LifeStraw® MeetsVietnam
A proposal submitted to the
Integrated Science and Technology Program
at JamesMadisonUniversity
in partial fulfillment of ISAT - 491/492/493
By
Diana Tran
under the faculty guidance of
Dr. Wayne Teel, PhD.
April 23, 2007
Submitted by:
Diana Tran(Signature)
Approved by:
Dr. Jeffrey Tang (Signature)
Accepted by:
Dr. Thomas Benzing
Dr. Wayne Teel(Signature)
Executive Summary
This project concerns the water purification tool, LifeStraw®, and introducing it to a third world country in dire need of such a device. Fundraisers will be conducted to aid in obtaining a sufficient amount of LifeStraws®for both testing and distributing purposes. Along with my advisor, Dr. Teel, I will conduct replicable trials of the devices to confirm if they remove most, if not all, of the bacteria, specifically E.Coli, in water samples taken from various locations in Harrisonburg. We will use the data obtained to decide whether LifeStraw®actually does what it claims to be able to do. With this knowledge, I will travel to Vietnam and spend several weeks in various locations that are in need of cleaner water, and introduceLifeStraw® in hopes thatthis tool is right for them and helps their community. I will make sure to document my trip because upon returning, I will set up an event at JamesMadisonUniversity to raise awareness about the water conditions in less fortunate countries to open peoples’ minds and eyes and hopefully drive them to take action.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary...... 2
Introduction...... 4
Literature Review...... 5
Methodology...... 5
Obtaining LifeStraws...... 5
Conducting Tests...... 6
Trip to Vietnam...... 6
Returning to James Madison University...... 6
Possibility of Returning to Vietnam...... 7
Deliverables...... 7
Final Bibliography...... 7
Annotated Bibliography...... 7
Introduction
Being Asian and raised in America is not easy. Aside from trying to overcome stereotypes and language barriers, an Asian American must try to keep their culture and values in a society commonly referred to as “The Melting Pot”. Due to this lack of awareness of where my parents came from, they decided I was old enough to travel to Vietnam, the country where my parents escaped from, for the first time. They wanted me to see the place where they grew up and appreciate what I have been given. Upon arriving, I expected Vietnam to be as different from America as night and day. What I did not expect was how drastic this difference was. Although their economy is growing rapidly, it was evident that Vietnam remains the type of country where the rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer.
Most of the citizens in this country have no access to automobiles and travel on bikes or by boat. One of the boat rides that we took brought us down the river, Binh Quoi. While traveling on this river, I was shocked to see the terrible condition it was in. Not only was this appalling, but I learned that because there are so many people who can not afford land, they are forced to move to the water. I saw homes that stood on flimsy sticks of wood or bamboo that had no means to withstand a heavy storm. My father told me that when that occurs, people just wait for the storms to end and go out and collect whatever they are capable of that was washed away. Also, because one side of the house faces the land, and the other faces the water, they do everything in that one body of water such as collect their drinking supply, do their laundry, empty their wastes, etc. This experience in Vietnam was forever engrained in my mind.
Back at JamesMadisonUniversity, I took the course, Biotechnology in the New Millennium I. In one of the lectures, my professor, Dr. Bachmann mentioned the invention, LifeStraw®, a portable water purification tool that cleanses surface water and makes it safe for human consumption.After class, I researched more on this product. It requires no electrical power or spare parts, filters up to 700 liters of water, and effectively removes most of the micro organisms responsible for causing waterborne diseases. LifeStraw® kills disease causing micro organisms which spread dysentery, typhoid, and cholera. This lead me to think of how many people could use this tool if they only had access to it.[1]
In regards to this project, it took me almost no time to figure out how to correlate my experience in Vietnam with LifeStraw®. With the aid and guidance of my advisor, Dr. Wayne Teel during the summer, I will test LifeStraws® to confirm if they remove most, if not all, of the bacteria, specifically E.Coli in water samples taken from various locations in Harrisonburg. I would thentravel to Vietnam (coincidentally, LifeStraw® has an office located in Hanoi) later that summer, spend several weeks in various locations that are in need of cleaner water, attempt to educate them regarding ways to help clean their water, and introduceLifeStraws®in hopes that by the time I leave, I would have made an impact in one way or another. I will make sure to document my trip because upon returning, I will set up an event at JamesMadisonUniversity to raise awareness about the water conditions in less fortunate countries and perhaps open peoples’ eyes and drive themto take action. I could also, if given the opportunity, return to the regions I have been during JamesMadisonUniversity’s 2007 winter break to see if my efforts were successful.
