Drinking Water Purification Filters in the Developing World
Despite the growing popularity of drinking water purification filters in North America, our public water supplies are among the cleanest and healthiest in the world. Our water is so good, in fact, that most of us hardly give a second thought to whether the water that comes out of our taps is safe to consume. Unfortunately, millions of people, primarily in developing countries, don’t have that kind of luxury. The United Nations estimates that approximately 3.5 million people die each year because of poor water quality, predominantly in sub-equatorial Africa and parts of Asia. Water scarcity, combined with water quality degradation caused by agricultural runoff, industrial disposal, and non-treatment of human waste, poses a significant barrier to improving living standards in the developing world.
Improving access to healthy water for people in developing countries is one of the most pressing human rights issues of our time. Happily, many innovative water purification filters have been developed in recent years that make healthy water available to millions who otherwise wouldn’t have it. One, LifeStraw, is a 310mm-long plastic tube that filters out harmful particles as small as 0.2 microns. It is used in a manner similar to a drinking straw and filters up to 1,000 liters of water – enough for one person for one year. Another system, the Omni Processor, is able to produce nearly 11,000 liters of potable water per day along with 100 kW of electricity all by processing “sewage sludge,” an abundant semi-solid byproduct of human waste treatment. Locally manufactured ceramic water purification filters are also gaining a foothold in developing countries. The most widely used ceramic filter, which resembles a basic flower pot, is impregnated with colloidal silver to remove bacteria, protozoa, and other microorganisms that are responsible for causing many diarrhea-related illnesses and deaths worldwide.
Water purification filters – whether used in developing countries or right here in North America – are fast-evolving technologies that offer millions of people a higher standard of living. For more information, contact RainSoft. Since 1953, we have manufactured water purifying filters for the home that are able to produce drinking water of outstanding quality.
