Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health and the
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine found that adding lime juice to water
that is treated with a solar disinfection method removed detectable
levels of harmful bacteria such as E. coli significantly faster than
solar disinfection alone. The results are featured in the April 2012
issue of American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
"For many countries, access to clean drinking water is still a major
concern. Previous studies estimate that globally, half of all hospital
beds are occupied by people suffering from a water-related illness,"
said Kellogg Schwab, PhD, MS, senior author of the study, director of
the Johns Hopkins University Global Water Program and a professor with
the Bloomberg School’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences. "The
preliminary results of this study show solar disinfection of water
combined with citrus could be effective at greatly reducing E. coli
levels in just 30 minutes, a treatment time on par with boiling and
other household water treatment methods. In addition, the 30 milliliters
of juice per 2 liters of water amounts to about one-half Persian lime
per bottle, a quantity that will likely not be prohibitively expensive
or create an unpleasant flavor."
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health – 17-04-2012