What do LifeStraw filters and purifiers remove?
LifeStraw filters (LifeStraw, LifeStraw Go and LifeStraw Steel and LifeStraw Go 2-Stage) remove 99.9999% of bacteria and 99.9% of protozoa. LifeStraw purifiers (LifeStraw Family and LifeStraw Mission) remove 99.999% of viruses in addition to removing 99.9999% of bacteria, and 99.99% of protozoa. LifeStraw GO 2-Stage and LifeStraw Steel contain a two-stage filter that includes an activated carbon filter with the same hollow fibre membrane as the original LifeStraw. In addition to bacteria and protozoa, they also reduce chlorine and some organic chemical matter, and remove odour and bad taste. This replaceable carbon capsule needs to be changed every 3 months with regular use.
What don’t LifeStraw filters and purifiers remove?
LifeStraw is designed for backcountry water and microbiological contaminants. LifeStraw products do not remove contaminants that are dissolved in water including chemicals (like arsenic) or salt from salt water. They should not be used in areas where there is known chemical contamination and should not be used in ocean water.
How does LifeStraw work?
LifeStraw filters (LifeStraw, LifeStraw Go and LifeStraw Steel) use hollow fibre filtration with a 0.2 micron pore size. LifeStraw purifiers (LifeStraw Family and LifeStraw Mission) use hollow fibre membrane ultra-filtration with a 0.02 micron pore size. This means that dirty water goes into the LifeStraw, microorganisms are physically removed and safe drinking water comes out. Imagine really small tubes with even smaller pores that trap contaminants, but allow water to flow through. LifeStraw products do not use chemicals, do not require pumping and do not require any energy input (like batteries).
How will I know when LifeStraw has reached the end of its life?
The flow rate of your LifeStraw will decrease, and then stop pulling water through once it reaches the end of its life. LifeStraw filters including the personal LifeStraw, LifeStraw Mission and LifeStraw Go, filter 4,000 litres (1000 gallons), while LifeStraw purifiers including LifeStraw Family 2.0 and LifeStraw Mission, purify 18,000 litres (4,755 gallons) of water. You can maximise lifespan further by cleaning the LifeStraw after each use. For LifeStraw Steel and LifeStraw Go 2-stage, it is important to change the carbon capsule every 3 months to ensure that the second stage of filtration is working well.
What is the shelf life of LifeStraw products?
LifeStraw products use hollow-fibre membrane filters to remove contaminants from the water source. No chemicals or moving parts are involved within the filtering process, meaning nothing will expire. If stored in a cool dark place and allowed to dry out between uses, the LifeStraw will last until it reaches capacity.
I have seen claims that the LifeStraw® Personal, Go, Go-2 Stage & Steel products filter up to 1000L and 4000L, which is accurate?
Our original claims for these products showed up to 1000L or 264 gallon lifespan. With our background in public health we initially claimed a minimum tolerance level for our filters, but not the actual lifespan that was achieved during testing. We are happy to report that after extensive testing in both our accredited internal lab and certified external labs, our filters do achieve up to a 4000L or 1000 gallon lifespan! We tested older products as well, so you can be sure that the LifeStraw you bought a couple of years ago, carries this same longevity. We are working to update all of our messaging to accurately to communicate the correct life of our products.
How long will my LifeStraw® Personal, Go, Go-2 Stage & Steel last?
These products can filter up to 4,000 litres (1,000 gallons). This would mean, if you used the LifeStraw every day, for all of your drinking water, it will last for almost four years. If you just use it for travel and outdoor activities, it will last much longer.
Where is LifeStraw manufactured?
LifeStraw products are designed in Switzerland by Vestergaard and our technology partner is in South Korea.
How does the 2 Stage Filtration process work?
Stage 1: The hollow fibre membrane removes 99.9999% of bacteria (E. coli) and removes 99.9% of protozoa (Giardia, Cryptosporidium, etc.)
Stage 2: The activated carbon capsule is used to reduce chlorine, bad odour and taste as well as reducing organic chemical matter
What is the LifeStraw Follow the Litres Program?
- With the ongoing LifeStraw Follow the Litres program, for every LifeStraw filter or purifier purchased by a consumer in a developed area like Australia, New Zealand, North America or Europe, one school child in a developing community is provided safe drinking water for an entire school year.
