Description

LifeStraw® Family 2.0 is the next generation of Vestergaard’s high-volume point-of-use water filter. It converts microbiologically contaminated water into clean, safe drinking water, filtering up to 30,000 litres of EPA-quality water, enough to supply a family of five with clean drinking water for three to five years.

LifeStraw® 2.0 is a durable, tabletop version of LifeStraw® Family. It includes a large dirty water storage tank and built in safe storage container with tap.

Enhanced estimated lifetime filtration capacity of 30,000 litres
Filter removes virtually all bacteria (99.9999 percent), protozoan parasites (99.99 percent) and viruses (99.999 percent) that can contaminate water
Reduces turbidity (muddiness) by filtering particulate matter larger than 0.02 microns
Made of durable plastic
Doesn’t require electrical power, batteries or replacement parts
Uses hollow fiber technology which meets the standard for the “highly protective” category of safe water interventions by the World Health Organization
Built-in safe storage container with tap
Easy backwash cleaning system

Impact

• 780 million people in the world lack access to an improved source for drinking water.
• 61 percent of people in sub-Saharan Africa still don’t have access to safe drinking water.
• Lack of access to safe drinking water contributes to the staggering burden of diarrheal disease worldwide.
• Nearly one in five child deaths – about 1.5 million each year – is due to diarrhea.
• LifeStraw® addresses cryptosporidium, which was recently found to be a leading cause of diarrheal illness in children under five and is attributed to higher mortality in children under two.
• Point-of-use (POU) treatments such as LifeStraw® Family 2.0 can accelerate the health gains associated with the provision of safe drinking water to at-risk populations, which is important for children under five and people living with HIV.
• Improvement of drinking-water quality, such as point-of-use disinfection, could lead to a 45% reduction of diarrhea episodes.
• Among all point-of-use water treatment methods, water filters have been shown to be the most effective for reducing diarrheal diseases

How it Works

LifeStraw® Family 2.0 uses advanced hollow fibre technology. Water is forced through narrow fibres under high pressure. Clean water exits through tiny pores in the walls of the hollow fibres, and deposits into the safe storage container. Viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and other contaminants are trapped inside the hollow fibres and are flushed out by backwashing. This is a highly efficient method of filtration.

1. The 80 micron textile prefilter removes coarser particles and is easy to clean.
2. Dirty water storage tank has a 5 litre capacity.
3. Backwashing of the membranes is done by pressing down on the cleaning lever. Dirty water flows to the small red tank. The dirty water should then be discarded.
4. Ultra filtration takes place in the membrane cartridge – a pore size of 20 nanometre retains bacteria, viruses, parasites and fine dirt particles.
5. Filtered water collects in the safe storage tank, which has a capacity of 5 liters. The storage tank can be opened for cleaning.
6. The durable, field-tested tap provides and easy outlet for purified water.

NOTE: Water from the red container should never be consumed.

Features and Specs

Effective

• Uses advanced hollow fiber technology (pore size of 20 nm)
• Removes viruses, bacteria and protozoan parasites
• Removes turbidity (muddiness)
• Meets highly protective category by World Health Organization
• Meets United States EPA drinking water standards
• Contains built in safe storage container

Easy to Use

• Easy to operate
• Requires no electrical power, batteries or replacement parts
• Requires no running water or piped water supply
• Has an easy-to-clean pre-filter and purification cartridge

Safe

• No chemicals
• Uses raw materials that meet US Food and Drug Administration regulations and standards

Long-Lasting

• Filters up to 30,000 litres of water, enough to supply a family of five with clean drinking water for three to five years, removing the need for repeat intervention

Scalable

• Long-lasting, easy operation, scalable to underserved communities