Lifestraw: the plastic cigar that lets you drink potable water

Water is a topic very dear to my heart (no doubt because I can drink until I'm no longer thirsty), and this is another wonderful initiative (after Sodis).

But before any criticism, let's first explain the concept.
LifeStraw is a water filter the size of a plastic cigar (25 cm long and 2.9 cm in diameter) that purifies water by removing potential pathogens (typhoid, cholera, dysentery) as well as parasites. It works as soon as you drink water and requires nothing... no electricity, no parts. You can drink 700 liters for one person for a year, and it costs $2.

So yes, it's made of plastic, but it can save tens of thousands of lives each year. I read that to equip the entire population in need, it would have required just 1% of the 2002 US military budget for the Iraq War...
Other criticisms are that to kill most bacteria, LifeStraw uses iodine and charcoal, and it's true that bacteria need to be killed. And after a year, it can no longer be used. Can it be recycled? I don't think so.

But despite all that, yes, I think the initiative is good, the product is not very expensive, and if we talk about it, if big companies invest, research will be done, and further progress will be made.
However, and I will conclude on this note, the initiative is good; it has the merit of existing, of wanting to save lives. 

++ LifeStraw