Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2009 - (Page 5)

big problems Not aBalcita to Drink Drop by Angela F or many of us, getting a cool drink of water is as simple as turning on the faucet. Even if we don’t know exactly where it comes from or how it is cleaned, we can rest assured that the seemingly endless supply of water coming through the pipes in our sink is safe enough to drink. You might say we’re pretty lucky. Over one billion people around the world don’t have access to clean water. Over 2.6 billion do not have access to basic sanitation. “Water and sanitation are among the most important determinants of public health,” says Dr. Lee Jong-wook, Director General of the World Health Organization. Over ,000 children a day are dying from severe diarrhea spread through poor sanitation and hygiene. Imagine bathing in the same streams and ponds from which you get your drinking water. Countries all over the world use different sorts of water treatment technologies—such as desalination, filtration, and even ultraviolet radiation—to clean public water. But the problem is that poor, developing countries like Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda who are most in need of these treatments lack the money and the infrastructure to afford these types of systems. The problem gets worse when you consider that a lack of conventional, large-scale water treatment means that the floods, hurricanes, and storms to which many poor countries are prone can further spread waterborne disease in rivers, streams, and ponds. The H2O Solution More and more, people are finding ways to attack the problem on a small scale. An inventor from Denmark has developed a straw containing filters and iodine, which removes toxins as the water is being drunk. Procter and Gamble’s PUR Purifier of Water packets contain iron sulphate and calcium hypochlorite, “which kill bacteria and viruses while removing parasites and heavy metals.” One PUR packet can decontaminate two and a half gallons of water. Solutions like these are cheap, simple, and portable, making drinking water possible without the pipes and pumps. Research for large-scale projects continues, especially in the world of nanotechnology. Many scientists think that using nanomaterials would be cheaper or more effective. A Vermontbased laboratory developed a filter made of carbon nanotubes that prevents the tiniest microorganisms and bacteria from passing through. Another invention using carbon-nanotube membranes creates faster flow of water for reverse osmosis desalination. Though efficient, the technology still requires a large amount of energy. The flipside of this issue is sanitation, or preventing waste from getting into the water system in the first place. It’s a problem that points once again to the lack of funding and organization to put these vital systems in place. An article in The New York Times pointed out how, frustrated with their countries’ public works, private groups helped communities with organizing the collection, transportation, and treatment of waste. A private group in India built “thousands of public toilets and more than a million private latrines that cost as little as $10 each in more than 1,000 cities nationwide.” Whether the solution is in small-scale water treatment or large, whether it is initiated by the government or by private groups and individuals, we need to find a way to quench the world’s thirst with clean water. What do you think is the best way? i Share your solution at www.cty.jhu.edu/imagine/bigproblems. We’ll publish the best responses in our next issue. Sources: The One Campaign, Nanotechnology Now, BBC News, World Health Organization, Reason, Science Daily, and The New York Times January/February 2009 imagine http://www.cty.jhu.edu/imagine/big-problems http://www.cty.jhu.edu/imagine/big-problems

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2009

Imagine Magazine - John Hopkins - January/February 2009
Contents
Letters
Big Problems
In My Own Words
Witness to a Pandemic
An Ounce of Prevention
Of Math and Measles
Predicting the Next Pandemic
Medicine, Medicine Everywhere
Food Matters
Looking for a Challenge? Try Summer College!
CTY: The Real Deal
Hot Topic
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Middle Ground
One Step Ahead
Exploring Career Options
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Creative Minds Imagine
Sudoku
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2009