It's no secret that residents of third world countries experience difficulties with drinking water and hygiene. These are the same challenges that naturalists, researchers, and prairie travelers face. One useful solution to the problem was the LifeStraw water filter, jointly developed by the Carter Center and the Swiss company Vestergaard Frandsen.
The compact device is made in the form of a tube with a cord. As planned, it should be worn around the neck so that it is always at hand. Even a child can use it: the caps open on both sides, put it in water and start drinking. Then it should be closed so that dirt does not get in.
This device works as follows. Water passes through four compartments before entering your mouth. The first stage is rough mechanical cleaning, the second is additional cleaning from mechanical impurities, after which there is bacteriological treatment, purification from viruses and bacteria. The last stage is the passage of water through granular activated carbon, destroying artifacts and unpleasant odors.
This device works as follows. The water passes through four compartments before entering your mouth. The first stage is rough mechanical cleaning, the second is additional cleaning from mechanical impurities, after which there is bacteriological treatment, purification from viruses and bacteria. The last stage is the passage of water through granular activated carbon, destroying artifacts and unpleasant odors.
The developer says the four-stage purification system kills 99.9999% of bacteria and 98.7% of viruses.
Salmonella, Escherichia coli, cholera, typhoid and other dangerous microorganisms will not enter the body. Almost any water can be drinkable. A rain puddle, a river, or a silt-covered lake in the forest will do.
One charge of the LifeStraw is enough for 700 liters of water. In other words, one person can use such a tube for a year. The pipe costs about two dollars today. Vestergaard Frandsen hopes it can find a government grant or sponsor to distribute the straws free of charge to residents of Uganda, Kenya and other third world countries. Especially these adaptations would be useful to residents of countries located near the Sahara Desert.
