As
an avid outdoorsman has pointed out, about half of people will not
drink the water outdoors because they do not believe that it is as clean
as the water they get from a countertop water filter. The other half of
people never use any source of pristine water purification when they
are outdoors because they believe the water outdoors is even more clean
then anything that they cold get at home. In the first instance,
ignorance of how to make water safe to drink dramatically increases the
risk of dehydration. In the second instance, not treating water
increases the risk of gastrointestinal illness.
Water found outdoors that is not treated, either with a handheld or countertop water filter, may contain organisms that can make you ill if ingested. To assure as much safety as possible, water should be disinfected, defined as "the removal or destruction of harmful microorganisms." In most instances, water found outdoors must be appropriately treated using an available method which can effectively "disinfect" the water. Disinfection is commonly confused with "purification" although they are inherently different. Pristine water purification, especially in an outdoor situation, may not be able to remove or kill all of the pathogens in the water to ensure its safety. To make sure water is drinkable, it must be treated by boiling, treating it with chemicals, or filtration of some sort.
Boiling water is quite different than using a countertop water filter because boiling water kills any and all living microorganisms when done properly. Although it is commonly believed, water does not have to be boiled for ten minutes (plus an additional minute for every thousand feet above sea level) to be safe for drinking. If water is allowed to come to a rolling boil, this kills most water-borne pathogens, such as Giardia and Cruptosporidium. And since the boiling point of water decreases with increases in elevation, the temperature at which water boils at any given elevation is enough to kill any organisms which might otherwise make you sick without boiling for additional time. But, with this method, one is completely dependent upon having necessary fuel, a metal container to boil the water and enough time to bring the water to a full boil.
Chemicals are also different then using a countertop water filter because time and water temperature become a significant issue. Halogens, such as iodine and chlorine, effectiveness is directly correlated to how much is used, how long the chemicals have time to be in contact with the water and the temperature of the water - the colder the water, the longer the contact time needs to be. Any forms of these chemicals are available in liquid and tablet form. The tablet forms are commonly utilized by the US Military, disaster relief agencies, and those who work or commonly find recreation outdoors.
A final option for assuring safe water outdoors is filtration. Confusion abounds in relation to the usefulness of filters in effectively disinfecting water. This is because some filters only remove the "big stuff", while others also remove the small, most common viruses. Filters come in the form of pumps, bottles with a filter matrix, and gravity-fed. "Filters" are devices that only remove larger organisms while "purifiers" remove both the larger organisms and the finer organisms.
While it may not be practical to carry a countertop water filter to obtain pristine water purification when working or finding recreation outdoors, finding another form of filtration to assure your water is clean is probably a good idea.
Water found outdoors that is not treated, either with a handheld or countertop water filter, may contain organisms that can make you ill if ingested. To assure as much safety as possible, water should be disinfected, defined as "the removal or destruction of harmful microorganisms." In most instances, water found outdoors must be appropriately treated using an available method which can effectively "disinfect" the water. Disinfection is commonly confused with "purification" although they are inherently different. Pristine water purification, especially in an outdoor situation, may not be able to remove or kill all of the pathogens in the water to ensure its safety. To make sure water is drinkable, it must be treated by boiling, treating it with chemicals, or filtration of some sort.
Boiling water is quite different than using a countertop water filter because boiling water kills any and all living microorganisms when done properly. Although it is commonly believed, water does not have to be boiled for ten minutes (plus an additional minute for every thousand feet above sea level) to be safe for drinking. If water is allowed to come to a rolling boil, this kills most water-borne pathogens, such as Giardia and Cruptosporidium. And since the boiling point of water decreases with increases in elevation, the temperature at which water boils at any given elevation is enough to kill any organisms which might otherwise make you sick without boiling for additional time. But, with this method, one is completely dependent upon having necessary fuel, a metal container to boil the water and enough time to bring the water to a full boil.
Chemicals are also different then using a countertop water filter because time and water temperature become a significant issue. Halogens, such as iodine and chlorine, effectiveness is directly correlated to how much is used, how long the chemicals have time to be in contact with the water and the temperature of the water - the colder the water, the longer the contact time needs to be. Any forms of these chemicals are available in liquid and tablet form. The tablet forms are commonly utilized by the US Military, disaster relief agencies, and those who work or commonly find recreation outdoors.
A final option for assuring safe water outdoors is filtration. Confusion abounds in relation to the usefulness of filters in effectively disinfecting water. This is because some filters only remove the "big stuff", while others also remove the small, most common viruses. Filters come in the form of pumps, bottles with a filter matrix, and gravity-fed. "Filters" are devices that only remove larger organisms while "purifiers" remove both the larger organisms and the finer organisms.
While it may not be practical to carry a countertop water filter to obtain pristine water purification when working or finding recreation outdoors, finding another form of filtration to assure your water is clean is probably a good idea.
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Methods For Outdoor Water Purification
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Want to learn more about an countertop water filter, then visit Lucy Cho's page to learn more about this and pristine water purification.
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