Tincture of iodine 2% for water purification

[DaleW]

Micropur MP1 is not chlorine it is a tablet that releases chlorine dioxide when put in water. This is not the same as chlorine. Chlorine alone is slightly less effective than iodine and its effectiveness is hindered by how much organic matter is in the water.

Auqa Mira is another brand lf chlorine dioxide. It is the oxygen that kills the bugs, not the chlorine. It doesn't taste of chlorine either. Household bleach is sodium hypochlorite. The biggest problem I have read of is getting the concentration too high and getting chemical burns in the mouth and throat-- irritating but not life threatening in the cases I read about.

Iodine is weak as a bug killer and it makes your food and coffee taste terrible. Boiling is always good. Make sure you don't cross contaminate with water left in containers, on caps and threads. Chlorine Dioxide will kill viruses and cryptosporidium. All the chemicals need appropriate time and concentration to work. When I hike and I'm using butane, a boil up a pot after dinner is done and leave it to cool. If I need a lot of water, I treat a bladder full for the next day-- overnight is enough time to kill all the lil' monsters.

In most of North America, giardia and cryptosporidium are the main problem. A good filter will get both. In the tropics and 3rd world, hepatitis and polio things to protect from and ameboas will really make you a sick puppy. In some areas you don't even want to wet your toothbrush with untreated water--- discipline will keep you healthy. DON"T LICK STAMPS! I have a friend who got a whopping case of amoebic dysentery at a campground in Colorado, so there aren't any guarantees. Pack trains don't help the situation. I try to find water sources up a side stream if I see horsies.

Many cases of bad water are traced to poor hygeine on the trail. Read up on how to take a proper crap in the woods and use alcohol hand gel and/or soap and water. Who ever does the cooking for the crew MUST wash up first and know how to treat water and keep from cross-contaminating water supplies, food and utensils.


Here's an excellent article by an MD on looking for uncontaminated back country water.

 

[billym]

Dale,
You are right about the hygiene thing. I have drank a lot of untreated water in the Sierra Nedava without getting sick. Many cases of illness are from bad backcountry hygiene but blamed on the water.
There are better alternatives to alcohol based sanitizers. Get something with benzlkonium Chloride. Alcohol dries out your skin and dry skin is more open to infection.

 

[Pup]

Here's a web site with pros and cons of purification methods other than filters. http://outside.away.com/outside/2004/buyers_guide/hydration/die_bugs_die.html

The main problem with iodine and chlorine is that they don't work against crypto, while chlorine dioxide does everything they do, plus kills crypto. Boiling kills crypto as well, but unless you're at a fixed camp with a large container and a fire going anyway, I don't find it as practical as adding treatment to the water, since you can carry it with you as it works, rather than waiting for it to heat up and cool down.

I use Katadyn Micropur MP 1, with no problems. For better or worse, it leaves a natural taste to the water when you treat stagnant water, so you can get a variety of flavors--muddy, evergreen, etc. I'd rather taste that than a chlorine flavor, but others might prefer a consistent chlorine taste or a filter taste. Aesthetics aside though, crypto's the thing that's easy to miss with some treatments.

 

[Alberta Ed]

Chlorine dioxide (Pristine) works well. Take some coffee filters to clear out particles if you are not anywhere near clear running water.

 

[troutfisher13111]

Well after reading all your responses, I have decided to carry my tincture of iodine only until I replace it with some Micropur tabs. They just seem like a better product all the way around. Do the Katadyn Micropur MP 1 tabs have a expiration date on the package? Thanks guys for your input.

 

[skammer]

Well after reading all your responses, I have decided to carry my tincture of iodine only until I replace it with some Micropur tabs. They just seem like a better product all the way around. Do the Katadyn Micropur MP 1 tabs have a expiration date on the package? Thanks guys for your input.

From a price point aqua mira or pristine in liquid form is much cheaper than MP1 tabs. Something to think about maybe.

MP1 DO! in fact leave a taste and smell in the water every time I have used them. Not bad but a taste/smell all the same.

Skam

 

[abo4ster]

Well after reading all your responses, I have decided to carry my tincture of iodine only until I replace it with some Micropur tabs. They just seem like a better product all the way around. Do the Katadyn Micropur MP 1 tabs have a expiration date on the package? Thanks guys for your input.

Yes, they typically expire in a couple of years. Look at the bottom of the paper insert, I believe it is printed there so you can see it in the packaging. It is also stamped on the edge of each individual package, but that is hard to see, I usually take a sharpie and write it on the packet too.