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.
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 how useful filters truly are in effectively disinfecting water. Some filters only remove the "big stuff", such as bacteria, while others also remove the "small stuff", such the most common viruses. Filters come in many forms: pumps, bottles with a filter matrix, and gravity-fed. "Filters" only remove larger organisms while "purifiers" remove both the larger organisms and the finer organisms, potentially making them more useful in outdoor situations.
It may not be practical to carry a countertop water filter to obtain pristine water purification when working or finding recreation outdoors, so you might have utilize another method in this article to assure water is safe to drink.
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 how useful filters truly are in effectively disinfecting water. Some filters only remove the "big stuff", such as bacteria, while others also remove the "small stuff", such the most common viruses. Filters come in many forms: pumps, bottles with a filter matrix, and gravity-fed. "Filters" only remove larger organisms while "purifiers" remove both the larger organisms and the finer organisms, potentially making them more useful in outdoor situations.
It may not be practical to carry a countertop water filter to obtain pristine water purification when working or finding recreation outdoors, so you might have utilize another method in this article to assure water is safe to drink.
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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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