The Procter & Gamble Health Sciences Institute, in collaboration with the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announced that a new product has been developed, tested and proven effective in providing clean drinking water for people in the developing world.

The product, called PuR Water Purifier, developed by The Procter & Gamble Health Sciences Institute, has been shown to significantly reduce diarrheal illness in two health intervention trials. The CDC conducted the trials in Guatemala in 2001-2003.

"We estimate that 5,000 children die every day because of diarrheal illness," said Steve Luby, medical epidemiologist with the CDC. "If we can get people to use products like PuR to decontaminate water in their homes and store it safely, we can reduce the incidence of diarrhea and illness and save thousands of lives."

The P&G Health Sciences Institute is dedicated to identifying, developing, and using leading health care technologies in the development of effective products for both the developing and developed world. Two billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world.