How to treat water while traveling

Drinking water is just a common everyday occurrence until you decide to leave the safety of the United States drinking water systems. It is kind of strange to us to think that everyone else doesn't treat their whole water source, including the water used for cleaning and flushing toilets. However, if you are not aware of what you are doing and accidentally drink untreated water, you could end up very sick. Think about typhoid fever, hepatitis A, polio and cholera as possible repercussions from that sip of cool water. Fortunately there are several ways of treating water to make it safe to drink and don't forget to brush your teeth.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. 

   If you have access to a microwave or stove you can always boil your water. However, this needs to be done for a good three minutes and then allow it to come to room temperature. If you know that you are at 6562 (2000 m) feet of elevation or less, usually one minute is sufficient, but anything over that needs to be boiled for the three minutes. This will kill any bacteria or parasites present and most viral organisms.

2. 

   Drink only sealed bottled water. Of course, double check to make sure it is sealed as many merchants will try to refill the bottle and sell it again for a bigger profit. Bottled water is an easy solution if you have access to stores. Use it for brushing your teeth as well. Of course, you can drink bottled soda, beer and wine, too. Do not use ice as it may have been made from unfiltered water.

3. 

   Treat your water with iodine. There are several forms available, including pills, liquid and crystals. Follow the directions on the packaging. The crystal form is great for traveling as it stores well and keeps indefinitely. The iodine does well for killing almost anything and when combined with boiling the resulting water is almost guaranteed safe.

4. Filters are available but the small personal filters do not have the capability to remove all the Cryptosporidium and the water should be further treated chemically.

Tips & Warnings

• Filter cloudy water through a clean cloth before treating chemically.
• Be wary of eating foods prepared in water or washed in water where the water might be unsafe.
• Crystalline iodine 4 to 8 grams used in a stock solution constitutes a human lethal dose if accidentally swallowed in a single dose. Keep out of the reach of children.
• Water that has been disinfected with iodine is NOT recommended for pregnant women, people with thyroid problems, those with known hypersensitivity to iodine, or continuous use for more than a few weeks at a time.

Who Can Help:

• Overweight? Lose 30+ lbs without pills or diets- guaranteed
• Arthroscopic Alternative to Spine Surgery- For Back & Neck - Free MRI Review by our Doctors. Get your life back!
• Do you suffer from back pain? Learn more about our Medicare approved back support system. Medicare covers 85% of the cost.