Literature Review
There is a wide array ofprograms, products, kits, and innovations in regards to water purification such as LifeStraw®, but I will first give some background information as to what LifeStraw® is. It is a portable water purification tool, just 25 cm long and 29 mm in diameter, that cleanses surface water and makes it safe for human consumption at any age. LifeStraw® requires no electrical power or spare parts and is able tofilter up to 700 litres of water, effectively removing most of the micro organisms responsible for causing waterborne diseases such as dysentery, typhoid, and cholera. This instrument also contains a specially developed halogen-based resin, an extraordinarily effective material that kills bacteria on contact. Textile pre-filters are used in the LifeStraw® to remove particles up to 15 microns, and active carbon withholds particles such as parasites. Lastly, Its life expectancy is one year from the start of usage (calculation based on consumption of 2 litre water per day) or 700 liters. Use beyond expiry will not deteriorate existing water quality.1
One project that was similar to one such as this was conducted by the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) regarded appropriate water purification technology and sanitation promotion for rural communities in the Dominican Republic. Their goal was to introduce a simple family-based water purification system there, improve the health of the residents of rural communities by providing them with a sustainable source of portable water and sanitation education, and measure the impact of the presence of the filters on the health of the villagers, test the long-term performance of the filters. They also wanted to provide students interested in water, health, and sanitation issues with an opportunity to work in an important research project in a safe environment.[2]
Another project similar to the one I am attempting to execute is the Bangladesh Water Purification Project. This project was designed to bring clean, affordable drinking water to villages and homes in Bangladesh. Their objective was to find an effective, and inexpensive means of removing naturally occurring arsenic – as well as, other harmful substances, such as bacteria, viruses, and lead – from the drinking water throughout Bangladesh.[3]
One type of technology currently being used for water purification is membrane technology which is used to separate dissolved or sub-micron sized components from water. This is very much similar to how LifeStraw®works.3
In order to complete this project, testingLifeStraws® is necessary to confirm if they remove most, if not all, of the bacteria in water samples taken from various locations in Harrisonburg, specifically E.Coli. I will perform these tests with Dr. Teel, and we will use the data obtained to decide whether LifeStraw®actually does what it claims to be able to do before bringing them to Vietnam.
Methodology
Obtaining LifeStraws®
I have spoken to Brian Hollingsworth, a Sales Representative forLifeStraw® at their office in the United States to present my idea and inquire ways to go about obtainingLifeStraws®. He agreed to help with this project in any way he can. At the time I spoke with him, I only had an idea of what I wanted to do. After speaking with my advisor and doing further research onLifeStraw®, I sent Mr. Hollingsworth an E-Mail with more details regarding my project. I have yet to receive a response.
Conducting Tests
After obtaining a sufficient amount of LifeStraws®, my advisor and I will perform testing on different water samples to confirm if they remove most, if not all, of the bacteria, specifically E.Coli. During May and June of 2007, we will use various tools provided to us in the Environmental Laboratory in the Integrated Science and Technology building at JamesMadisonUniversity.
Trip to Vietnam
After acquiring an adequate amount of data from multiple tests, I will travel to Vietnam in July to educate a certain region about water treatment. The reason for doing so is because a large amount of people are not even aware of how unsanitary it is to drink water that they do not know, is full of bacteria. I will then proceed to introduce to them to LifeStraws®, in hopes that their community will benefit from these tools.
Return to JamesMadisonUniversity
Once the Fall 2007 semester at JamesMadisonUniversity begins, I will, along with the University, set up an Event on campus to promote awareness regarding poor water quality in poor regions. The purpose of this is to expose both the student body and faculty to the meager conditions that third world countries face. This will also hopefully encourage them to take action.
