By Christopher Hope, Home Affairs Correspondent. The Telegraph
Published: 12:01AM BST 12 Sep 2007
The Life Saver bottle, which can clean up the dirtiest water being demonstrated.
The way fresh water is supplied to disaster-hit regions could be revolutionised after an Ipswich-based businessman
invented a �190 bottle that makes foul-smelling water drinkable in seconds.
Michael Pritchard hopes that the bottle could be a life-saver for refugees in disaster regions where access to clean
drinking water is vital.
However, the military are already latching on to his idea. Four hours after Mr Pritchard launched his new "Life Saver"
bottle at the DESI defence show in London yesterday, he sold out his entire 1,000 stock. "I am bowled over," he said.
Military chiefs are excited because the bottles, which can distill either 4,000 litres or 6,000 litres without changing
the filter, will have huge benefits for soldiers who hate drinking iodine-flavoured water.
In July a protype of the bottle was voted "Best Technological Development" at the Soldier Technology conference.
Mr Pritchard, who runs a water treatment business in Ipswich, was inspired after watching coverage of the tsunami in
south-east Asia on Boxing Day 2004 and of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana the following year.
He was amazed to see refugees waiting for days to get any fresh water.
He said: "Something had to be done. It took me a little while and some very frustrating prototypes but eventually I did it."
Conventional filters can cut out bacteria measuring more than 200 nanometres but not viruses, which typically are
25 nanometres long.
Mr Pritchard's bottle can clean up any water - including faecal matter - using a filter that cuts out anything
longer than 15 nanometres, which means that viruses can be filtered out without the use of chemicals.
Performance and technical data.
Minimum operating temperature. >0 �C (32 �F)
Maximum operating temperature. 50 �C (122 �F)
Minimum storage temperature. -10 �C* (14 �F)
Maximum storage temperature. 60 �C (140 �F)
Initial flow rate. 2.5L/min@0.25 Bar(1)
Cartridge service rating. 4000 litres (1056 US gallons)
6000 litres (1585 US gallons)
MWCO . 200KDs - on dextranes
Bacteria retention. >99.999995 % (log 7.5)(2)
Virus retention. >99.999 % (log5)(3)
Chemical reduction. Activated carbon reduces
chemical residues,
inc: pesticides endocrine
disrupting compounds
medical residues and
heavy metals.
LIFESAVER bottle US compliance.
EPA - US National Primary Drinking Water Regulations under the Safe Drinking
Water Act 93-523
LIFESAVER bottle UK compliance.
Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000
LIFESAVER bottle EU compliance.
European Drinking Water Directive Council Directive 98/83/EC
LIFESAVER bottle WHO compliance.
Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality First Addendum 3rd Edition
1. Flow rates and capacity depend on the quality of the.feed water.
2. Tested by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine using Escherichia coli NCTC 10418 in accordance with the
Protocol for Microbiological Water Purifiers in accordance with US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines.
3. Tested by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine using Poliovirus Type 1 (Sabin vaccine strain) in accordance
with the Protocol for Microbiological Water Purifiers in accordance with US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
guidelines.
*After first use the product should be protected against freezing.
