Improving water quality provides social and economic benefits to developing countries. For example, chlorination, filtration, solar disinfection, or combined flocculation and chlorination can yield benefits of $5 to $140 for each $1 that is invested 1 . In developing countries, large-scale municipal water treatment systems face problems such as inadequate maintenance, intermittent delivery, contamination with microorganisms, and lack of chlorination 3-6 . The high cost of water transportation and the high cost of constructing centralized water systems also have limited the use of centralized water purification 4,5 . Disinfecting water after collection, which is commonly referred to as point-of-use disinfection, enables individuals to improve water obtained from unsafe sources 6-9 . Low-cost point-of-use technologies are being developed to convert water from untreated sources such as springs, wells, community taps, and rivers 7 . At this time, chlorination, flocculation, boiling, and filtration are the most commonly used point-The recent earthquake in Haiti has focused worldwide attention on the need for improved water purification materials and systems. Numerous individuals, religious charities, non-governmental organizations, and private companies have sent water purifications systems to Haiti in recent months in order to stem the spread of waterborne diseases. This recent tragedy has placed a spotlight on the ongoing problem of inadequate access to safe water in developing countries. The United Nations estimates that 1.1 billion people, or eighteen per cent of the world population, cannot obtain safe water at this time 1 . In developing countries, waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery, enteric fever, and hepatitis A are quite common 2 . Endemic diarrheal diseases place individuals, particularly children, at risk of arrested growth, malnutrition, and neurological conditions. The World Health Organization states that 1.6 million individuals, mostly young children, die from diarrheal diseases each year 1 .