7049: Clean water for a school Forty million people in West Bengal and Bangladesh are thought to be at risk from arsenic-contaminated water supplies. Arsenic is a semi-metallic naturally occurring chemical that is all around us in the environment, and we are exposed to small doses on a regular basis. In large amounts arsenic kills quickly, while sustained low-grade exposure gives rise to cancers, diabetes, thickening of the skin, liver disease and problems with the digestive system. The end result is the same: death. However, thanks to generous donations from Good Givers, Bangladeshi families and schools can now benefit from cheap, accessible filtration systems. These rely on a simple process of magnetic separation that actually becomes more efficient the more they are used! Each filtration system provides 30 litres of purified drinking water per hour, and new models are available for community use with a flow rate exceeding 100 litres per hour. No toxic waste is produced, making the systems safe both for people and the environment. In the Kushtia district of Bangladesh, funds raised through the Good Gifts Catalogue have provided 510 families with filtration systems, and a further 450 systems have been installed at 90 schools, serving a total of 24500 people. As a result, no new cases of arsenic-related diseases have been found in areas where systems have been installed.