View Full Version : Does aqua mira do anything?
So someone was telling me about colloidal silver the other day, I looked it up and it turns out that it's woo: http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-779-colloidal%20silver.aspx?activeingredientid=779&activeingredientname=colloidal%20silver
This made me wonder about aqua mira, I don't think I've ever seen a claim that it's actually an effective water treatment. Does anybody have data on that?
I found this a helpful read:
http://www.aquamira.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/bpl-2-efficacy-of-water.pdf
Yeah.. Aquamira is chlorine dioxide. You can google that.....
Wülfgang
07-01-2015, 12:29
Aqua Mira is not woo. It is a biocide (kills all life at the right concentration), and EPA-certified. If used properly it is very effective.
Chlorine dioxide, a well established disinfectant is the active ingredient in Aquamira Water Treatment. Chlorine dioxide is iodine and chlorine free. The unique formula works by releasing nascent oxygen, a highly active form of oxygen, which is a strong oxidant and a powerful germicidal agent. Chlorine dioxide has been used by municipal water treatment plants to kill a variety of waterborne pathogens since the late 1940s. Unlike free chlorine (familiar as household bleach) or other halogen chemicals (such as iodine), chlorine dioxide does not create potentially harmful by-products.
Aquamira’s key benefits are clearly evident when compared to the other common portable water treatment chemical: iodine. Most importantly, chlorine dioxide is a significantly stronger oxidant than iodine, with greater pathogen killing power. Unlike iodine, chlorine dioxide does not discolor water, nor does it give water an unpleasant taste. In fact, chlorine dioxide is often used to improve the taste of water by neutralizing unpleasant flavors.
Slo-go'en
07-01-2015, 12:31
Apple and oranges. Colloidal silver is snake oil, Aqua Mira is a proven chlorine based water treatment.
The problem is, Aqua Mira takes time to work and many who use it don't wait long enough for it to do it's job, so in that case it's effectiveness is questionable. It's a good thing that most of the water on the AT is safe to drink as is.
johnnybgood
07-01-2015, 20:12
Activation process for the drops is 15 minutes, more for turbid water and wait time should never be an issue . If.you.procure water first thing when you get up, activation process will be complete by the time you break camp. I also get water at every opportunity, so as to have a liter of ready to drink water at all times.
Walkintom
07-01-2015, 20:18
Aqua Mira is chlorine dioxide. It's what most cities use to treat their water.
It works.
Colloidal silver is not something I would intentionally consume. Do not drink the kool-aid.
http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/PhonyAds/silverad.html
MuddyWaters
07-01-2015, 22:50
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-88806.html&ved=0CB8QFjAA&usg=AFQjCNFry6yIXygguRBONnzIVCerEUdMBw&sig2=oBvY3fUiBY3g_3K4qWc8Yw (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&ei=DKaUVaTMKc3YoATt0aK4Cw&url=http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-88806.html&ved=0CB8QFjAA&usg=AFQjCNFry6yIXygguRBONnzIVCerEUdMBw&sig2=oBvY3fUiBY3g_3K4qWc8Yw)
Aqua Mira is chlorine dioxide. It's what most cities use to treat their water.
It works.
+1
If you are concerned about the wait, if really thirsty you can double the normal dose of Aqua Mira to cut the wait time in half. You can also cut the normal dose in half and double the wait time (like overnight). I've done this for 2 decades and never had a problem. I don't think I'm just lucky, but YMMV.
I don't think it's my imagination but always felt that Aqua Mira even improves the taste of water, I like it, sure beats carrying that big pump filter I struggled with for years. I do carry a Sawyer Mini for quick thirst satisfaction at the spring.
Used Aqua Mira on my 80 day NOLS course in New Zealand, and it is the best and easiest water purification method out there, and would recommend it to anyone - takes care of it all if used properly.
Cookerhiker
08-24-2015, 19:59
Activation process for the drops is 15 minutes, more for turbid water and wait time should never be an issue . If.you.procure water first thing when you get up, activation process will be complete by the time you break camp. I also get water at every opportunity, so as to have a liter of ready to drink water at all times.
+1 - I use Aqua Mira on long-distance hikes and have never been delayed because of the waiting period.
peakbagger
08-25-2015, 06:06
Aqua Mira like many water treatments have to walk a fine line on what claims they can make as different states have different requirements on what constitutes water treatment. Thus they cant make hard and fast claims.
rocketsocks
08-25-2015, 07:05
+1
If you are concerned about the wait, if really thirsty you can double the normal dose of Aqua Mira to cut the wait time in half. You can also cut the normal dose in half and double the wait time (like overnight). I've done this for 2 decades and never had a problem. I don't think I'm just lucky, but YMMV.
You could quadruple all that and only wait 1 decade to make that claim. :D
I've been using the AM liquid. I don't really think the mixing or wait time is bad, there is always something else to do. What wopuld be the advantage to using the AM tablets?
Another Kevin
08-25-2015, 15:20
Colloidal silver is not something I would intentionally consume. Do not drink the kool-aid.
It's OK to drink Kool-Aid made with Aqua Mira treated water, but give it the full contact time before you add any flavoring. Most fruit drink mixes on the market contain either citric acid or Vitamin C, either of which will inactivate the chlorine and make the treatment ineffective.
I've been using the AM liquid. I don't really think the mixing or wait time is bad, there is always something else to do. What would be the advantage to using the AM tablets?
The tablets can't spill. The water treatment chemicals are pretty corrosive and not a good thing to get onto gear. That said, the tablets have a very limited shelf life once opened, while the solutions have an almost indefinite shelf life (the stuff you mix in the field degrades pretty quickly though, I'd use that within an hour or so of making it up). I carry the drops, but I keep the vials in the original plastic clamshell, inside a Ziploc with a paper towel to absorb liquids, in an outer mesh pocket of my backpack, against the possibility of leakage. (That Ziploc is the "noxious fluids" bag, where sunscreen, DEET, Gurney Goo, Neosporin and hydrocortisone cream also reside.)
I don't think it's my imagination but always felt that Aqua Mira even improves the taste of water, I like it, sure beats carrying that big pump filter I struggled with for years. I do carry a Sawyer Mini for quick thirst satisfaction at the spring.
It's advertised to improve the taste of water (because they don't really want to advertise it as a pesticide, for reasons that other people have gone into). I do the same - carrying Sawyer Mini and AquaMira. If I am using the Sawyer, I try to treat water in all my containers (including the dirty water bottle for the Sawyer) with Aqua Mira at least every couple of days. It helps keep the surfaces disinfected. I don't like using the Sawyer by itself for very long because bacteria and mold growth in the clean water reservoir can be an issue. Having residual chlorine dioxide in the water helps control biofilm growth.
Snowleopard
08-26-2015, 12:18
Aqua Mira liquid drops are effective against viruses and bacteria.
Aqua Mira tablets are also effective against protozoa (giardia, cryptosporidium) plus viruses and bacteria.
Treatment time is longer at cold temps.
The drops probably don't work on protozoa/giardia/crypto without really long treatment time or using higher concentrations.
All filters easily filter protozoa (very large) and bacteria (except the smallest). Most models of Sawyer filter all bacteria and protozoa; Sawyer sells a heavy expensive filter that also filters viruses. A safe strategy is to filter with a cheap light filter AND treat with aqua mira or other chemical.
A good older thread: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/59299-Aqua-Mira-liquid-vs-tablets-vs-Katadyn-tablets