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TechnoratiFoldaway toilet brings relief to disaster victims
A French doctor has designed a foldaway toilet, which is biodegradable, lightweight and easy to carry to be used in emergency situations following natural disasters.
Laurent Helewa had the idea after Hurricane Katrina and thinks the invention might be useful in other such disaster situations where thousands of displaced people are crowded into emergency accommodation, with inadequate, if any, toilet facilities.
“The first problem is to have access to a toilet. Because if not, people will do their business wherever, and you end up with epidemics such as cholera,” Helewa told the French news agency.
The unit weighs about two kilogrammes and is essentially a piece of cardboard, which folds into a boxed seat in one minute. It comes with plastic bags which each contain an absorbent pad to soak up liquids.
The heavy-duty version was tested by four armies, and can withstand a weight of 200kg and a usage of 20 hours per day.
The French invention is one of among more than 1,000 creations showcased at this week’s International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva.
Comments (1)
Kudos to this inventor
I only wish we could have had these in the Superdome during Katrina and the levee failures. This doctor has done a tremendous service and I hope we start spending money on these instead of invading foreign countries.
Paul Harris
Author, "Diary From the Dome, Reflections on Fear and Privilege During Katrina"
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