LifeStraw

LifeStraw includes LifeStraw Personal and LifeStraw Family, which are complementary point-of-use water filters designed by the Swiss-based Vestergaard Frandsen for people living in developing nations. LifeStraw Personal filters a minimum of 700 litres of water, enough for one person and one year. LifeStraw Family filters a minimum of 18,000 litres of water, providing safe drinking water for a family for more than two years. LifeStraw Personal kills 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria and 98.5% of viruses. LifeStraw Family removes 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria, 99.99% of vira, and 99.9% of parasites.

Construction

The LifeStraw Personal is a plastic tube 31 centimeters long and 30 millimeters in diameter [ [http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/003388.html WorldChanging: Tools, Models and Ideas for Building a Bright Green Future: Gil Friend: The LifeStraw ] ] , and costs around $3.00 [ [http://www.gizmag.com/go/4418/1/ The LifeStraw makes dirty water clean] ] . Water that is sucked through the straw first passes through a mesh of 100-micrometer spaces, then through a mesh of 15-micrometer spaces. Water then passes through a chamber with iodine-coated beads, killing remaining bacteria. The water passes through an empty chamber, then finally passes through active carbon, removing the iodide taste and medium-sized bacteria. [http://www.medgadget.com/archives/2005/05/lifestraw.html LifeStraw^TM] ] The entire process is powered by regular sucking, similar to using a conventional drinking straw, and filters up to 700 liters of water. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4967452.stm New straw to kill disease as you drink] ] The filter does not currently remove Giardia lamblia, but the company is working on this issue. [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19121634/site/newsweek/page/0/ Water for the World] , Newsweek, By Jennie Yabroff,6/12/07. ]

Critical response

LifeStraw Personal has generally been praised for its effective and instant method of bacteria removal. However, the device is ineffective at killing "Giardia lamblia", an organism that is both resistant to iodine and smaller than 5 micrometers. The device also causes higher-than-normal iodine levels in the drinkers' water, although this is countered by the iodine deficiency problem that exists in the third world. Paul Hetherington, of the charity WaterAid, has also criticised the LifeStraw Personal for being too expensive and not solving the problem. He says that the price is expensive to those who would need it, and that it does not alleviate other problems in third world countries.

LifeStraw Family however, aims at being a response to above mentioned criticisms, providing cheaper water (lower cost per purified liter) and removing the complete spectrum of microbiological contamination, including parasites like Giardia lamblia [http://www.vestergaard-frandsen.com/lifestraw-f-testresult.htm] , .

References

External links

* [http://www.lifestraw.com Life Straw Website]
* [http://www.lifestraw.wikispaces.com Life Straw Wiki]