Just about half of people will not consume water when working or finding recreation outdoors because they are afraid that it is not as clean what they receive from a countertop water filter. The other half of people are on the other end of the spectrum and rarely use any source of pristine water purification when they are outdoors because of feelings that outdoor water is even more pure then anything that they cold from a tap. In the first instance, ignorance towards obtaining safe drinking water outdoors exponentially increases the risks of dehydration. But, in the second instance, failure to treat water that may be unclean exponentially increases the risk of sicknesses and illnesses.
When outdoors, a major concern with water that is not treated, either with a handheld or countertop water filter, is that organisms living within the water will be ingested and make you sick. To be safe, water must be disinfected, which is defined as "the removal or destruction of harmful microorganisms.
" To do this, water must effectively be treated using one of a couple different available methods to "disinfect" water, which should not be confused with "purification." Pristine water purification, in an outdoor situation, may not remove or kill enough of the pathogens to ensure a persons safety in drinking it. To be certain that the water you would like to ingest is free from illness causing pathogens, it must be boiled, treated with chemicals, or filtered.
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.
Utilizing chemicals is also very different from using a countertop water filter because time and water temperature become very significant. The effectiveness of halogens, such as iodine and chlorine, is directly linked to how much is used, contact time for the chemicals within the water and the temperature of the water - the more cold the water, the longer the contact time required. Most chemicals come in both a liquid and tablet form. The tablet forms are widely popular, finding use within the US Military, disaster relief agencies, and those who work outdoors.
Filtration is a final option for assuring safe water outdoors. There is a lot of confusion that exists in relation to the usefulness of filters in effectively disinfecting water. Some filters only remove the "big stuff", while others also remove common viruses. Some filters come in the form of pumps, some are bottles with a filter matrix, and some rely on gravity. Devices that only remove larger organisms are referred to as "filters" while those that remove both the larger organisms and the finer organisms are referred to as "purifiers."
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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