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.
A major concern with water outdoors that is not treated, either with a handheld or countertop water filter, is that organisms living within the water will be brought into the body and will then make you ill. In an effort to be as safe as possible, water should be disinfected, or "the removal or destruction of harmful microorganisms." In order to achieve this, water must be appropriately treated using one of a couple different available methods which effectively "disinfect" the water. Disinfection should not be confused with "purification" as they are very different. Pristine water purification, especially in an outdoor situation, may not remove or kill enough of the pathogens in the water to ensure it is safe to drink. To be sure that the water you will be ingesting is free from illness causing pathogens, it must be treated by boiling it, treating it with chemicals, or filtering.
Boiling water is different from using a countertop water filter in that it kills any organisms living within it. Contrary to popular belief, water does not have to be boiled for ten minutes, plus an additional minute for every thousand feet above sea level. The time it takes for water to actually come to a rolling boil will kill most water-borne pathogens such as Giardia and Cruptosporidium. Since the boiling point of water decreases as you increase in elevation, the temperature at which water boils is hot enough to kill any organisms which might otherwise make you sick. Keep in mind that being able to boil water is wholly dependent upon having fuel to burn, a metal container to heat the water and time sufficient to allow the water to come to a rolling 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.
A major concern with water outdoors that is not treated, either with a handheld or countertop water filter, is that organisms living within the water will be brought into the body and will then make you ill. In an effort to be as safe as possible, water should be disinfected, or "the removal or destruction of harmful microorganisms." In order to achieve this, water must be appropriately treated using one of a couple different available methods which effectively "disinfect" the water. Disinfection should not be confused with "purification" as they are very different. Pristine water purification, especially in an outdoor situation, may not remove or kill enough of the pathogens in the water to ensure it is safe to drink. To be sure that the water you will be ingesting is free from illness causing pathogens, it must be treated by boiling it, treating it with chemicals, or filtering.
Boiling water is different from using a countertop water filter in that it kills any organisms living within it. Contrary to popular belief, water does not have to be boiled for ten minutes, plus an additional minute for every thousand feet above sea level. The time it takes for water to actually come to a rolling boil will kill most water-borne pathogens such as Giardia and Cruptosporidium. Since the boiling point of water decreases as you increase in elevation, the temperature at which water boils is hot enough to kill any organisms which might otherwise make you sick. Keep in mind that being able to boil water is wholly dependent upon having fuel to burn, a metal container to heat the water and time sufficient to allow the water to come to a rolling 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.
About the Author:
Want to learn more about an countertop water filter, then go to Esme Spence's page to learn more about this and pristine water purification.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire