Point of Use Household Drinking Water Filtration: A Practical, Effective Solution for Providing Sustained Access to Safe Drinking Water in the Developing World

The lack of safe water creates a tremendous burden of diarrheal disease and other debilitating, life-threatening illnesses for people in the developing world. Point-of-use (POU) water treatment technology has emerged as an approach that empowers people and communities without access to safe water to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science & technology 2008-06, Vol.42 (12), p.4261-4267
Main Authors: Sobsey, Mark D, Stauber, Christine E, Casanova, Lisa M, Brown, Joseph M, Elliott, Mark A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chlorine - administration & dosage
Developing Countries
Drinking water
Environmental science
Filters
Filtration - methods
Households
LDCs
Public health
Remediation and Control Technologies
Safety
Water quality
Water Supply - standards
Water treatment
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Summary:The lack of safe water creates a tremendous burden of diarrheal disease and other debilitating, life-threatening illnesses for people in the developing world. Point-of-use (POU) water treatment technology has emerged as an approach that empowers people and communities without access to safe water to improve water quality by treating it in the home. Several POU technologies are available, but, except for boiling, none have achieved sustained, large-scale use. Sustained use is essential if household water treatment technology (HWT) is to provide continued protection, but it is difficult to achieve. The most effective, widely promoted and used POU HWTs are critically examined according to specified criteria for performance and sustainability. Ceramic and biosand household water filters are identified as most effective according to the evaluation criteria applied and as having the greatest potential to become widely used and sustainable for improving household water quality to reduce waterborne disease and death.
ISSN:0013-936X
1520-5851
DOI:10.1021/es702746n