Billerica, Mass.-based Millipore showcased its new Direct-Q System for delivery of pure and ultra-pure water at the 2005 Pittsburgh Conference in Orlando, Fla. "The Direct-Q system is for small-volume users such as chemical, environmental, or food and beverage labs," says Millipore spokesperson Karen Gobler. "People in the lab market who haven't thought about their lab equipment before and use distilled, bottled, or even tap water ... their results are being compromised." Craig Hodges, director of analytical chemistry at Alexza MDC, a medical-device company in Palo Alto, Calif., agrees, saying bottled water can become contaminated, slowing research and increasing costs.