Note: LifeStraw has been significantly improved since this article was written. LifeStraw filters down to 0.2 microns using mechanical means – no chemicals are used to filter and it is BPA-free. To find out more, go to the most recent article about LifeStraw or to our wiki.
A $5 donation through a Rotary Club will purchase a LifeStraw for a person in a developing nation who has limited or no access to clean water.
U.S. and Canadian customers can purchase a LifeStraw for $19.95 through EarthEasy or Green Beetle Gear.
The Lifestraw is a simple looking device, merely a plastic tube at first glance, but inside is a powerful water filter, capable of killing disease-causing bacteria and viruses, and filtering particles down to the size of 15 microns. Distributing the Lifestraw to people without access to clean water can make the difference between life and death to them, and the cost to us is only about $5.
Lifestraw is the invention of Vestergaard-Frandsen, a Swiss firm that produces textiles for insect and disease control, and has been distributed through donations to people in the developing world. The device filters out 99.99% of bacteria, and contains an iodine element to kill viruses and parasites.
Medgadget has this description of the filtration process:
What first meets the water when sucked up is a pre-filter of PE filter textile with a mesh opening of 100 micron, shortly followed by a second textile filter in polyester with a mesh opening of 15 micron. In this way all big articles are filtered out, even clusters of bacteria are removed. Then the water is led into a chamber of iodine impregnated beads, where bacteria, viruses and parasites are killed. The second chamber is a void space, where the iodine being washed off the beads can maintain their killing effect. The last chamber consists of granulated active carbon, which role is to take the main part of the bad smell of iodine, and to take the parasites that have not been taken by the pre-filter or killed by the iodine. The biggest parasites will be taken by the pre-filter, the weakest will be killed by the iodine, and the medium range parasites will be picked up by the active carbon.
The Lifestraw Family version can handle a much larger volume of water, and as you can see in this video, it can turn water contaminated with some of the nastiest stuff you can imagine into potable water.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycEnu9p1GPE
The personal Lifestraw comes with a string to keep the device handy around the user’s neck, and can filter about 700 liters (185 gallons) of water, which works out to about a year’s worth of drinking water. It’s important that water can be filtered at the point of use, so a personal filter is a key element in safeguarding people, and if they always have one with them, the risk of drinking contaminated water is greatly reduced.
For those of us in the western world, with filtered and treated tap water freely available, the fact that a significant percentage of the population does not have access to potable water is not readily apparent. We have a hard time imagining what that would be like. However, for those who live in areas where everyday is a struggle to get clean water, and diarrhea and other waterborne illnesses are a common occurrence, this simple little device, the Lifestraw, really could be a lifesaver.
If you are so moved, please make a donation to Lifestraw and help out a fellow human today.
Related posts:
Plastic, eh? What about Bisphenol A?
LifeStraw is 100% BPA-free.
lol. I wouldn’t put cow dung to prove that the water is safe if I were him
This seems like an excellent solution for people who lack supply of clean water. Definitely one of the best tools around.
The music’s by a band called ‘Brad Sucks’, by the way. They(he) distributes music for free at Jamendo.com. Good stuff.
Ah, yes, Dave, let’s focus on a chemical with claims of harm that are already dubious given the minute amounts contained in the plastics you’re referring to instead of the life-saving properties. Absurdly small long-term risks of very vaguely-stated potential harms is a MUCH bigger concern than providing these people with immediate access to clean water that could save their lives TODAY and improve their quality of life. Let’s totally throw this out over a drastically-overstated and minor buzzword concern and skip the saving of likely thousands of lives.
or you could dig a hole next to a river or beach and get instant purified water! or boil dirty water and drink the condensed steam. or dig a hole, cover it and put a container at the bottom to catch the condensed water made from the sun evaporating the moisture in the ground.
Dude, you can’t base everything off of Survivorman/Man Vs. Wild episodes. People need an efficient way of cleansing water, or even reusing it when it’s necessary. You can’t just dig a hole in the ground and magically get rid of bacteria.
What an eye opening video. Water filter taken to the
next level. It made me cringed when he drank that water.
Lifestraw is doing a great service to these people.
Where can I get them in the USA?
LifeStraw can be purchased at http://eartheasy.com. Eartheasy sells LifeStraw retail to individuals and is also the sole distributor for wholesale accounts and bulk purchasers in the US and Canada.
How many people have actually used this? Can 3rd world manufacturers make these or will patents and licensing agreements cause the product to go nowhere?
It’s not a Swiss company though, they are Danish.. Swiss based, yes, but the founders and the administration are all Danish. Swiss based for tax reasons I assume
This is BS! $5???
Please show me where I can buy Lifestraw for $5 or even $50. Please provide a link where you can go and actually buy this product online.
Guess what? There isn’t any. This may be some kind of scam or fraud. You can donate, but you can’t buy the product. Where’s the money going? How do you know there even is a product if you can’t buy it and use it?
I found it through Eartheasy.com. turns out they’re just launched now. Don’t know about the delay though.
http://eartheasy.com/lifestraw
Been there, done that, got the T-shirt…
I´ve put Lifestraw to the test by deliberately going for the worst looking and smelly ponds I can find when hiking and believe me, some of the water´ish substance i´ve been drinking would have been sencored on Discovery…
I won´t even try to describe the taste of the guey I drank in some parts of Cuba.
Not once have I experienced reactions such as vomiting, stomach-pain or even discomfort. (exept from the natural reaction from the foul taste…)
There are probably other products doing the same job for all I know, but Lifestraw actually works:-)
http://www.vestergaard-frandsen.com/news/press-releases/291-vestergaard-frandsen-response-to-emergency-flooding-in-pakistan
I think you can try ordering the product yourself using the link above…
where can I buy lifestraws?
Thanks
Can people in the US purchase these for themselves?
is there anyway in which the component contain family planning medicine? question in my village!
I have read about this wonderful device and have personaly donated some to an organization when the typhoon hit Myanmar. I would like to find out if there are home units or family units.Would like to send them to some Cambodian villages along the Thai border where clean drinking water is not easily available. I know World Outreach is involved in such a project but they have to purchase them as well.
there are only two places in North America that retail LifeStraw to consumers (as of today).
greenbeetlegear.com is one of them, the other is a canadian outfit.
Go to Vestergaard Frandsen’s page (they manufacture the straw) to get both links to the retailers mentioned above.
Eartheasy.com sells LifeStraw online at http://eartheasy.com/lifestraw. They ship out of Wisconsin, which is not in Canada last time I checked.
http://eartheasy.com/lifestraw
It’s sold at the above address. Ships to USA and Canada. Cost is $19.95. I just bought three.
The article above is incorrect: no iodine beads anymore, and it filters down to 0.2 microns, which is way better than 15 microns.
LifeStraw is now available to consumers in the US and Canada, as of two weeks ago. Here is the website:
http://eartheasy.com/lifestraw
I want to buy a lifestraw family. But I don’t know where i can buy in Vietnam, please help me? or you can donate for us. thanks