Bleech to purify water
Any opinions for using bleech as water purifier?
What I use when I actually treat water.
Sure you can use it but bleach too has limitations. Despite what others may lead you to believe bleach may not inactivate cryptosporidium.
http://water.epa.gov/drink/emerprep/...ction.cfm#more
Cheers!
"Fish Camp Woman.... Baby, I like the way you smell"
- Unknown Hinson
Should kill viruses and most bacteria. Probably useless on protists, such as Giardia. Water born diseases are fairly rare, so annecdotes of people using anything, or nothing, are fairly useless.
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
If you really want to cut through all the BS, bookmark and refer to the "Alternative Disinfectants and Oxidants Guidance Manual" here:
http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/mdbp/altern...s_guidance.pdf
The Cliff Note version for Chlorine is this- It's extremely effective for inactivating bacteria and a highly effective viricide. However, chlorine is less effective against Giardia cysts and cryptosporidium oocysts are highly resistant to chlorine. Refer to 2.8.2 Summary Table.
Last edited by Spokes; 02-19-2012 at 20:22.
"Fish Camp Woman.... Baby, I like the way you smell"
- Unknown Hinson
Yeah it works fine, I used Mioxx for a few years until I realized that I could just carry bleach and not waste batteries. What is odd is the links provided from cdc say giardia and cryto wont die with bleach, but the manual from mioxx says it will in 3-4 hours. Either way I dont wait that long after treating my water with bleach, but it supposedly would kill them just over alot of time.
yeah. gross.Originally Posted by sddavis
Probably what the city you are living in uses.
Detroit city water is of the cleanest drinking water in the USA (each year for many now). I can smell the NaClO with almost every single glass straight from the tap.
I would just use Aqua Mira
"I told my Ma's and Pa's I was coming to them mountains and they acted as if they was gutshot. Ma, I sez's, them mountains is the marrow of the world and by God, I was right". Del Gue
Bleach, like many chemicals, has an expiration date. For some reason, most people think that bleach stays good forever. Check the bottle you have, and make sure it's still viable.
1+ So simple, so true.
"Fish Camp Woman.... Baby, I like the way you smell"
- Unknown Hinson
Back in the '70's, the area of NE Pa I live in had a giardia outbreak in the public water system, caused by beavers. At that time, the water company only treated its water with chlorine, which did not kill the giardia.
Used bleach on my last two week outing. No problems.
Yes, this is correct. Bleach actually loses it's effectiveness in months too, not years. If opened, less than months. It's important to use fresh bleach, read the labels.
And all the Aqua Mira folks, how much does this cost say for a thru? And how much / often are you treating?
Iodine is harder to get accurate than bleach and is more potentially harmful as iodine doesn't break down.
Because this is in a thru-hiking forum, this should be noted. NO METHOD above here is recommended for every day for 3+ months. Bleach is your safest alternative above, but even then be careful not to over-treat each time or that may cause you health concerns.
As an occasional treatment, done properly - NOTHING is easier, safer, cheaper AND more effective than common unscented household bleach.
You can do better by:
using a purifier or
boiling your water or
purifying your water AND treating it with something like bleach.
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