Is this true? (Meathod of purifying water...)

It is true that he filtered out some algae and insect larvae. But he did nothing to eliminate bacteria and cysts or viruses. But he also drinks wee wee and gives himself bird poop enemas. :p
 
No, that is not a viable way to make water safe. It is very likely to filter giardia and other cysts if you are far enough from the water but that doesn't mean that it is safe. Those things are nasty but they're not alone. The edges of streams are more likely to hold large quantites of worms and worm eggs. Roundworm (phylum Nematoda) eggs float! that means that they can wash well above the current water line and sit dormant waiting for a host. Some species can lay dormant for several years. The most common parasitic roundworms to humans are (Ascaris), (Enterobius) and (Trichuris trichiura). They are VERY common. The last one causes Trichinosis, which is very deadly to humans. It is usually ingested by eating undercooked meat but is also abundant in many bodies of water, moving and still. I have been on microbial surveys on both the Patapsaco and Patuxent rivers and have found these worms or their eggs present as far as 20 feet from a current water line. Please be aware that they exist. Parasitic worms and something that is rarely mentioned when discussing water purification because they are killed by boiling and by iodine so they are usually not in need of a mention but I feel it is necessary with this particular type of filtration.
 
There are many ways of cleaning water in the wild, that one works but is probably one of the poorest examples. If you were in a plane crash on a mountain and somehow survived only to find yourself with no water vessel of any kind....nah, I still wouldn't do it that way
 
SIXFOOTER said:
There are many ways of cleaning water in the wild, that one works but is probably one of the poorest examples. If you were in a plane crash on a mountain and somehow survived only to find yourself with no water vessel of any kind....nah, I still wouldn't do it that way
Click to expand...

Cool...

How would you do it then?
 
Md 25v said:
No, that is not a viable way to make water safe. It is very likely to filter giardia and other cysts if you are far enough from the water but that doesn't mean that it is safe. Those things are nasty but they're not alone. The edges of streams are more likely to hold large quantites of worms and worm eggs. Roundworm (phylum Nematoda) eggs float! that means that they can wash well above the current water line and sit dormant waiting for a host. Some species can lay dormant for several years. The most common parasitic roundworms to humans are (Ascaris), (Enterobius) and (Trichuris trichiura). They are VERY common. The last one causes Trichinosis, which is very deadly to humans. It is usually ingested by eating undercooked meat but is also abundant in many bodies of water, moving and still. I have been on microbial surveys on both the Patapsaco and Patuxent rivers and have found these worms or their eggs present as far as 20 feet from a current water line. Please be aware that they exist. Parasitic worms and something that is rarely mentioned when discussing water purification because they are killed by boiling and by iodine so they are usually not in need of a mention but I feel it is necessary with this particular type of filtration.
Click to expand...

I don't know how you could sum it up any better than that. Thanks. :thumbup:
 
Md 25v said:
No, that is not a viable way to make water safe. It is very likely to filter giardia and other cysts if you are far enough from the water but that doesn't mean that it is safe. Those things are nasty but they're not alone. The edges of streams are more likely to hold large quantites of worms and worm eggs. Roundworm (phylum Nematoda) eggs float! that means that they can wash well above the current water line and sit dormant waiting for a host. Some species can lay dormant for several years. The most common parasitic roundworms to humans are (Ascaris), (Enterobius) and (Trichuris trichiura). They are VERY common. The last one causes Trichinosis, which is very deadly to humans. It is usually ingested by eating undercooked meat but is also abundant in many bodies of water, moving and still. I have been on microbial surveys on both the Patapsaco and Patuxent rivers and have found these worms or their eggs present as far as 20 feet from a current water line. Please be aware that they exist. Parasitic worms and something that is rarely mentioned when discussing water purification because they are killed by boiling and by iodine so they are usually not in need of a mention but I feel it is necessary with this particular type of filtration.
Click to expand...

I couldn't say it better. If I was forced into a situation like that, and there is absolutely no other option, I would probably start with the method he described and then use my shirt (if I don't have any bandannas with me, which I usually do) to make a three-stage filter.
 
