SHREWSBURY, Massachusetts — Chemist Theresa Dankovich invented a device that is both informative and lifesaving—a book. Her device, “The Drinkable Book,” includes pages with information on hygiene to teach people about proper sanitation, but even more importantly, these sheets of paper can also be used to filter water.
Approximately 36 percent of people in the world live without access to proper sanitation, according to UNICEF. Within that 36 percent, about 768 million people cannot procure safe drinking water. These individuals often suffer from illness because using contaminated water to drink, cook and clean frequently leads to sickness and disease.
Dankovich’s goal with “The Drinkable Book” is to combat these illnesses in an inexpensive and accessible way. The paper in the book contains pages with text written in non-toxic ink, which outlines facts about maintaining a sanitary life-style. Dankovich took the time to include information about basic sanitation such as hand-washing and trash disposal because she believes that education about personal hygiene is an essential factor in stopping the spread of illnesses. For her, the educational component of the book is just as critical as the practical water-filtering component.
Within the pages are silver nanoparticles that act as the filtration system. Silver is not harmful to humans but kills the bacteria living in the water, which are the source of disease. After passing through the filter of “The Drinkable Book,” the once bacteria-filled, non-potable water becomes safe to drink. Although still in the testing phase, Dankovich’s book has proven to provide water that is as clean as tap water in the United States.
The book’s design is simple and easy. To filter water, tear out half of a page and place it into the filter box, which is also the cover of the book. Then water is poured through the filter and, within minutes, the water is safe to drink. The pages can be used multiple times and the book as a whole will allow people to filter fresh drinking water for up to a year.
“The Drinkable Book” offers a viable solution to the problem of contaminated drinking water, which affects millions of people worldwide. The sicknesses that are a result of unclean water prevent men and women from going to work and children from going to school. The sick individuals become not only an economic burden to their families, but also weaken the labor force in their community. Lack of proper water leaves societies stuck, unable to overcome poverty. Clean water is essential for a healthy community and is a part of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. The goal seeks to cut in half the number of people living without reliable access to clean water.
The process of developing pages that filter out harmful microbes in water has taken Dankovich years. “The Drinkable Book” became a reality when the ad agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) Worldwide Communications Group Inc. took interest in Dankovich’s work and paired her with one if its clients, WATERisLIFE. Together the two now produce the filter pages inexpensively and make the book widely available.