Travel: Water Purification for Travelers (Part 3)
Ok, so now I've gone over what you can find in the water, and some methods for disinfection. Some don't work that well. So what really works and what doesn't? What do you recommend?
Let's recap:
- Boiling water kills just about everything, but requires fuel and offers no residual protection. Since I don't want to carry a large dual voltage tea kettle (does such a thing exist?) that method is out.
- Chlorine and iodine will not reliably treat for Giardia or Cryptosporidium. Additionally, iodine is not recommended for long term usage. I'm putting various methods of delivery in the same pot without any extensive research: bleach, Halzone, Sodium dichloroisocyanurate, Superchlorination-dechlorination, Chloramine, Tincture of Iodine, Povidone-Iodine, Tetraglycine hydroperiodide, etc.
- Only chlorine dioxide, MIOX and UV light will kill everything (with enough contact time).
- You can also mechanically filter the water and treat the remaining water with chemical disinfection to kill the pathogens that are smaller than .2 microns.
In a table format:
| Method | Viruses | Bacteria | Protozoa | Particulates |
| Filtration (0.2 micron or less) | YES | YES | YES | |
| Boiling water | YES | YES | YES | |
| UV light | YES | YES | YES | |
| Chlorine Dioxide | YES | YES | YES | |
| MIOX | YES | YES | YES | |
| Chorine | YES | YES | yes (not crypto) | |
| Iodine | YES | YES | yes (not crypto) |
Right now, I am leaning towards MIOX or a SteriPEN (or the overkill/belt-and-suspenders combination of a filter and chemical disinfection) to kill viruses. I tried the Katadyn Micropur and contrary to the sales literature, it turned the water a slight fizzy brownish color, and I just didn't have the courage to drink it with bottled water available.
Comments?
Labels: business travel
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