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Organization creates books that can be used as water filters

The group WaterIsLife has created 'drinkable books' – the text tells readers about water safety and the pages function as water filters.

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Anick Jesdanun/AP
Yellowstone Park in Wyoming includes various rapids.
  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

The group WaterisLife won't just be giving readers a book to instruct them about water safety – it will also be providing them with water filters embedded in the book itself.

WaterisLife has created a book, known as a “drinkable book,” that contains text that educates readers about water issues and also allows them to purify their own water. Readers will be able to tear out a page of the book and then use that page as a filter to kill bacteria. The job is done by silver nanoparticles on each page, according to NPR.

WaterisLife is working with DDB, an advertising agency, to create the books. Each page of the book will be able to filter about 30 days of drinking water.

The first printing created about 100 books. The initial plan is to send the books to Kenya, but WaterisLife hopes to expand the program to people in other countries as well.

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