Filtered to an extent yes. Purified? Not by a long shot. It is just a last ditch effort to minimize the risks taken in drinking the water if you have no other choice. If you have a way to boil it or treat it you definitely should. However if you are isolated and stranded miles from any help and have no way to actually purify the water it still comes down to the facts. If you drink unpurified water you may get very sick and you may die. If you don't drink any water at all over a period of three or four days you will die or at the very least will do severe damage to internal organs. Just don't make the decision lightly, weigh out all options available to you. With a clear plastic bag or a clear bottle and sunshine you can minimize your risks even more in a matter of hours.
 
G'day Joe



Joe Fowler said:
I saw this on Man vs. Wild but wanted to know if it was a legitimate way of purifying water if you didn't have a container or way of boiling any.

http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/27877-man-vs-wild-purifying-water-in-the-wild-video.htm

Anyone know for sure? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Whilst there is no way of knowing what the filter size is of the soil between the pool & the trench built by Bear, the following makes interesting reading...

'In areas where sand water filters had been installed, the outbreak of cholera had greatly decreased. To further corroborate this conclusion, John Snow, a British scientist, was able to link several cholera deaths to water from the Broad Street Pump, a nearby water pump that had become contaminated by a leaking sewer (Baker & Taras, 1981). Using a microscope, he was able to confirm the presence of tiny cholera bacteria in the water. Ironically, this water came from a pump that had been noted throughout the city for its overall good taste and quality. This instance proved once more that the taste and visual clarity of water does not necessarily indicate purity.

As British government officials noted the effect of water quality on cholera outbreaks, both through Snow’s discovery and through the evidence of decreasing cases of cholera where sand water filters had been installed, they mandated the installation of sand water filters throughout the city. This mandate was one of the first instances of government regulation of public water and would set a precedent for municipal water systems.

The article can be seen here: http://www.historyofwaterfilters.com/microscope-in-water.html




Kind regards
Mick
 
mmm, simple little test - He took the handle off the pump and fewer people got sick. The pump is still there though.
 
Md 25v said:
No, that is not a viable way to make water safe. It is very likely to filter giardia and other cysts if you are far enough from the water but that doesn't mean that it is safe. Those things are nasty but they're not alone. The edges of streams are more likely to hold large quantites of worms and worm eggs. Roundworm (phylum Nematoda) eggs float! that means that they can wash well above the current water line and sit dormant waiting for a host. Some species can lay dormant for several years. The most common parasitic roundworms to humans are (Ascaris), (Enterobius) and (Trichuris trichiura). They are VERY common. The last one causes Trichinosis, which is very deadly to humans. It is usually ingested by eating undercooked meat but is also abundant in many bodies of water, moving and still. I have been on microbial surveys on both the Patapsaco and Patuxent rivers and have found these worms or their eggs present as far as 20 feet from a current water line. Please be aware that they exist. Parasitic worms and something that is rarely mentioned when discussing water purification because they are killed by boiling and by iodine so they are usually not in need of a mention but I feel it is necessary with this particular type of filtration.
Click to expand...

i just went and read about roundworms...there goes my appetite for the day...adults can reach a foot in lenght. :barf:

Their life cycle takes them on a tour of your body, including crawling up from the lungs to get into your digestive track. That there is world class Nightmare Fuel. :barf::barf:
 
Joe Fowler said:
Cool...

How would you do it then?
Click to expand...

I think if I had to do it I would find a plastic bottle of some sort, there is always trach around and build a filter.
Most of the waterways I have seen the banks are muddy, dig around in that mud and there is all kinds of stuff living there. The mud is built up from soil, gravel and decaying plant debris left there by the water, key word "Decaying".
If you can't find a bottle, you can use a bandana, T-Shirt, piece of plastic etc...
Sandy soil works pretty good, some crushed up charcoal helps too..
There are a lot of youtube videos on building filters, some good, some BS. Do a little reading, check out things like the size of common bacteria and viruses. A good filter system like the SAwyer is .1 Micron, most viruses are around 3 microns and bacteria are laerger still.
 
In no way does that qualify as water purification. If the water is murky then it isn't even effective at filtering out suspended solids and won't even come close to removing giardia and friends. However, if you wash it down with you own pee then you'll be fine. I think Bear lives in Opposite World.
 
Everything Bear Grylls "teaches" is complete and total misinformation. Almost seems as though the show does it on purpose sometimes, with that clown running through the desert at midday, recklessly jumping over rock formations and gullies, and climbing and descending steep embankments and cliffs by himself. Everything that would NOT be wise in a survival situation.

Accordingly, I despise that show for it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top