Dow Funds Test to Promote Accessibility to Drinking Water
At a Glance: Dow and International Aid (IA) are working together to help increase the number of people who have access to drinking water. Using a donation from The Dow Chemical Company Foundation, IA recently started testing the plastic BioSand water filter system in Ghana, as part of field trials that will test the filter in three different locations around the globe. If the system passes these tests, IA will mass produce the filter for distribution through multiple NGOs in the developing world.
September 2007
More than one billion people lack access to safe water. Waterborne diseases cause over 80 percent of illnesses in the developing world and represent one of the most serious public health threats. According to data from the United Nations (UN), over 6,000 people per day – mostly children – die from these diseases.
The UN Millennium Goals target access to clean drinking water because it serves as a catalyst for better public health, education, poverty reduction, women's empowerment and economic growth.
International Aid (IA), a non-government organization, is hoping to provide a simple household water treatment system with its plastic BioSand water filter. If the system passes on-going field trials, clean drinking water for rural families in the developing world is one step closer.
BioSand - An innovative plastic portable filtration system
What makes the plastic BioSand system so innovative is its 7-pound housing. This lightweight component makes the system much more portable than the 300-pound concrete housing that is currently used in 70 countries throughout the world. Using plastic instead of concrete will transform the BioSand system from a cumbersome, hard-to-install filtration system to an accessible, easy-to-install household staple.
“IA’s current plastic mold can make up to 1 million filters, at a rate of 250,000 to 300,000 per year,” said Bill McNeill, Jr., business consultant in Dow’s Sustainability Program management office. “Each filter can provide water for a family unit. In developing countries that’s generally 5-10 people. So, if successful, this project could provide safe drinking water for 5-10 million people.”
Dow to fund field testing in Ghana
Before mass distribution can begin, IA needs to prove in the field that the plastic filter assembly is just as effective as the old cement model. Dow has agreed to fund field testing in Ghana, West Africa, beginning in June 2007. This study will examine both the filter’s ability to improve water quality and the ability of local communities to successfully adopt the new technology. Two other studies will be conducted this year in Central America and Asia.
“This project is a humanitarian effort. It was possible due to a philanthropic donation by The Dow Chemical Company Foundation aligned with The Dow Chemical Company’s 2015 Sustainability Goals focused on designing products to solve world challenges. The potential for the plastic BioSand filter project is very exciting, and I am pleased that Dow has chosen to be a key enabler of this program,” said McNeill.
Dow committed to sustainable water technologies
Dow believes that a variety of technologies, system solutions and business models will be required to significantly improve access to clean drinking water and sanitation. Solutions must be carefully matched to community needs, and will require the cooperation of businesses, NGOs, financial institutions, and governments. The BioSand project is an example of Dow collaborating with others to help make the provision of clean drinking water sustainable and economically viable for everyone.
For more information about Dow’s 2015 Sustainability Goals, including products designed to solve world challenges, go to: www.dow.com/commitments/goals
Related Links:
• International Aid
• www.dow.com/commitments/goals
• 2015 Sustainability Goals – Products Designed to Solve World Challenges
• Dow Water Solutions
• http://www.dow.com/hu
