backcountry water treatment

[Ed Stevens]

Marc - 

Thanks for the response.

Actually, we teach 3 methods of water purification specific to
backcountry use: filtration, iodine, and heat.  Of course the
filtration is a no-brainer.  All major brands of filters for
backcountry use meet the specs to filter everything but viruses, which
I understand are not an issue in North American waters.  There is a
lot of disagreement and mis-information about iodine and heat against
various pathogens, so my search for some definitive, authoritative,
understandable (to the lay person), published information that
addresses our application:  purification of surface water for
individual or small group use by backcountry travelers in North
America.

- Ed Stevens


On Sat, 10 Apr 1999 13:59:14 GMT, "Biochempharma"
<biochempharma at vif.com> wrote:

>For a rapid and a safe result use a filter pump with a 0.2um pores. You can
>find this equipement in backcontrys specialise stores for +/- 225$ US.
>
>Im not a english native, so please excuse my language.
>
>Marc
>
>Ed Stevens <EdStevens1 at csi.com> wrote in message
>news:370f4c3b.5677358 at news.interserv.com...
>> Hello, All.
>>
>> I am an Assistant Scoutmaster with a Boy Scout troop in TN.  I am
>> heavily involved in training new adult leaders in basic outdoor
>> skills.  I am searching for some _authoritative_ information regarding
>> the use of heat and iodine for purifying water in the backcountry.  So
>> far my research on the Web has led to a lot of stuff that was either
>> over my head or dealt with treating public water supplies.  I have two
>> basic questions.
>>
>> First, at what temp. are cryptosporidium and giradia killed, or at
>> least rendered "not a problem."  I have heard through unverifiable
>> sources that the temp. is somewhere around 120 deg. F.  If this is
>> true, then I would think that even at the highest altitudes at which
>> surface water is found the boiling point would be well above this and
>> by the time water comes to a boil, regardless of the altitude, these
>> nasties are dead.  If this is true, then the common recommendations of
>> "boiling for x minutes" are overkill.
>>
>> Second, I have heard (again through unverifiable sources ) that crypto
>> and girardia, being transmitted as a hard-shelled cyst, are not
>> affected by common iodine treatment.
>>
>> Comments on either of these?  Are there any authoritative sources
>> addressing these questions that I could use as a reference?
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> - Ed Stevens
>> Ed Stevens/TN
>

Ed Stevens/TN