LifeStraw® Family in Comparison to Other Point-of-Use Interventions for Safe Drinking Water
Microbiological Performance
| Intervention | Bacteria | Virus | Protozoan cyst | Meets Environmental Protection Agency protocol |
| LifeStraw® Family | Minimum 99.9999% | Minimum 99.99% | Minimum 99.9% | Yes |
| Boiling | 99.9999% | 99.99% | 99.9% | Yes |
| Flocculation disinfection (Pur) | 99.9999% | 99.99% | 99.9% | Yes |
| Chlorination | Depends upon the contact time and quantity of variable chlorine | No | ||
| Bio sand filter | 90%-99% | 50%-90% | 99.9% | No |
| Ceramic filter | >99% | Low | 99.9% | No |
| Solar Distillation | 99.999% | 99.99% | 50%-99% | Unclear |
Physical Performance
| Intervention | Water treatment capacity | Flow rate/processing time | Factors affecting performance | Impact on water taste/appearance | Repeat intervention required |
| LifeStraw® Family | 18,000 litres | Average 9 litres/hour | Safe storage if water not consumed directly | Neutral for taste; positive for appearance | No |
| Boiling | Not applicable | 20 minutes (includes heating water to 100°C, 1 min boiling, cooling) | Boiling temperature and safe storage | Neutral or negative for taste; neutral for appearance | Yes |
| Flocculation disinfection | 10 litres | 30 minutes | Exposure time, chemical concentration in mix | Negative for taste; positive for appearance | Yes |
Chlorination (dilute NaOCl2) | 1000 litres | 30 minutes contact time after preparation and dosing | Exposure time, turbidity, chlorine demand | Negative | Yes |
| Bio sand filter | Up to 50 litres/day | 0.1/0.3 metre/hour (when the average depth of sand filter is 0.7 metres) | Proper construction, operation, and maintenance | Neutral for taste; positive for appearance | No |
| Ceramic filter | 5000-10,000 litres | 1-3 litres/hour | Pore size and consistency; bacteriostatis; maintenance | Neutral for taste; positive for appearance | No |
| Solar Distillation | 1-2 litre per bottle average | 6 hours | Sunlight, turbidity, dissolved solids | Neutral for taste and appearance | No |
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LifeStraw® Carbon For Water
More than four million people in Western Province, Kenya now have access to safe and clean drinking water purified up to EPA standards through the LifeStraw® Family. This $30 million public health program, which will last ten years, will be funded by carbon offsets. Learn more at www.carbonforwater.com
See the program in action in award-winning documentary at www.carbonforwaterfilm.com
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Coca-Cola Denmark, Vestergaard Frandsen and nonprofit Water For All distribute 27,000 LifeStraw® to Kenyan community, students, and educators. Read more.
