Silver Nanoparticles Could Give Millions Micro-free Drinking Water

3/25/2015

Article - Think about the bigger picture...what are the implications globally for millions who suffer from water borne illnesses. Think back to human populations and try to include poverty & population in your response.

40 Comments

William Fridrich

3/29/2015 09:38:41 am

After listening to the speaker from The Thirst Project, and reading this article, it would be unheard of to not pursue this technology. According to The Thirst Project, upon the establishment of a freshwater well in a country where there is no other source of clean drinking water aside from occasional rain immediately reduces child mortality due to water-borne illnesses by over 90%. This underground freshwater will not last forever, and that is why it is imperative to pursue this technology, providing this water in a much more sustainable manner, especially if this technology can be brought to countries that need it in a portable manner. Poverty and access to clean drinking water practically go hand in hand, thus the ability for this technology to be relatively cheap for homes and the possibility of it become portable are all the more important. Although it is unlikely that this technology will become readily available for a number of years, I believe that the skeptics should also open their eyes to the bigger picture to how many lives can be saved with the ability to filter the normally undrinkable water and use it to survive.

Jake Vail

3/29/2015 11:22:58 pm

Supplying clean water to those in need is imperative. This new technology is great but I would like to see more research done on it before we bring it to places where something could go wrong. In the mean time, filtering the contaminants and building wells using other methods such as SAWER Filters installed right in the wells. Getting the water closer to the people who need it while being clean needs to be at the top of our to do list.

Emma Philbin

3/30/2015 03:50:07 am

I agree, the underground freshwater is not a permanent solution and eventually will deplete. Therefore we need to continue to push research and development in providing clean and inexpensive water. Not only will this bring millions of people out of poverty, but save millions of lives as well.

Jake Vail

3/29/2015 11:16:44 pm

First, I would like to urge all of you to attend the Water Benefit Concert tomorrow at 7:00 pm.
The fact that silver can revolutionise water usage in 3rd world, underserved countries is awesome. But, I can't help but wonder, how much will we have to mine and introduce chemicals into the environment consistent with gold mining. I like that we have not seen many consequences of using these particles, however, is it expensive to run? How will we get the particles to people who need them? Will they need to be replaced? Honestly, even studying these effects is difficult. I think we should learn more about them before introducing them to the general public. Right now, this could be a great solution, however, perhaps we could use technology similar to our purification systems on a smaller scale.

Sarah Walsh

3/31/2015 01:36:07 am

I think its good that you're asking these questions; it is important to consider the potential drawbacks of this new technology, no matter how exciting it sounds. This idea seems to have a lot of potential though, and I hope it proves to be as great as it sounds when you initially read about it.

Emma Philbin

3/30/2015 03:47:07 am

the lack of accessibility to clean drinking water is a phenomenon that seems impossible here in America. Water here specifically in Long Island is very accessible with the simple twist of a faucet and relatively inexpensive as well. With this is mind, we need to open our eyes because this is a very prominent issue in many developing countries. Without water, one does not survive. And with the unsanitary and unclean water that people in other counties have no option but to drink, one will bore illness and very likely die as well. That being said, there is no excuse not to exercise this new technology of th portable and inexpensive water filtration. 1 billion people are without clean water, 80% of illnesses in developing countries are due to dirty drinking water, in India, 1600 die a day due to diarrhea from dirty drinking water, and those are only a few horrifying statistics from this article. This new filtration costs $2 per year, which is less than what average American pays for water. This technology is amazing, and we need to further develop it to saves millions of lives.

Corinne Caminske

3/30/2015 11:40:14 am

I agree that we should focus as much energy as possible into creative ways to supply water to people who need it most. Living on Long Island makes this issue hard for us to grasp but we have to think outside our bubble. Like you said its inexpensive and accessible; it's the wave of the future!

Corinne Caminske

3/30/2015 11:37:06 am

Water is something that's supposed to provide life not take it. The first thing were searching for on other planets is water because all living organisms need it. I'm personally stunned by the amount of people that die by water borne diseases everyday. This idea is completely foreign on Long Island. Even after the Thirst Project, people in Sayville are still wasting clean water everyday! People waste water everyday by running faucets to try and control their hair or something like that. People who need that clean water to survive would appreciate far more than just a means of making your hair look good.

