Bleach as Water Purification?

[stranger]

Can anyone comment on using 2 drops of bleach per quart of water for purification? Is it safe, etc... I am interested in hearing from people who have actually used this method.

[walkerat99]

Stranger,

I can't actually give you much help on this matter, since I only used this method for about 2 weeks. I think I went into Manchester Center, VT at an EMS and found the Aqua Mira and used it for the remainder of my hike. As for the bleach, I did not like the taste at all, to me it was like drinking water from the swimming pool, however, it was better than iodine. Once I used the Aqua Mira I fell in love with it, and have not changed since. I did know other hikers that used the bleach method for awhile and no one that I knew had any problems with it. I did not like the taste and did not feel it was as safe as the Aqua Mira. I know this is not a very good answer since I did not use it long, but I hope it helps. Maybe someone else can give more information that tried that method for a longer period. Happy Trails..... Sincerely, Ed

[Moose2001]

Stranger - I would recommend you spend a little time on the www.cdc.gov website. You'll find that bleach or chlorine is not nearly as effective as is often thought. Bleach has trouble killing giaridia depending on the temp of the water and how much sediment it has in it. Chlorine will not kill crypto even at the high levels used in pools (much higher level than you would want to drink).

Checkout the McNett or Pristine websites. Good documentation on the fact that chlorine dioxide (Aqua Mira or Pristine) is a totally different chemical composition than bleach. Chlorine Dioxide will kill giardia and crypto plus some other things also.

The only drawback I see to Aqua Mira is the price. Having had one bout of crypto in 2001, I'll gladly pay the extra for a little more security.

[stranger]

Thank you both for your info, Happy Trails!