New Technology Removes Viruses From Drinking Water

University of Delaware via ScienceDaily.com ^ | March 2, 2007 | NA

[ASOC]

ool, Iron

Or if you have neither the time nor the inclination to boil water, iodine is equally effective. After 10 minutes (20 minutes for very cold water), a sufficient dose of iodine kills all protozoa, bacteria, and viruses. There are many iodination methods, and two excellent ones are commercially available.

[mkjessup]

I don't want to visualize 4 billion people with diarrhea...
It's sad, but that condition is a leading cause of death in famine-stricken areas.

Cheese is the answer. Airdrops of cheese.

Wise old Indian saying:

"Eat 'em cheese, choke 'em butt."

[TASMANIANRED]

I thought cutting cheese was a different malady.

[neverdem]

Muscle and bone from an ink-jet printer

FDA Reviewing Cold Drug Safety in Kids - Special Focus on Safety in Infants Less Than 2 Years Old

A Mix of Medicines That Can Be Lethal

FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.

[traviskicks]

interesting, but I wish they'd go into a bit more detail about what they are doing and the mechanism of it.

[Terpfen]

There's a difference between "clean water in the 3rd world" and "totally sanitized water in the 1st world."

[Smokin' Joe]

ping...in case you missed this... (Thanks, neverdem!)

[Lurker]

Thanks Joe. Very interesting stuff.

L

[blam]

"Here's another natural selection factor."

Yup. Everywhere we look...another explanation of why we are who we are.

[blam]

Thanks. I drink only distilled water.

[Malsua]

One thing I learned from Six Sigma.
99.999% ain't so good.

Imagine if the airlines had that record? Would _ANYONE_ fly willingly?

This technology sounds great and all, but if these monkey's in the third world just boiled the water, the problem would go away.

[NRA2BFree]

Outstanding! This will be beneficial to third world countries. Those people are forced to drink water that I wouldn't take a shower in. It would be wonderful if we could wash our vegetables/fruits with this water to insure that all deadly viruses were killed simply by swishing them through the water! It would be more wonderful if they were able to use this technique to develop vaccinations for the viruses that kill people or make them very sick.

[Freedom4US]

That's what all the literature has said for years. In recent years though, there are some claims that iodine is less effective against a pathogen called cryptosporidium. Supposedly they are encysted and in practice hikers tend to find and treat very cold water, without sufficient time to for iodine to work its' magic.

I always wondered if this isn't portable water purifier manufacturer agitprop. I use a ceramic filter and a trace of iodine for raw water. As every schoolboy knows, household bleach can also be used for water purification (the unscented Chlorox type), a different form of chlorine is used for many municipal water supplies.

[1234]

BIG TX-before ur posting was gettin ready for a residential purification system-am pumpin from a spring/cistern. am/was considerin solid block carbon/UV combo; have saved this thread as a web file

[ASOC]

I use the 'overnight' method. I carry 2 liter soda bottles and when we laarger for the night, I hit the water point and fill up the bottles.

Using Aqua Pure at the correct dosage, the water sits overnight. I agitate the bottles before hitting the rack and again in the AM. I then pull the water thru a MSR filter to the thermos/canttens. Nice and clean and very little, if any, iodine taste.

I am considering an upgrade to a Katadyn Pocket Filter, but at 220+ USD, I am waiting for the normal replacement cycle.

I am not a fan of the Clorox product, too much odor and the resulting Trihalomethane, Haloacetic Acids and the other organic halides -- created by the use of chlorine -- are suspected carcinogens. I'll stick to iodine, it is, perforce, a bit more natural....or so it seems to me.

[FranklinsTower]

.

[Freedom4US]

You should filter first, then use the chemical treatments, at least that's my understanding. I don't have the figures handy, but far less iodine is required, not even enough to taste. The "two tablets per quart of water, allow a little leakage in the screw threads, wait 20 minutes" directions covered a lot of bases. Chlorine isn't so good because it becomes bound up/used up in organic matter like leaves, dirt and such. That's why a swimming pool gets so gnarly and red-eye producing - not because of the chlorine, but other "stuff".

[ASOC]

Well, to each his own. The water up here in Alaska is pretty clean (no mud, gunk, etc) and I primary filter with cloth. I'd rather filter dead bugs than worry about them sitting the filter and getting me a second time.

Sone early versions of the First Need filter had a rep of holding onto the bad bug and geting you a second time.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

neverdem:

And so, we do our best to avoid developing and utilizing our immune systems, just as viruses and bacteria become more and more drug-resistant.

One thing I learned from Six Sigma.
99.999% ain't so good.

"Dosage makes the poison." That means that:

• if you started out with mountain spring water having very few pathogens, purification is unnecessary and could even be counterproductive if it prevents the stimulation of the immune systems of the those who drink it.

• if you have slightly contaminated water, you will probably not get sick from drinking it but there is certainly no harm in treating it with this process.

• if you have moderately contaminated water, if untreated it will overwhelm your immune system and make you sick, possibly even fatally sick. The same water, if treated thru this system, would be perfectly safe to drink.

• water that is so polluted that removal/inactivation of all but 10 pathogens per million in the feedwater still leaves it nonpotable is pretty nasty stuff to begin with.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

ping to my #39.