Brian Sputh

3/31/2015 02:58:58 am

I agree with you Corinne. We waste so much water doing things like brushing our teeth and taking long showers. People don't realize how much water they really waste from these things. People think that only taking 10 more minutes to shower or leaving a faucet on could waste so much water that can be used for so many other things.

Sarah Walsh

3/31/2015 01:34:07 am

Reading this article was exciting! After hearing so much lately about how water scarcity impacts regions with a lot of poverty, its great to hear news like this, filled with hope. Though this isn't necessarily a panacea to water scarcity, I think its great that progress is being made and attention drawn to this critical issue- particularly because it will only get worse as population growth continues. I hope that this idea is a stepping stone for even further development which will utilize even less silver and help save more lives.

3/31/2015 10:33:09 am

I share in your excitement, Sarah. I think this is a very important time in our generation. More and more issues are being brought to light, and more and more people are realizing that they are serious for alll of mankind.

Owen Guinessey

4/1/2015 06:23:31 pm

I agree that this news is very hopeful. It seems like the issue of water scarcity is getting more attention and more people are working to find solutions for it.

Brian Sputh

3/31/2015 02:56:39 am

Water is essential to human life and still knowing that millions of people around the world aren't receiving clean drinking water is awful. Reading the article and really put into perspective the difficulties that people and countries suffer from with no clean drinking water. Coming from a place like Long Island, where we have an abundance of fresh drinking water, we should see what we can do to help these people and countries. With dirty drinking water comes many diseases that people contract and sometimes die from them. When the guest speaker came to take about the Thirst Project it really made all of us think what can we do to help and all thought it was a great project to help. In the U.S. we waste a lot of water doing everyday things but the water we are wasting could be so beneficial to people that don't have access to clean drinking water in other countries.

Kaitlyn Gibbons

4/1/2015 01:02:19 am

I agree Brian, we need to help by decreasing the amount of water we use, to save people from the diseases they could contract, and kill them.

Alyssa Ruml

4/14/2015 09:01:10 am

I completely agree with you! It doesn't even cross people's minds that other people in different countries are suffering over something that is so easily obtained for us.

3/31/2015 10:36:01 am

Water scarcity can not be brushed aside and classified as a "third world problem". It effects us all, and the Earth. In relation to population, water scarcity plays an imperative role. In places with a lack of water, infant mortality rates are high. This lack of stability Ina nations population pyramid leads it to overpopulation, which is not good for any of us as it taxes Earth's system. And in general, poverty is a growing problem and impoverished people's desperation leads to the further degredation of precious resources

Kyle Wilson

4/1/2015 12:10:25 am

I agree that we have to help those who do not have the necessary resources to help themselves. No longer can we ignore others in need just because they do not affect us.

Robert Boos

4/14/2015 10:38:05 pm

I agree, it is amazing how some people don't even have water while others are studying the laws of our universe. How can there be such a large gap in our advancement. We need to prioritize our actions as human beings and advance ourselves ethically as well as technologically.

Kyle Wilson

4/1/2015 12:07:34 am

A lack of drinking water is something that we cannot fathom here in America, let alone acknowledge that it occurs in other parts of the world. We need to do everything we can to help out the people who have no clean water because they are suffering day in and day out. It is good to see researchers using silver to kill water microbes because history has shown that the use of silver to cleanse water has been effective and safe. Hopefully someone can invent some machine that uses minimal amounts of silver to purify large amounts of water so that we can get those in need fresh drinking water.

Ryan O'Donnell

4/1/2015 11:27:39 am

I agree with you Kyle, we should research into sliver to find clean drinking water. we need to do everything we can to help people without a clean water source, find one.

Kaitlyn Gibbons

4/1/2015 01:01:02 am

Thounds of people die or contract fatal diseases daily from the lack of clean water. With a growing population, especially in poorer countries, the lack of water is going to continue to be an issue. Growing up on Long Island I was not aware of the serevrity of the water crisis. Through the Thirst Project and this course I was able to learn more about how important clean water is. In America we need to think more about how we use our water and stop wasting it. I think technologie such as the water bottle in the video we watched in class need to be created to ensure more people are not harmed by the scarce amounts of water.