Possibility of Returning to Vietnam
If time permits and given the opportunity, I will return to the regions I had visited in the previous summer to see if any progress had occurred. A result of this is that I would be able to decide whether my efforts made an impact or not. Also, if this project were to be repeated, I would be able to discern which areas should be changed or improved and decide how to go about doing so.
Deliverables
-Data from tests conducted in regards to E. Coli and LifeStraws®‘ effectiveness
-Documentary of my trip to Vietnam
-Awareness event on JamesMadisonUniversity campus
-Final Report
Final Bibliography
Donatelli, Lisa. "RollinsCollege Office of International Programs." Rollins
College. 2003. RollinsCollege. 19 Apr. 2007 <
int-programs/water.html>.
Eric, Grates. "NewsCenter." DOW. 26 July 2006. 19 Apr. 2007
<
LifeStraw. 25 Mar. 2007 <
Annotated Bibliography
Cheremisinoff, Paul N. Handbook of Water and Wastewater Treatment Technology.
New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1995.
Discusses various ways to treat water and what is necessary to do so.
Childs, Michael. "Learning How to Live in the Real World." The College of
Education Online News. 25 Mar. 2007 <
Wicklein_Water.html>.
Discusses the problem and suggests a solution to reducing the intake of polluted water
in poor countries.
Coleman, Anita, and Tamara Sumner. "Digital Libraries and User Needs:
Negotiating the Future." JoDI. 25 Mar. 2007 <
Articles/v05/i03/editorial/>.
Describes one way to raise awareness to the public regarding water purification.
Costplus Water. Water Purification Products. 25 Mar. 2007
<
Discusses the importance of water purification and various methods of performing it.
Curtis, Rick. "Water Purification." OA Guide to Water Purification. 25 Mar. 2007
<
Discusses various ways to purify water such as boiling, chemically, etc.
"Filtration." High Altitude Medicine Guide. 25 Mar. 2007
<
Describes filters and what some are made up of.
Jacob, Amanda L. Oxidation Processes for the Removal of Manganese from Water:
Water-Treatment System Applications. Harrisonburg: n.p., 2004.
Gives a very good example of a Senior Thesis regarding water.
Larenaudie/Wattens, Sarah R. "Cutting Edge." TIME Magazine 11 Sept. 2006. 25
Mar. 2007 <
Discusses various reasons for why water purification is important.
LifeStraw. 25 Mar. 2007 < U.S. Department of Commerce.
The official web site for the water purification tool that is vital to this project.
Mara, Duncan, and Nigel Horan. Handbook of Water and Wastewater Microbiology.
Amsterdam: Academic Press, 2003.
Provides a definitive and comprehensive coverage of water and wastewater
microbiology, the behavior of pathogens in wastewater treatment processes, problems
in wastewater treatment processes, and drinking water microbiology.
Ray, Chittaranjan, Gina Melin, and Ronald B. Linsky. Riverbank Filtration:
Improving Source-Water Quality. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers,
2002.
Discusses critical research needs regarding water filtration in riverbanks and RBF.
Salemme, Elisabeth. "The World's Dirty Rivers." TIME Magazine 22 Jan. 2007. 25 Mar. 2007
<
Discusses how rivers have been contaminated due to industrial and human wastes.
Todd, John. "Solutions for Water Planning and Treatment." John Todd Ecological
Design, Inc. 25 Mar. 2007 <
Has several designs for treating water wastes.
Wolkes, Elizabeth. "How to Help." TIME Asia Magazine 3 Jan. 2005. 25 Mar. 2007
<
Lists different organizations and foundations that people can contact to help regions
around the world.
1
[1]Lifestraw. 25 Mar. 2007 <
[2]Donatelli, Lisa. "RollinsCollege Office of International Ptrograms." RollinsCollege. 2003. RollinsCollege. 19 Apr.
2007 <
[3]Eric, Grates. "NewsCenter." DOW. 26 July 2006. 19 Apr. 2007<
/20060725c.htm>.