Water Purification

Whether you are backpacking in the wilds with uncertain water sources or you simply want to remove the overly chlorinated taste from your city water, you need to ensure that the water purification methods you use are genuinely safe.

There are several methods for purifying water. The most common and perhaps the simplest procedure is to boil the water. Bringing the water to a rolling boil, where the water is heated to 100 degrees Fahrenheit for at least one or two minutes will kill almost all pathogens.  Boiling water will not remove chemicals, however, or metal pollutants.  Activated charcoal will remove most pollutants, thus boiling your water and then filtering it with activated charcoal should in most cases provide you with clean, purified water that is suitable for drinking.

Filtration can also be accomplished by using portable pump filters. While these are fairly effective at filtering out most pathogens, they should not be solely relied upon. Usually they are combined with charcoal filtration and either ultraviolet or chemical disinfection. Chlorine, iodine and common bleach are often used to provide chemical disinfection when needed. Providing the filters are still fairly new, this type of filter system also produces water that is safe for drinking.

Commonly, iodine is used for chemically treating water. Treatment of natural fresh water using iodine tablets or crystals is usually fairly effective and will remove most of the common bacteria and viruses found in water. It is not sufficient for heavily contaminated water. Some people are allergic to iodine and should not drink water treated in this method.  Chlorine based water treatment tablets are also used to purify water when needed on a short-term basis, however they are not suitable for long-term purification.

Other methods may be used for water purification, such as solar water disinfection or solar distillation; however, these methods are not commonly used for regular water purification. Generally, a combination of filtration and chemical or ultraviolet disinfection, or simply boiling water, are the safest methods.

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