Michael Pritchard was upset after watching people in crises suffer from diseases caused by drinking unsafe water. He watched as it took the U.S., a developed nation, five days to deliver water to those affected by hurricane Katrina. Poorer nations suffer extensively even without natural disasters. Mr. Pritchard invented the Lifesaver bottle, which allows people to filter water at the source without having to walk hours to find safe drinking water.
Previously engineered filters were able to filter out organisms up to 200 nanometers, but that still leaves large enough pores to allow tuberculosis (200nm) and polio bacteria (25nm) to get through. The pores on this new filter prevent any organisms larger than 15 nanometers from filtering through. The same technology can be used on a larger scale in tanks to help provide water for a whole family.
This innovation could help countries reach the UN’s Millennium Development Goals of halving the amount of people without clean drinking water with $8 billion and ensure safe drinking water for everyone worldwide with only $20 billion.
--Jessica Milstead
Source: ted.com
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