Brass jugs polish off disease
http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050404/full/050404-14.html
Ancient Indian wisdom stands test of science
http://us.rediff.com/news/2005/apr/11brass.htm
*Developing world urged to ditch plastic
for traditional pitchers.*
Brass containers could save lives by killing
harmful bacteria. *(c) R. Reed* Brass water
containers could combat many water-borne
diseases, according to microbiologists. The
discovery suggests that these vessels should
be used in developing countries, where people
typically view cheaper plastic containers as the
better option.
Water-borne diseases remain a serious threat
in many poor regions of the world, with around
2 million children dying each year from diarrhoea.
Efforts to provide safe drinking water have had
difficulty reaching remote areas.
Even in places with basic water-purification
systems, people often opt for riskier wells under
trees because the water is cooler, says Rob Reed,
who led the brass study. On a recent trip to
Reed, a microbiologist at
in
doing exactly this.
But he also heard an interesting piece of local
wisdom: people believe that traditional brass
water containers offer some protection against
sickness.The idea intrigued Reed, who was in
Asia
sunlight on water.
He has now found that bacteria are indeed less
likely to thrive in brass water pots than in
earthenware or plastic ones. "It's one of the
traditional ideas of water treatment and we were
able to find a microbiological basis for it," he says.
*Hold that thought*
Reed, with his colleagues Puja Tandon and
Sanjay Chhibber,carried out two series of
experiments. In
brass and earthenware vessels with a diluted
culture of *Escherichia coli* bacteria, which
can cause illnesses such as dysentery. They then
counted the surviving bacteria after 6, 24and 48
hours. A similar test was carried out in
The amount of live E. coli in the brass vessels
dropped dramatically over time, and after 48
hours they fell to undetectable levels, Reed told
the Society for General Microbiology's meeting
this week in
The key to the result is copper, which can disrupt
biological systems, Reed explains. The element
acts by interfering with the membranes and enzymes
of cells; for bacteria, this can mean death. Pots made
of brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, shed copper
particles into the water they contain.
The amounts that circulate into the brass water
vessels would not harm humans, Reed adds.
According to the researchers, even a person drinking
10litres of such water in a single day would take
in less than the daily recommended dose of copper or zinc.
*Plastic beliefs*
Brass water pots also easily outperformed plastic
ones, the researchers discovered. Plastic, says Reed,
did not inactivate he bacteria. But many people in
developing nations use plastic drinking vessels,
because they view them as more modern.
Her factors also influence their choice. "Brass
is an order of magnitude more expensive. People
are switching to plastic because it's cheaper,"
Reed explains. He hopes that the disease
-fighting properties of brass containers will
convince people toswitch back to traditional ware.
"They work at the individual household level,
so you don't need a great deal of infrastructure"
unlike other safe-water systems, Reed says.
Although Reed declines to speculate about exactly
how many lives could be saved by switching to
brass, he points to the millions of lives claimed each
year by water-borne diseases. Storing water in brass
for two days could stop this, he suggests:
"The potential is great."
Ancient Indian wisdom stands test
of science
April 11, 2005 10:17 IST
Ancient Indian wisdom that drinking water
should be stored in brass vessels for good
health has now been proved scientifically.
Microbiologists say water stored in brass
containers could help combat many water
-borne diseases. In developing countries, such
containers should be used rather than their
cheaper alternatives, plastic containers,
researchers said.
Water-borne diseases remain a serious threat
in many poor regions of the world, with around
2 million children dying each year from diarrhoea.
Efforts to provide safe drinking water have had
difficulty reaching remote areas.
Even in places with basic water-purification
systems,people often opt for riskier wells under
trees because the water is cooler, 'Nature'
magazine quoted Rob Reed,who led the research,
as saying.
It said on a recent trip to
microbiologist at
villagers doing exactly this.
But he also heard an interesting piece of local
wisdom:people believe that traditional brass
water containers offer some protection against
sickness. The idea, Nature added, intrigued Reed,
who was in
effects of sunlight on water.
He has now found that bacteria are indeed less
likely to thrive in brass water pots than in
earthenware or plastic ones. "It's one of the
traditional ideas of water treatment and we were
able to find a microbiological basis
quoted as saying.
Reed, with his colleagues Puja Tandon and Sanjay
Chhibber,carried out two series of experiments,
'Nature' reported. In
brass and earthenware vessels with a diluted culture
of Escherichia coli bacteria, which can cause illnesses
such as dysentery. They then counted the surviving
bacteria after 6, 24 and 48 hours. A similar test was
carried out in
The amount of live E coli in the brass vessels dropped
dramatically over time, and after 48 hours they fell to
undetectable levels, Reed told the Society for General
Microbiology's meeting this week in
The key to the result is copper, which can disrupt
biological systems, Reed explained. The element
interferes with the membranes and enzymes of cells;
for bacteria, this can mean death.
Pots made of brass, an alloy of copper and zinc,
shed copper particles into the water they contain.
The amounts that circulate into the brass water
vessels could not harm humans, Reed added.
Even a person drinking 10 litres of such water
in a single day would take in less than the daily
-recommended dose of copper or zinc, Nature
quoted the researchers as saying.
Brass water pots also easily outperformed plastic
ones,the researchers discovered. Plastic, Reed was
quoted as saying, did not inactivate the bacteria.
But many people in developing nations use plastic
drinking vessels, because they view them as more
modern.
