The Drinkable Book Can Save Millions Of Lives By Providing Free, Clean Water

screen shot via YouTube/TheGiftOfWater

Here are some statistics to both shock and scare you: 3.4 million people die each year from water-related diseases, and about 780 million people lack access to clean water. But a new invention called the Drinkable Book wants to change all that, and it could be the thing to revolutionize water purification and clean water availability for millions around the world.

The humanitarian group WaterisLife partnered up with a group of scientists and engineers at Carnegie Mellon and the University of Virginia to create something that serves as both an educational resource for water safety habits and a tool for sanitizing water—and it looks just like a book.

The Drinkable Book uses a technologically advanced filter—like a scientific coffee filter—which is treated to kill deadly waterborne diseases. Each page is coated with silver nanoparticles, which include ions that actively kill diseases like cholera, typhoid and E. coli. Once water passes through the filter, the specially treated paper reduces bacteria count by over 99.99 percent, making the filtered water comparable to tap water in the United States.

The pages are printed with food-grade ink and educate people about safety habits that most people never have to think twice about—like keeping garbage and feces away from their water sources. The Drinkable Book filtering system works in three simple steps: Tear out the filter, slide it into the custom filter box of the”book” and pour contaminated water through the box. That’s it. The water that filters through is safe to drink.

Each filter is capable of giving someone up to 30 days of clean water, and each book can provide someone with clean water for four years—making the Drinkable Book a life-saving tool unlike anything that’s now on the market. And it all costs just pennies to make.

See how you can make a difference to help provide communities in need with the Drinkable Book and clean water by making a donation.