Joseph Mullen

4/1/2015 03:57:49 am

You are right Kaitlyn, in the US , we have a lot of difficulty understanding how bad the situation can get in the developing world. If we are thirsty, we do not have to walk for several hours to a dirty stream, fill up a 40 gallon tank, and carry it home. If we are thirsty, we walks own the hall, into a different room of our home and tur on the faucet. I have never expirenced anything like that in my life, and many US citizens never will. If people realized how bad it can get, a lot more money could be raised to help support the developing world establish sources of clean drinking water.

Joseph Mullen

4/1/2015 03:50:10 am

Drilling wells in Africa in areas where clean. Safe drinking water is unavailable is a wonderful thing. However, I feel that it is a "long" short term fix. By that I mean that the wells will run out after a number of years, typically around the 30 or 40 year mark. We cannot drill a new well dip for each generation, which is why this filtration system is so incredible. It can MAKE just about any water source safe for human consumption. Unsafe drinking water is a serious issue in the world, and it is a major cause of death as well as political instability throughout the developing world. By making clean water available in these regions, we can reduce death rates and instability drastically.

Nicholas Cowan

4/1/2015 01:45:43 pm

I completely agree that this technology could have farther reaching positive consequences than just bringing clean water to those who need it. With clean local water, people won't have to trek long distances for a far-away water source, allowing mothers to have more time to raise the family or maybe even get an education and thusly a job. With education comes family planning and with a job comes money to break the poverty cycle and reduce total fertility. On a greater scale, when people have access to clean water, as you mentioned, we can stop conflicts that might break out over what water is who's and such.

Ryan O'Donnell

4/1/2015 11:24:52 am

Unsafe drinking water is something people in America are unaccustomed too. But for a billion people around the world it is a serious everyday problem. we should pursue this technology to help people obtain clean water. Eradicating unsafe drinking water around the world is a step towards helping people out of poverty.

Lucas Brennan

4/1/2015 11:44:24 am

You make a great point about helping people out of poverty. If kids and women don't have to spend their day lugging dirty water back to their homes they can get jobs and go to school thus helping their economic situation

Ryan Rattazzi

4/2/2015 12:44:29 am

Great call Ryan. If we get places stricken with poverty clean water, it could help them out in numerous ways. Not only will people stop dying from dehydration and other dirty water related diseases, but without the conflict over water, and the struggles that currently come with obtaining it, people will have more time. Maybe these countries can be turned around by kids going to school, people getting jobs, and before we know it, the water crisis won't be as big of a problem.

Lucas Brennan

4/1/2015 11:43:03 am

I love these articles where hope resonates with me. Reading about this new technology fascinates me and assures me that technology will keep progressing, but does it matter? As our population increases at an alarming rate and countries are stricken with poverty, will our new technology even make a difference. Even though this may be a bit dark, I think its time people ponder these things and face the facts. Realizing there is a problem is the first step and when more technologies like this come to fruition we can address the situation more and more and hopefully our generation will be able to ameliorate the world we live in. Globally, water scarcity is scary to think about. For us, water is always available but think about all of the sudden its not. We need to start utilizing more of these technological advancements.

Julie Marro

4/1/2015 09:41:16 pm

You make a really good point about this water crisis, is it beyond the point of remedy? With population growing so rapidly in these poor countries it seems almost impossible to fix the problem enough to really make an impact. I think it's the best solution right now and we definitely need to start utilizing them more.

Nicholas Cowan

4/1/2015 01:39:52 pm

I find it weird how when we first learned about the water cycle years ago, we were taught that it is a renewable resource. Our water evaporates, condenses into clouds, and precipitates back onto the ground where it can repeat the process. Simple as that right? Well the truth is that water is not this perfect, clean, renewable resource that magically cleans and renews itself. Instead, the vast majority of water is undrinkable (either salt water or ice), it picks up large amounts of chemicals, and it takes a long time to replenish itself when humans are taking so much of it out of rivers and groundwater. Meanwhile you have large populations in third world countries that not only do not have enough water, the water they do have is too polluted and dirty to drink. Such innovations like this however, give you hope. But it is not enough to simply rely on technology to solve our problems. We must also realize that we must change our ways (yet many people here have enough cheap and clean water that to them there is no problem). We can reduce our water consumption and thusly fix the water cycle as a whole and bring clean, disease-free water to those who need it.