How does the LifeStraw Follow the Litres Program work?
- When a consumer purchases any LifeStraw product, a portion of the funds are used to purchase and distribute high-volume LifeStraw Community water purifiers to primary schools in developing communities that don’t have ready access to safe drinking water. As part of the distribution, LifeStraw educates students and teachers on proper use of the purifiers and conducts follow-up visits to make sure that the purifiers are in good working condition and are being used properly.
- LifeStraw Follow the Litres harnesses the collaborative power of individuals to impact the lives of less fortunate individuals. It is a transparent program that engages consumers by providing specific and measurable data on the program’s progress and achievements in real time. Updates are posted on the LifeStraw website at www.followtheliters.com.
- Unlike most programs which involve a charitable donation or partnership with outside organizations, LifeStraw Follow the Litres is self-sustaining since funds come from product sales. It is also unique in that it is run by Vestergaard, a company with expertise in manufacturing and distributing the LifeStraw filters. This ensures that the program is, in fact, delivering sustainable access to safe water to school children in an efficient, effective and sustainable manner.
- LifeStraw Follow the Litres tackles one of the world’s most pressing issues – lack of access to safe drinking water for people in developing countries. It helps empower today’s youth to become tomorrow’s leaders.
- A comprehensive program to improve school water quality can result in a nearly 50% reduction in diarrheal illness.
- Safe, clean water in schools can result in a 42% reduction in absenteeism.
- In many developing countries school-age girls are tasked with gathering water; reducing this burden directly increases the amount of time girls are in school learning.
How have you selected the schools for the LifeStraw Follow the Litres Program?
Schools are selected in close collaboration with local health and education stakeholders. We prioritize schools with the dirtiest water sources and greatest lack of treatment options. We also look for smaller schools that were likely to receive less public resources.
What is the typical quality of water at the selected schools in the LifeStraw Follow the Litres Program?
Most schools use community water sources such as springs, rivers, or boreholes for their water. The majority of these sources are untreated. Often the sources are dirtier at certain parts of the year, such as the rainy season where flooding can cause run off from latrines or animal waste to enter the drinking water supply. A minority of the schools are boiling their water or using chlorine treatment, but these practices tend to be inconsistent and, in the case of boiling, release carbon emissions and ash inside of the classrooms.
Will you monitor the results and what do you expect to get out of the LifeStraw Follow the Litres Program in terms of health impact?
Vestergaard’s local staff of 46 hygiene and health workers in Western Province provides ongoing safe water education and training to the schools selected to receive LifeStraw Community purifiers to ensure optimal health benefits are realized. We also use mobile phone technology to conduct quarterly surveys of all schools in the program to ensure that their filters are working properly, that schools continue to practice complementary health and hygiene behaviours, and to assess the benefits of the program.
Vestergaard has been actively investing in the community health of Western Province, Kenya for over six years beginning with the construction and operation of the Emusanda Health Clinic in 2008 and the provision of LifeStraw Family water purifiers to 877,505 households in 2011. Providing LifeStraw to purify water in the household has been shown to reduce diarrheal disease by up to 53% through independent randomized control trials, and now the provision of purified water in schools will ensure that school-aged children can safely hydrate while in the classroom.
What happens after the year?
Funds from sales of LifeStraw products to consumers are used to provide LifeStraw Community water purifiers to schools in rural Kenya and to create a sustainable program infrastructure to support the maintenance of the water purifiers, training and health education over the 4 year lifespan of the purifier. So, each product purchased is supporting one year’s worth of technology and infrastructure and support costs for a school child, but that school child does not stop receiving safe water after the one year is up. The child will receive access to safe water for 4 years.
How big is the water problem in general and in Kenya specifically?
Globally:
- 1.8 billion people globally use a source of drinking water that is faecally contaminated.
- Diarrhoea kills more children under 5 than AIDS, malaria and measles combined.
- 443 million school days are lost each year due to water-related illness.
- Diarrhoea remains in the second leading cause of death among children under five globally.
- In Kenya:
- 38% of the population does not have access to an improved water source.
- Only 37% of Kenyan schools have access to safe, clean water within 200 meters of the schools grounds.