dealers since April 1998 and this month agreed to add the newest PurTest(R) Pesticide kit for detecting the absence or presence of 13 triazines, the pesticides that have been most commonly detected in home tap water.

Donald R. Podrebarac, President and CEO, said, "ACE Hardware was the first customer to offer the PurTest(R) kits throughout the United States. We are tremendously pleased that our product has done so well for ACE and that the ACE dealers can now add the newest product in the do-it-yourself line."

The PurTest(R) kit is designed for homeowners to use. Mr. Podrebarac continued, "The convenience of being able to detect the test results in eight minutes at home gives people immediate assurance, if it shows pesticides are not present in harmful levels -- and an immediate opportunity to correct the problem if they are."

Vital Living developed the PurTest(R) Pesticide kit as a result of growing data and community concern about the risks of pesticides that remain in the ground years after application and which studies have linked to motor skill development problems in young children, pets and small livestock animals.

Jack Burns, Buyer at ACE Hardware, acknowledged that the concern about drinking water quality is a national issue and said, "We have been hearing more about the dangers of pesticides and have seen reports of its impact on water resources. Dealer success with PurTest(R)'s Bacteria, Iron, Hardness, Lead and Home Water Analysis Kits have proved consumer interest supports our decision." He added, "I plan to feature PurTest(R) at the Spring ACE Hardware Dealers Show in Atlanta, Georgia, April 6-10 in my own presentation to our dealers. It is the kind of product that not only creates new demand but also helps customers select the water treatment equipment they need."