Owen Guinessey

4/1/2015 06:22:27 pm

I'm glad that there is new technology being invented to help with water scarcity. After learning about how resources such as water are not abundant in areas of high poverty and population, its good to see that solutions are being researched that could help alleviate the lack of clean water. It seems like water scarcity is getting more and more attention, hopefully more solutions will be found in the near future.

Julie Marro

4/1/2015 09:31:48 pm

We take water for granted in areas like ours. It is always right at our fingertips, we use a ton of it without even thinking twice about it. Seeing just how many impoverished people around the world are dying from lack of access to clean drinking water is unbelievable! Something that is also really important is how much getting these people access to clean drinking water can change their lives because when they have to walk long distances to get water, they have no time to work or go to school. Developing new technology that could be implemented globally could mean more people being educated, much less diseases, lower mortality rates, and as a result of all of this, decreased population growth. This would impact the entire globe.

Alyssa Lofaro

4/11/2015 06:02:47 am

I highly agree with you on the fact that Americans Espeically take advantage for how much water they use. It's easy to forget to turn of the running water while your brushing your teeth or take an unnecessary 20 minute shower. If more people began to realize there bad habits and began to conserves water, we could eventually solve this problem.

Ryan Rattazzi

4/2/2015 12:57:50 am

I think it is honestly ridiculous that there are pets of this world in complete chaos because of their lack of water. Something we are so used to having in abundance everyday if our life that we don't even think about it. Taking a shower, brushing your teeth, washing your car, these are things we don't even think about using water to do. We just do it because it's a part of our lives. But in these countries in Africa they can even get a clean drink of water. I think something needs to be done to cure these nations and get them back in their feet.

Mariel Lucian

4/2/2015 03:13:15 am

I agree that's it extremely ridiculous that here in the U.S we're literally swimming in pools of clean water where people in other 3rd world countries can't afford a bottle of water. Yet the problem is how do we "ship" our excess water to Africa? This is the problem we face thus discovering ways to filter the water already there is the key. And if this new inexpensive water filtration system could make a difference we may have the beginning of solving the problem.

Mariel Lucian

4/2/2015 03:04:48 am

As we know many high conflict areas are located where water is scarce or un-drinkable. In Africa the lack of clean water is a serious problem for the majority of the population. People who lack access to clean water not only have to exert mass amounts of effort to retrieve water but also aren't able to have good hygiene. The simple lack of good hygiene can cause extreme health problems that access to water could be solved. If the inexpensive water filtration system is successful this could mean saving the lives of millions

Alyssa Lofaro

4/11/2015 06:00:48 am

Most of these waterborne diseases aren't found in developed countries because of the sophisticated water systems that filter and chlorinate water to eliminate all disease carrying organisims. But typhoid fever, cholera and many other diseases still run rampant in the developing parts of the world. Which is you think about is make sense, When was the last time America had a Cholera outbreak? But it's very sad to think that Infants and young children are especially susceptible to diseases because their immune systems are experiencing everything for the first time. Even in developed countries, lots of moms boil water before giving it to their children just to be doubly safe. In poor countries, the fuel for the fire can be so expensive that mothers can't afford to boil water and cook food. Which is a terrible decsion for the mother pay to boil water or have my child drink infected water.

Alyssa Ruml

4/14/2015 08:57:50 am

Myself, and probably most of America take drinking water for granted. We don't realize how many people die in just a day from not being able to obtain clean water. Their are numerous types of parasites living in contaminated water and rivers, especially in Africa. In the poor regions of Africa, citizens have to walk tens of miles a day to just find a water source, and most of the time the water they fetch will be completely contaminated. Then they end up with all kinds of parasites, and it's very common they are fatal. This new brilliant invention is perfect for these striving regions in Africa. Now citizens can finally be able to clean out their drinking water, and nourish their bodies with actual clean water. It will lead to healthier communities and more people being able to live.

Robert Boos

4/14/2015 10:35:50 pm

It is amazing how advanced we are as a civilization. It is also amazing how spread out our developments are. Some people are colliding electrons to discover new particles while others are just trying to find a clean source of freshwater. We must be able to provide everyone with clean water, it seems like this is a simple problem that has only not been solved due to our own selfishness.

xammax.my/water-filters link

12/10/2015 01:50:09 pm

Think back to human populations and try to include poverty & population in your response.

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Silver Nanoparticles Could Give Millions Micro-free Drinking Water

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