03:28 PM PST on Friday, January 7, 2005

Associated Press

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. - Victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami will soon benefit from water purification devices the size of a marking pen that were recently developed for the military.

Two companies that make the purifier and the Department of Defense are sending 1,200 of the devices and instructors to Asia for the relief effort.

The miniature purifier will make only a small difference there, but it could aid many more victims of future disasters, including hurricanes and floods, as its use spreads, said Frank Downs, a senior scientist at the Panama City Naval Surface Warfare Center.

Downs helped develop the 3.5-ounce, shock- and freeze-proof MSR MIOX Purifier made by Miox Corp. of Albuquerque, N.M., and Mountain Safety Research Inc. of Seattle, Wash.

The device runs on a lithium camera battery and destroys common waterborne pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and protozoa as well as anthrax, bubonic plague, smallpox and other contaminants.

"It is the municipal water supply treatment process that's reduced down to a small pen," Downs said. "It's the same process they use at the water plant."

The device converts salt water into a solution similar to a chlorine liquid disinfectant that then can be used to purify a gallon of drinking water in about 45 minutes.

A few were distributed to Florida National Guard troops during hurricane recovery efforts last year.

"The National Guard is looking at this technology now for the next disaster we have in the U.S.," Downs said.

In disasters such as hurricanes municipal water systems usually are restored first, but water still often needs to be boiled, he said. That task can be difficult for those without electrical power. The miniature purifier would reduce the need for bottled water, Downs said.

It is an improvement on iodine tablets used since World War II because iodine doesn't kill all contaminants and leave water with a bad taste, Downs said.

Miox introduced the technology in the 1990s. The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, or DARPA, then partnered with MIOX and MSR, which makes outdoor gear, to develop the purifier.

Downs served as a technical assistant and liaison. He used military troops to test it and identify changes needed before it went into production.

Environmental Protection Agency certification was sought in 2002 so the purifier could be sold commercially, which meant it could avoid additional military testing and get to the troops quicker, Downs said.