Book that teaches safe water habits doubles as a water filter

The Drinkable Book is a manual that contains details of how to avoid unsafe water, with pages that can also be used to kill waterborne diseases.

Lack of access to clean water is a massive global problem, especially because many of those affected end up drinking unsafe water and don’t realize it’s bad for them. The University of Virginia has previously made efforts to help with its PureMadi filter, which can be made from raw materials by the communities that use them. Now researchers at the institution are involved in the creation of The Drinkable Book, a manual that contains details of how to avoid unsafe water, with pages that can also be used to kill waterborne diseases.

Developed by creative agency DDB Worldwide in collaboration with nonprofit WATERisLIFE and University of Virginia chemist Dr Theresa Dankovich, the project aims to disseminate vital information about the dangers of undrinkable water as well as the tools to help communities extract healthy water from their surroundings. Dr Dankovich worked with the team to create pages coated with silver nanoparticles that kill waterborne diseases such as cholera, E. coli and typhoid. Each of the 24 pages of the book is printed with information about how to avoid unsafe water and can be detached to be used as a filter. Pages slide into the 3D printed packaging that comes with each book, enabling users to pour the water through. Each page contains two filters, which last around 30 days, providing water sanitation tools for up to 4 years. The entire book costs only a few dollars to produce. The video below explains more about the project:

The book provides both information and tools to help reduce the 3.4 million people that die each year from drinking unsafe water. Are there other simple tools that can ensure even the poorest communities can get access to drinkable water?