LifeStraw is a brand of water filtration and purification devices. The original LifeStraw was designed as a portable

water filter A water filter removes impurities by lowering contamination of water using a fine physical barrier, a chemical process, or a biological process. Filters cleanse water to different extents, for purposes such as: providing agricultural irrigation, ...

"straw". It filters a maximum of 4,000 litres of water, and enough for one person for three years. It removes almost all waterborne

bacteria Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of Prokaryote, prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micr ...

microplastics Microplastics are "synthetic solid particles or polymeric matrices, with regular or irregular shape and with size ranging from 1 μm to 5 mm, of either primary or secondary manufacturing origin, which are insoluble in water." Microplastics a ...

and germs. A bottle was later developed which incorporated a LifeStraw cartridge into a BPA-free plastic sports water bottle. In addition to these portable filters, the manufacturer produces high-volume purifiers powered by gravity that also remove

virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living Cell (biology), cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Viruses are ...

es. These are designed for family and community use. The

s are designed by the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

-based

Vestergaard Frandsen Vestergaard is a company headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland that manufactures public health tools for people in developing countries. Founded as Vestergaard Frandsen in 1957 as a uniform maker, the company evolved into a social enterprise mak ...

. While originally developed for people living in

developing nation A developing country is a sovereign state with a less-developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to developed countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreeme ...

s and for distribution in

humanitarian crisis A humanitarian crisis (or sometimes humanitarian disaster) is defined as a singular event or a series of events that are threatening in terms of health, safety or well-being of a community or large group of people. It may be an internal or exter ...

, the filters have gained popularity as consumer products. The device is now used as a tool for survivalists and outdoor enthusiasts in addition to being used to help combat clean

water scarcity Water scarcity (closely related to water stress or water crisis) is the lack of fresh water resources to meet the standard water demand. There are two types of water scarcity. One is ''physical.'' The other is ''economic water scarcity''. Physic ...

worldwide. The filters can provide clean water without the need for batteries or chemical treatment. They are made using

hollow fiber membrane Hollow fiber membranes (HFMs) are a class of synthetic membrane, artificial membranes containing a Membrane, semi-permeable barrier in the form of a hollow fiber. Originally developed in the 1960s for reverse osmosis applications, hollow fiber m ...

technology. Some of them also incorporate an

activated carbon Activated carbon, also called activated charcoal, is a form of carbon commonly used to filter contaminants from water and air, among many other uses. It is processed (activated) to have small, low-volume pores that greatly increase the surface ar ...

component. Contrary to popular belief, the original device does not incorporate a reverse-osmosis membrane nor is it able to filter out salts or minerals.

History

The devices were distributed in the

2010 Haiti earthquake The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake that struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (departm ...

2010 Pakistan floods The floods in Pakistan began in late July 2010, resulting from heavy monsoon rains in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab (Pakistani province), Punjab and, Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochistan regions of Pakistan, which affected the Indus Riv ...

2011 Thailand floods Severe flooding occurred during the 2011 monsoon season in Thailand. The flooding began at the end of July triggered by the landfall of Tropical Storm Nock-ten. These floods soon spread through the provinces of northern, northeastern, and cen ...

, and

2016 Ecuador earthquake The 2016 Ecuador earthquake occurred on April 16 at with a moment magnitude scale, moment magnitude of 7.8 and a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of VIII (''Severe''). The very large thrust earthquake was centered approxima ...

, among other crises and initiatives. In the

Mutomo District Mutomo District was a former district in the Eastern Province of Kenya.Office of Public CommunicationsList of Provinces, Districts & Contacts Retrieved 17 March 2013. Its population is 180,000. The administrative center of the district is Mutomo ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

which has suffered from long term drought, the Kenya Red Cross supplied filters to 3,750 school children and 6,750 households. In 2015, they were deployed in

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

. The company funds a retail give back program that as of 2024 has provided safe water to more than 11 million school children in rural Kenya.

Construction

The original LifeStraw is a

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...

tube long and in diameter. Water that is drawn up through the straw first passes through hollow fibres that filter water particles down to 0.2

µm The micrometre (Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a unit of length in the International System ...

across, using only physical filtration methods and no chemicals. The entire process is powered by suction, similar to using a conventional

drinking straw A drinking straw is a List of eating utensils, utensil that uses suction to carry the contents of a beverage to one's mouth. A straw is used by placing one end in the mouth and the other in a beverage. By applying suction with the mouth, the air ...

, and filters up to of water. While the initial model of the filter did not remove ''

Giardia lamblia ''Giardia duodenalis'', also known as ''Giardia intestinalis'' and ''Giardia lamblia'', is a flagellated Parasitism, parasitic protozoan microorganism of the genus ''Giardia'' that colonizes the small intestine, causing a diarrheal condition kn ...

'', current models remove a minimum of 99.999% of waterborne protozoan parasites including ''

Giardia ''Giardia'' ( or ) is a genus of anaerobic flagellated protozoan parasites of the phylum Metamonada that colonise and reproduce in the small intestines of several vertebrates, causing the disease giardiasis. Their life cycle alternates be ...

'', ''

Cryptosporidium ''Cryptosporidium'', sometimes called crypto, is an apicomplexan genus of alveolates which are parasitism, parasites that can cause a respiratory and gastrointestinal illness (cryptosporidiosis) that primarily involves watery diarrhea (inte ...

'' and microplastics. The original device does not filter viruses, chemicals, salt water, and heavy metals, but newer versions of the product, (like LifeStraw Go Series or LifeStraw Home) are capable of removing chemicals and heavy metals including lead.

Critical response

LifeStraw has been generally praised for its effective and quick method of bacteria and protozoa removal and consumer acceptability. Although the devices are available for retail sale in the US and Europe, the majority are distributed as part of

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

campaigns or in response to complex emergencies by

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

s and organizations that give them away for free in the developing world.The force behind LifeStraw
/ref> LifeStraw has been praised in the international media and won several awards including the 2008

Saatchi & Saatchi Saatchi and Saatchi is a British multinational communications and advertising agency network with 114 offices in 76 countries and over 6,500 staff. It was founded in 1970 and is currently headquartered in London. The parent company of the agency ...

Award for World Changing Ideas, the 'INDEX: 2005' International Design Award and "Best Invention of 2005" by ''

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...

''. It was featured in the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

in New York. In 2019, the Lifestraw Home water filter pitcher was launched and won the IDEA design award and the Red Dot design award.

References

External links

LifeStraw Website

The Straw that Broke the Bacterium's Back, Weizmann Institute of Science
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lifestraw Appropriate technology Drinking water Emergency services Membrane technology Water filters Products introduced in 2005

History

Construction

Critical response

See also

References

External links