Theresa Dankovich, PhD, invented and tested germ-killing silver-coated filters as part of her doctoral work at McGill University in Montreal. As part of her post-doctoral research at University of Virginia, she field tested the filters in South Africa, as well as inventing a new synthesis method using only non-toxic reagents. Since 2014 Dr. Dankovich has field tested her filters in Ghana, Honduras, Bangladesh, Kenya and Haiti, showing repeatedly that they can purify even the most polluted gray water. The next challenge was to educate potential customers and create culturally appropriate filter holders for international markets that would ensure correct and consistent use of the filters. Through non-profit partnerships, Dr. Dankovich began field testing different filter holders and collecting feedback from homemakers, those primarily responsible for household water purification and hygeine, in Bangladesh and Honduras. In 2016 her company, Folia Water, developed the Tasita™, a filter holder that fits with a variety of household water collection and storage container around the world, including two-liter bottles, jerry cans, Bangladeshi kolshis, 5-gallon buckets and Guatemalan tinajas.