This 'drinkable book' could save thousands of lives around the world

It educates as it purifies

Water purification systems have advanced a lot in recent years, and now one team of scientists and designers have come up with those most elegant and accessible way of implementing them yet: a drinkable book.

By infusing a thick piece of paper with anti-microbial silver nanoparticles, Dr. Theresa Dankovich. of McGill University was able to make reducing the bacteria in water by more than 99.9% as simple as tearing a page out of a book and using it as a filter.

The book also educates as it purifies, being printed with food-grade ink containing instructions on how to use the paper properly and how to better avoid contaminated water.

According to the UN, 85% of the world population lives in the driest half of the planet, with 783 million people having no access to clean water. 6 to 8 million people are thought to die annually from the consequences of disasters and water-related diseases.

While other systems such as water bottles fitted with filtration systems already exist, the Drinkable Book is the most efficient yet.

It costs just pennies to produce, and each page can provide over a month of clean water.

(via Hydration Anywhere)