Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on Tonic on March 3. With March 22 marking World Water Day, we wanted to call attention to the lack of access to clean water for many of the world’s people. As this article shows, technology to clean water is available today.
The person who coined the phrase, “Good things come in small packages,” probably had diamonds or dark chocolate in mind. But these words of wisdom apply equally well to PUR, an inexpensive powder that combines all the cleaning capabilities of a modern water-treatment plant into a tiny packet that is saving lives globally.
“Many people drink from rivers, streams and ponds in the developing world,” says Greg Allgood, PhD, director of the Children’s Safe Drinking Water program at Procter & Gamble (P&G), who leads the the group of scientists that developed PUR. ”Four thousand children die every day from cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, and other water-borne disease, which is more than die from HIV/AIDS and malaria combined.”
What’s in that stuff?
PUR packets, which took years and the efforts of many scientists to develop, contain a coagulant — iron sulfate — that removes the dirt, worms, parasites and pollutants, like arsenic. A disinfectant — chlorine — kills the bacteria and viruses. All the ingredients in PUR are used in municipal water treatment plants.
“Essentially it’s a mini-water treatment plant in a packet,” said Allgood. ”PUR treated water is essentially the same as tap water. The main use of the PUR packets is in the developing world, but it’s available in the United States for emergency preparedness and outdoor recreation. All proceeds from U.S. sales are donated to the CSDW.”
It’s simple and inexpensive, too. The user stirs one packet into 10 liters of contaminated water. In 30 minutes, the result is 10 liters of crystal clear drinking water, a cost of a few pennies per liter.
The product removes dirt, cysts and pollutants, such as arsenic, and kills bacteria and viruses. By removing impurities and sediment, PUR gives a visible signal that water is clean and ready to drink.
The transformation of dirty water to clean is amazing to watch. The CSDW website has a delightful video of Allgood himself showing a group of children how to use PUR. One child, on seeing the 10 liters of muddy brown water in a huge glass beaker, asks if it is chocolate water. At the end of the demonstration, they all have safe and clear water, ready to drink.
3.5 billion liters served
Allgood’s powder was developed through a partnership between Procter & Gamble (P&G) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
“The purpose of our Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program is to prevent these needless deaths,” Allgood said. “In the developing world, because of the P&G subsidy, we provide 50 days of purified water for every $1 donated.”
And PUR has proven itself in some of the harshest conditions imaginable, including during the Southeast Asia tsunami, the Pakistan and Indonesian earthquakes, cholera outbreaks in Zimbabwe, and floods in India, Bangladesh, Haiti, Kenya and Ethiopia.
To date, the CSDW and P&G has given or sold at cost more than 130 million PUR packets, which is enough to treat 1.3 billion liters of water. And the groups have even bigger goals. They hope to distribute enough PUR to make 3.5 billion liters by 2012.
“The U.S. launch is exciting because people will now be able to see and understand the way PUR Purifier of Water turns dirty water into clear and purified water,” said Allgood. “The U.S. effort will help fund our philanthropic efforts by providing two liters of water in the developing world for every package purchased in the United States.”
Photo of Dr. Allgood courtesy of the William Davidson Institute at the Univ. of Michigan.