>>662771>As water flows through these pores, then begin to degrade, and close off.This source says the filter itself is made out of a halogenated resin.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/water-filtration-system/The pores in polymers cannot "close themselves". They can be damaged by freezing or excessive force. A crack in the fiber would allow more water to come through, which did not pass through a hole. If this is the case then it would be essentially "unfiltered" and still contain all the bacteria and protozoa that it was supposed to filter out. There's no way for a user to know if any of the fibers were damaged like this, until they get sick.
The Sawyer mini's filter is most likely made of a similar halogenated resin, and thus susceptible to the same problems. I think the company which makes the Lifestraw is taking a very conservative approach. Their product was designed for uneducated people to filter extremely dangerous water. The unit is very cheap, and was meant to be available in high numbers to encourage replacing if it stops working.
>>662783>you've never done any research!>listen to this study which tested 6 total filters!The study reported by that group leaves a lot to be desired. This slide doesn't even make any sense.
>200 filters installed>October 2011 38 filters installedSo which is it? Were 200 installed or only 38?
They also say they imaged one fiber from each filter and a fiber from a new filter, but right next to that it says only 1 used filter was analyzed along with 1 new filter. And which used filter was it? the one that had stopped working completely?
And what does "household use" entail? Were the filters being run non stop for cooking, cleaning, and drinking? Were they only used for drinking water?
