5/31/2005: Lifestraw
 

http://cellar.org/2005/lifestraw.jpg

This is one of those images that's pretty unremarkable at first...

It turns out that a ton of the third world drinks from the kind of water you see there - dirty, unfiltered water, often terribly contaminated. In fact, lack of clean drinking water is the number one cause of death in the entire world.

The straw this woman is using is a simple solution. It's called "Lifestraw". This website gives us the detail:

So far the product is not marketed yet, but after intensive laboratory tests we are now conducting field tests to observe where the filter could be improved for users. Users or consumers are defined as most people in the 3rd world, and they will benefit by having the possibility of clean water with this pipe filter. The worlds greatest killer is diarrhoeal diseases from bacteria like typhoid, cholera, e. coli, salmonella etc. With LifeStraw, which lasts for one persons annual needs of clean water, nobody needs to die from these diseases. This design is made with special emphasize on avoiding any moving parts, to disregard spare parts, and to avoid the use of electricity, which does not exist in many areas in the 3rd world. But as you need force to implement the filtering, we have chosen to use the natural source of sucking, that even babies are able to perform. We have managed to produce this product at a price that people in this business find hard to believe, but we have found it essential to be able to present a price to the consumer in the 3rd world that they find affordable. When fully used in the 3rd world this will indeed be a LifeSaver.

UT - do you realize that it is still early in the day and you just "forced" half of all cellarites to reach for the nearest bong? what are you thinking man?

good image, better story.

:joint: too late! :fumette:

I hope that product works, and everyone who needs one gets one, and the creators don't sell the rights to some giant healthcare firm that will engineer them poorly and charge too much.

I wonder what happens if you drink bongwater through one? You could possibly smoke the residue that's left in the filter afterwards.

I just gagged a little in my throat.

These folks would think they'd died & gone to heaven here with about 70% of the people walking around with a bottle of designer water in each hand.
Again, fellow americans.... let us be thankful!
Now if you'll excuse me, its GANGA TIME!

I want one to go hiking with.

I was flashing on the Wildebeast drinking like that when the 'gator got him. :eek:

Thanks, xoB. Now I need a straw (and a mop, and rag and a couple of cans of compressed air) to rescue my laptop screen and keyboard from a mouthful of coffee. :haha:

http://www.backcountry.com/store/EXT...+purification&

http://www.katadyn.ch/site/us/home/o...stream_bottle/

Good news: dip and run, sip and laugh at the 'gators from a tree branch in the shade... *blows raspberry*

Bad news: 26 gallons per filter...

This is a good idea if it works. Avoid the AccuFilter Straw however.

Can you imagine what it would be like for one of the people drinking from that river to come here and see us watering our lawns with municipal water?

I want one for hiking also, particularly backpacking. Any oz. saved is important!

If I owned a house with a lawn in the City of Philadelphia, I don't think I'd use the municipal water for watering the lawn. To drink it is like playing Russian Roulette as it is.

Yeah, you don't want Philly water getting into the water table.

I hear that in Chestnut Hill (section of Philadelphia known for big money and big power) they water the lawns with Evian.

It's Poland Spring, but shhh! Don't tell anyone!