Meghan Schwend World Changing Post #2

World Changing Post #2

Meghan Schwend

The LifeStraw (page 208 of World Changing)

One product that has the potential to change the lives of those living in developing countries is the LifeStraw. Clean water is a human necessity that is not always available to those living in poverty. The result of this is diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid, and cholera. All of these serious diseases can be easily prevented by a simple, inexpensive water filtration system. This is where the LifeStraw comes in.

This LifeStraw is a tube that can be placed directly into the water source (i.e. lakes, rivers, and water channels) and used like a straw. The tainted water is sucked up through a system of filters to the user’s mouth. The first filter used gets all of the large sediment and bacteria clusters out of the way. The next step has iodine-filled beads that kill the smaller viruses, parasites and bacteria, such as E.coli, Shigella, Salmonella, Enterococuss, and staphylococcus aureus. The last part of the filtration system is granulated carbon that kills any remaining impurities as well as neutralizes the smell of iodine from the second chamber.

What is so innovative about this product is its availability and cost. One LifeStraw and be used for about two years and costs only $4. That is as much as four bottles of water cost in the U.S. The availability to those who need the LifeStraw most is just as innovative as its simple, yet effective design. I have a lot of confidence that this filtration device will drastically change the lives of people of developing countries.