 |
Container of lime juice with cut limes
(Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
This is really good news for developing countries where access to clean water is limited.
The ability to reduce pathogens in water through the use of lime juice and use of freely available sunshine to purify water will help to reduce the incidence of water borne diseases such as diarhhea and dysentry.
UNICEF states that lack of safe water and sanitation is the world’s single largest cause of illness. In 2002, 42 per cent of households had no toilets, and one in six people had no access to safe water.
The toll on children is especially high. About 4,500 children die each day from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation facilities. Countless others suffer from poor health, diminished productivity and missed opportunities for education.
The young and the old are particularly vulnerable. Over 90 per cent of deaths from diarrhoeal diseases due to unsafe water and sanitation in the developing world occur in children below 5 years old.
=============
By Dr. Mercola
Story at-a-glance
- In third-world countries, sunlight exposure is often used to help make water safer, but this natural disinfection process can take anywhere from six to 48 hours (depending on cloud cover and so on)
- Researchers have discovered that adding lime juice to the water, and then exposing it to sunlight, make this disinfection method even more powerful, significantly reducing levels of bacteria like E. coli in just 30 minutes
- Natural disinfection processes like these could have an extremely beneficial impact in countries that don’t have ready access to clean drinking water
- In the United States, most municipal water supplies use chlorine as a disinfectant, which creates disinfection byproducts (DBPs) linked to cancer, reproductive problems and other health risks; a whole house water filtration system is the easiest way to avoid these risks.
Sources -- Click on the links below to read more:
