HI ALL
Here is a little piece of info swiped from the net !!
On water purification p1
Water Filtering and Purification by Sean aka Lowlight7
Before we get into the good stuff, we'll start with the bad.
THE BAD STUFF IN WATER AND WHAT IT CAN DO TO YOU:
A. Giardia Lamblia & Cryptosporidium
You can call them giardia and crypto. These two protozoa are the guys you hear about all the time. When found in water, both are oocysts, a dormant phase of some microbes where they take on a hard outer shell. Once ingested, they come to life and attach themselves to your intestine, causing diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems. Giardia is spread through contaminated feces. An interesting thing about this little guy is that it can be vectored from other animals. So, if you're drinking water from a river where infected beaver lives, the river is thus contaminated. Symptoms of giardia infection (giardiasis) include loss of appetite, lethargy, fever, explosive diarrhea, loose or watery stool, stomach cramps, upset stomach, bloating, and flatulence. With the flatulence comes a foul and sulphurous-tasting burp, which I'm told is so nasty that it causes additional nausea and vomiting. Symptoms typically begin 1–2 weeks after infection and may wane and reappear cyclically. If gone untreated, symptoms may last 6 weeks. Common treatment is Flagyl, rehydration, and an occasional Imodium tablet. The good news is only about 40% of people infected actually exhibit symptoms.
Cryptosporidiosis starts and ends faster. Symptoms begin 2-10 days after ingestion and last for about two weeks. Symptoms include watery diarrhea, cramps, and a low fever. The only available treatment at this time is supportive care with re-hydration and an occasional Imodium tablet. I know that some people are asymtomatic when they contract cryptosporidiosis, but I don't have any hard numbers on this.
Both of these little buggers exist in water sources EVERYWHERE. As I said, both are spread through contaminated feces, so wash your hands. One of the recent crypto outbreaks is believed to have started at a daycare center when an employee changed a diaper and didn't cleanup properly.
B. Bacteria
Common harmful bacteria include Salmonella, Camplylobacter jejuni, and E. coli. In some parts of the world, water may contain bacteria that can cause cholera, dysentery, and typhoid. Some harmful bacteria are small enough that it will pass through a 0.2 micrometre filter. This is mostly a concern in undeveloped countries.
C. Viruses (virii)
The most common viruses that live in water that I can think of are hepatitis A, norovirus, and rotavirus, though I'm sure there are many others. Most virii that humans can get from contaminated water will be vectored from other humans, so out-of-the way lakes and streams are statistically better places to find virus-free water.
D. Chemical contaminants
Pesticides, fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals can contaminate water sources, and God knows what other stuff might be intentionally put in there. Chemicals can be difficult to remove, so if you suspect contamination you should find a different water source. An easy (but not all-encompassing) test is to check for life in the water source. If there are fish, frogs, and whatnot living in the water, chances are good it is free from chemical (and toxic metal) contamination.
C. Toxic metals
Iron, manganese, aluminum, beryllium, chromium, lead, etc. These aren't so much an immediate health concern as a long term one. Generally the water will look and smell funny if there is a seriously toxic dose of metal in it. For example, when Quantico Creek was contaminated with sulfur and iron in the mid 90s, you could smell a hint of rotten eggs from a mile away.
D. Algae, fungi, particulate matter and other nasties
These can impart an odd or foul taste to your water or cause other health issues. Another problem with particulate matter is that it impedes chemical purification.
Alright, on to the good stuff.
Methods of filtering, purifying, disinfecting or decontaminating your drinking water:
A. Heat
Heat kills microorganisms, and virtually all enteropathogens are readily killed at temperatures well below the boiling point. The process of heating water to a boil makes it hot enough long enough to disinfect it, even at higher elevations. There is no need to boil water for 5, 10, 20 minutes as some say. Bringing water to a good rolling boil is adequate for disinfection.
Heat only kills living things, thus chemicals and all that stuff will still be there.
B. Iodine
Iodine has been used for almost a century to disinfect drinking water, and many of the expensive store bought disinfection products are just iodine in tablet form. Iodine will kill or inactivate virii, bacteria, and most protozoa. It is considered "OK" at killing giardia and somewhat ineffective at killing crypto, due to their hard shells. Iodine comes in many different forms, and disinfection is temperature dependent, so I'll give you some guidelines.
Preparation/Iodine Concentration/Amount per liter:
Iodine Topical Solution/ 2% / 8 drops
Iodine Tincture / 2% / 8 drops
Lugol's Solution / 5% / 4 drops
Povidone-Iodine (Betadine®) / 10% / 4 drops
Tetraglycine hydroperiodide (Globaline, Portable Aqua, EDWGT) / 8mg / 1 tablet
If your water is clear, use these disinfection times:
60F/15C or higher: 15 minutes
40F/5C: 30 minutes
If the water is cloudy, double the time.
If you're using a solution that isn't listed above, the concentration you're looking for is 8mg of iodine per liter of water.
In general, if you are in a hurry double the chemical dose and halve the contact time; if you want better flavor halve the dose and double the contact time.
If you pass your water through a 0.4 µm filter or smaller, you can use an iodine concentration of 1mg per liter of water to kill any remaining virii or small bacteria. This equals 1 drop for most liquid formulations.
Povidone is a binding solution that allows higher concentrations of iodine in water. Although the overall concentration of Betadine is 10% per bottle, the povidone content makes it difficult to gauge the concentration per drop. That's why you add the same number of drops for a bottle of 10% Povidone-Iodine as you do for a 5% bottle of .
Iodine should not be used by persons with an allergy to iodine, persons with active thyroid disease, or pregnant women.
C. Household Bleach
Chlorine bleach contains about 5 or 6 percent sodium hypochlorate. It is effective in killing most microbes, EXCEPT crypto.
The calculated solution is much easier than iodine. 3 drops per liter at normal temperature, clear water, 30 minutes contact time. 5 drops per liter if cloudy or cold, 60 minutes contact time. There should be a slight hint of a chlorine smell. If there isn't, treat again.
The use of chlorine bleach to disinfect water is very dependent on the pH of the water. Water that has not been filtered may have organic particles that will absorb chlorine, either nullifying its ability to disinfect or releasing it very slowly. Without a chemical test kit, the only viable way to make sure the chlorine hasn't been absorbed is to add it until you can smell it.
Of course, don't use household bleach that has fragrance, soap, or other additives.
D. Chlorine Dioxide (also called Stabilized Oxygen)
Commercially available with MSR's Miox purifier, AquaMira tablets, and Katadyn Micropur MP-1 tablets. I don't know of any other commercial preparations. Effective at killing microbes including giardia and crypto. Follow the manufacturer's instructions.
E. UV light and oxygenation (SODIS Method and Steri-Pen)
Giardia and crypto, as well as several other microbial nasties, have been shown to be somewhat sensitive to UV light. The process is simple, but only works with clear water. If the water is cloudy, it must be filtered until clear. The SODIS method uses a combination of UV-A/UV-C exposure and heat to disinfect.
Place water in a clear plastic or glass bottle (label removed), cap, and shake for 1 minute. Remove cap and place in on sheet of corrugated iron or on a rooftop in direct sunlight for 6 hours on a clear or up to 50% cloudy day. Greater than 50% cloudiness requires 2 full days of exposure. Precipitation diffuses UV light, so no disinfection will take place if it's raining. In very hot areas, if the water temp rises to 120F, only 1 hour in the sun is needed.
Remember this is reference info mainly yank so most of it can be adapted,, however, most is usable
Hoss dee electric worm
E G M
