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newsmakers: The Pen is Mightier Than the Germs

 
   
  by Angela Spivey  


his battery-powered disinfecting “pen” can make water safer to drink within minutes. In tests of the MIOX Disinfection Pen, Mark Sobsey, professor of environmental sciences and engineering, and doctoral students Maren E. Anderson and Julie A. Kase found that the device reduced bacteria and viruses by more than 99 percent within 10 minutes.

Invented by Los Alamos Technical Associates and MIOX Corp. of Albuquerque, the device uses electrodes that generate chlorine and other oxidants from salt pellets and a small amount of water. The solution can then be used to disinfect a quart of water. The pen isn’t available for your camping trips yet: the Department of Defense had it developed for use by soldiers. A lighter, less-expensive version is in the works for the outdoor recreation market.

   
   
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