Vestergaard Frandsen LifeStraw
A $5 water purifier for the masses
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The LifeStraw, from Danish company Vestergaard Frandsen, may be the best hope yet for the 1.1
billion people worldwide who lack access to safe drinking water. The 3.4-ounce â€straw†can filter up to 185 gallons of water, enough to supply one person for a year. Just dip the plastic tube into water
and suck on it to draw liquid up through three filters. Two textile layers remove dirt, iodine-based resin kills 99.3 percent of bacteria and viruses, and activated carbon catches whatever the iodine missed. Pending approval by the Environmental Protection Agency, the LifeStraw could reach U.S. stores in time for the 2007 hurricane season. $5