The LifeStraw explained: How it filters water and eradicates disease

The LifeStraw is close to eradicating an ancient disease that has effected millions of people for thousands of years. We take a look inside the technology behind the famous water filter. This is the story of how the LifeStraw came to be and how Jimmy Carter's Carter Center is making it happen.

WARNING: Some images in this video may be disturbing to some viewers.

LifeStraw has provided over 38 million Guinea worm filters to the Carter Center since 1994. More recently, the company made the commitment to donate all future Guinea worm filters to the Center through the end of disease eradication. In 2019, 520,000 Guinea worm filters were donated.

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[KushDragon]

For reference. Mold spores, which are all microscopic, are at the very smallest, 4 microns. This filters up to 0.2 microns. Thats pretty freaking good.

[SonnyBoiP]

I got mine as a gift from my job, looked up this video, now I'm obsessed.... I will definitely support this company going forward, great job!

[ss-oqpc]

0:42 you can hear him spit it out lol.

[vishalsapakale]

Hats off for the change you people have made in the eradication of guinea worm.

[RealDealy]

A lot of negative people in the comments, but I commend this company, and the Carter center, for helping people who have no other options, that worm is no joke

Salute to yall!

[moebius]

What an incredible contribution to the world!t!Stay Blessed Life Straw & the Carter Foundation!

[michelleashwood]

Your doing a great job of us when you're done videos like this.

[donaldbozek]

I used mine a lot hiking and kayaking, it saves me from hauling a lot of water weight. I’ve safely drank a lot of stagnant water.

[cageynerd]

When Jimmy Carter was told he had cancer, he said the only thing that made him forget about his troubles and want to get up was helping people. So while getting treatment for cancer and therapies, he built houses for the homeless and housing-insecure. A living American President took a hammer to a nail day after day in the blistering sun to build houses for American families. Jimmy Carter is not just an American Hero -- he is the representation that all that is good and right in the world. He is my hero...

[legendary]

This is just a product for emergencies only. At least it's something to have handy

[ezekielbailey]

I wonder if they plan to do water purification on an industrial scale. It seems like with a large enough array of size exclusion membranes you could do huge volumes.

[TwoSmoker]

Can’t believe rob dierdek tried this thing out in front of his parents in their toilet WITH A TURD FLOATING lmfao 🤣

[echolot]

if done on an industrial scale, this would be a literal life-changer for the entire world

[lordtensing]

I wonder if their technology could somehow be combined on a larger scale to help City water be filtered better as well without the use of chemicals like chlorine

[Chefranger]

I want to thank you and your company for what you guys do helping the poor Africans with their water. God bless you.

[wandadaniel]

how long do they last and when do they need to be replaced? Do they need cleaning between uses?

[GaunteroDimmm]

People don’t give President Carter the respect he deserves when it comes to this stuff. The man literally has done the humanitarian workload of an apostle. He is almost 100 and still goes out and does all these projects. He may not have been the best president, but by God if he isn’t a great human being.

[bbutc]

0.2 microns is 200 nano-metres. Most viruses vary in diameter from 20 to 400 nano-metres, so in theory, some viruses could get through but then you have to look at the survivability of the virus outside of its host and in the natural environment, which in most pathogens would is very limited. So if you did ingest some virus, chances are, its already dead.

[nocturnalsimulacrum]

If I drank a cup of coffee with Life Straw, would I be drinking just the water?

[expat_.]

If more organizations and people did things such as this we could really do so real good and help millions if not billions. But I fear that level of humanity is unreachable