Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Medindia
Advertisement

New Water-Purification Plant Saves 32,000 Lives

by Bidita Debnath on September 9, 2013 at 10:24 PM
 New Water-Purification Plant Saves 32,000 Lives

An ambitious partnership among more than 100 organizations and governments led by Procter & Gamble's (P&G's) nonprofit program, Children's Safe Drinking Water (CSDW), has saved an estimated 32,000 lives.

It has helped provide more than 6 billion quarts of clean drinking water to families in developing countries. And they're just getting started.

Advertisement

CSDW Manager Allison Tummon Kamphuis, R.N., M.B.A., described the organization's latest accomplishments and future goals at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society. The meeting, which features almost 7,000 presentations on new discoveries in chemistry and other topics, continues here through Thursday.

Tummon Kamphuis explained that diarrhea from contaminated drinking water is second only to pneumonia as a cause of childhood deaths worldwide. More than 2,000 children die every day as a result of diarrheal illnesses. To reduce that toll, P&G in 2012 pledged to deliver 2 billion quarts of clean water every year to developing countries by 2020, which would save one life every hour. An ambitious goal for a young program started in 2004, but CSDW is well on its way to achieving it by wide distribution of water-purification sachets the size of a fast-food ketchup packet.
Advertisement

"The real key to us achieving numbers like that and providing that much water and having the estimated health impact that we report is really partnership," said Tummon Kamphuis.

CSDW reached a milestone in May, when the packets, called the P&G Purifier of Water, produced their 6 billionth quart of sparkling clean water.

The foundation of CSDW's work dates back to the mid-1990s, when P&G partnered with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to find a simple, inexpensive water-purification technology that could be used anywhere in the world. By the early 2000s, they had perfected the water-purification packets, which transform cloudy, brown water into crystal-clear, drinkable water that meets all the requirements for drinking water.

"We call it a mini-water-treatment plant in a packet," Tummon Kamphuis said. The powder essentially performs the job of a municipal treatment facility but on a much smaller - and portable - scale.

The chemistry is impressive, she said, yet the application is impressively simple. It involves pouring the contents of one packet, which weighs less than an ounce, into a bucket of 10 quarts of water and stirring. Dirt, parasites and other material drop to the bottom, as this video demonstrates, and disease-causing microbes die.

To meet the program goal of saving one life every hour by 2020, P&G has established a three-pronged strategy, with one step already complete. In November 2012, they finished building a new facility in Singapore to ramp up production of the water-purifier packets. Additionally, CSDW, which has worked in 71 countries, plans to expand distribution even further. They also plan to invest more in raising public awareness of the need for clean drinking water.

An ACS program, Coins for Cleaner Water, supports CSDW's efforts.

The P&G Children's Safe Drinking Water Program, a 501c3 program, will receive the Howard Fawcett Award from the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Source: Newswise
Font : A-A+

Advertisement

Advertisement
Advertisement

Latest General Health News

First Human Case of Rare Swine Flu Strain H1N2 Found in UK
Swine influenza A viruses, including subtypes H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2, are prominent among pigs and sporadically transmit to humans.
Unraveling the Mystery Respiratory Illness in US Dogs
The microorganism "is a newly identified potential disease-causing agent, possibly originating from or evolving within the dog's microbiome."
Why Red Wine Cause Headache?
Flavanol naturally present in red wine can compromise the proper metabolism of alcohol and lead to a headache.
Raw Meat Raises Antibiotic-Resistant E.Coli Risk in Dogs
To reduce bacterial risks, pet owners can switch to a non-raw diet or obtain quality raw meat for cooking before feeding dogs.
U.S. Men Die 6 Years Earlier Than Women- A Review on Life Expectancy Gap
Since 2010, the gender gap in life expectancy in the US has increased to six years because of the pandemic, accidents, opioid overdoses, injuries, and suicide.
View All
This site uses cookies to deliver our services.By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Use  Ok, Got it. Close
×

New Water-Purification Plant Saves 32,000 Lives Personalised Printable Document (PDF)

Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested

You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends.

Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice.

Name *

Email Address *

Country *

Areas of Interests