Working Together to Improve Global Sanitation

This article on the University of Washington Bothell website headlines their collaborative work with Briotech on latrine odor research that could conceivably improve sanitation efforts globally.
 
University of Washington, Bothell
October 28, 2020

Reduce Latrine Odors, Improve Global Sanitation
Research conducted largely by University of Washington Bothell undergraduates found that a disinfectant produced by a Woodinville, Washington, company can neutralize latrine odors, a development that has the potential to improve sanitation for millions of people in developing parts of the world.

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene recently published the research. Lori Robins, an associate professor in the School of STEM, led her students in collaboration with students in the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences at the UW in Seattle. The research was conducted with support of Briotech, the maker of a pure and stable form of hypochlorous acid (HOCl), a safe disinfectant-antiseptic also known as electrolyzed water.​

Briotech previously teamed up with UW Bothell on research that helped prove its HOCl effective against prions, which are believed responsible for some dementia disorders such as Mad Cow Disease. This time, Briotech’s Chief Scientific Officer Jeff Williams worked with the students to see if they could make using a latrine less disgusting.

The World Health Organization says countries where open defection is most common have the highest number of deaths of children under 5 and the highest levels of malnutrition and poverty. The United Nations observes Nov. 19 as World Toilet Day to raise awareness of the 4.2 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation. 

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