I would be very careful with this item. "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
It is my understanding that water is treated 3 ways: filtration, heat, or chemicals. The text says there is no filter, and the water isn't heated, so that leaves chemical treatment. For this to be effective, there must be standing time, usually 30 minutes or so.
The text makes a lot of claims that I would call suspicious; the name of the maker is not given; and there's no info on the 'special alloys' that 'eliminate' the baddies.
It says it doesn't filter the impurities, it 'eliminates' them. What does that mean? Where do they go? They have to go somewhere. Sounds to me like they stay in the water and you swallow them.
Mercury and arsenic are elements. They can't be 'destroyed,' that is, changed into something else. If you could do that, you could change lead into gold, right?
It is my understanding that the only way to remove certain impurities from water is to put the water through a distillation process.
The text says that the straw 'meets EPA and FDA standards.' The EPA regulates public water distribution systems, that is, municipal water supplies. It does not regulate privately owned wells, for example. My opinion is that the statement is actually saying, it meets EPA standards, because there ARE no standards that apply to this item. I stress that this is my opinion only, and I could be wrong.
I didn't have much luck attempting to navigate the EPA website so I didn't even look at the FDA website.
Here's what Doug Ritter has to say about survival straws:
http://www.equipped.com/watrfood.htm
(look near the end of the page)
Here's another reference to the straw:
http://www.providenceco-op.com/waterfaq/waterfaq.htm
(last paragraph at the bottom of the page)
Backpackers, and especially the ultralight backpackers, are very gear oriented and seek out the light weight and compact stuff. Yet there's no info about this item at any of the backpacker sites (at least in the search I made).
The only reference to this item is at emergency preparedness type sites, with the exception of Cabela's which is more of a hunting and fishing site. IF this item worked, you can be sure that all the backpacker stores would sell it, and ultralight backpackers all over would devote lots of text to praising it.
Here's a site with reviews of various water filters. These manufacturers aren't afraid to put their name, address and phone number on their products:
http://www.outdoorreview.com/reviews/Water_Filters/
Home page:
www.outdoorreview.com
There are filters at the above site that are about the same size and the in the same price range as the survival straw. One is an inline filter, and the other is a water bottle with a built in filter. Look for Aquamira and Safe Water Anywhere at outdoor review.
There was a survival straw website at one time, around 1998, but it is defunct:
www.survivalstraw.com
I carry a PUR Hiker in by big kit along with paper coffee filters to use as a pre-filter. This is backed up by Potable Aqua tablets, which I also have in my small kit. I also carry a bottle of Polar Pure iodine crystals in my truck.
I'm more of a keyboard commando (love that term) than anything else, but I did a lot of research on the topic of water treatment before I bought my Pur Hiker.
I will step off my soapbox now.
