About half of people will not ingest water when working or finding recreation outdoors because they fear that it is not as clean as the water they receive from a countertop water filter. It further appears that the other half of people rarely use any source of pristine water purification when they are outdoors because they feel that the water outdoors is even more pure then anything that they cold get at home. In the first example, ignorance towards safe drinking water outdoors dramatically increases the risk of dehydration. In the second example, failure to treat water that may contain microorganisms increases the risk of gastrointestinal illness and other sicknesses.
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.
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.
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.
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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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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