water purification and terrorism?

psy-ops

psy-ops

Joined
Sep 27, 1999
Messages
3,164

has every heard about the "homegrown" terrorists who were plotting to blow up a 200 gallon suburban propane tank and had plans about poisoning the water system to kill most people?


does anybody out there know if a britta filter would purify poisoned tainted water?

I also have others filters like a Pur and a large ceramic one would these work better?


I'd really appreciate any knowledge on this subject.

thanks

chris aloia
 
Chris,
I would not trust a brita to accomplish anything but make the water taste a bit better if it's foul to start with. Brita is for supreficial treatment only. Pur filters do advertise filtering many dangerous things, specifically most organics, but I'd look into them more before I trusted one for untreated water...

Mostly, it depends on what the water is poisoned with as to how to clean it. Boiling will take care of most bio hazards I know of, as will the chlorine that most municipals use for their water. In order for water to be poisoned and the plant not notice, it would need to happen after the water was treated, which is harder than it might seem, though not impossible.

Chemical poisons would be harder to use, and harder to purify. They need more per volume than most bio's, and not all are destroyed by boiling. Good filters should get most chemical poisons, though I've not researched it, and it is theoretically possible to have a poison that is not much larger than a water molecule that would pass through a standard filter. Whether or not it would be adsorbed in charcoal I do not know.

But to attend to your original question, a brita is for cosmetic use only. It _may_ make water healthier long term, but it's purpose is to remove offensive odors and colors, not poisons or harmful microbes.

Stryver, who uses a Brita for his very hard, rust looking and sulphur smelling water, and it works for that well...


 
id imagine that a RO/DI(reverse-osmosis/de-ionization) filter would take out pretty much everything, but i dont think a lot of people use them as filters, i know they are used by aquarists, especially those who breed fish and have reef tanks and such.
the RO units force the water through some sort of membrane(htere are two types i think, ubt i dont remember much about them) that filters out a large amount(95% or so?) of impurities.
the DI units work by running the water through two different types of resins(usually in separate containers, sometimes mixed) which remove the ions of impurities and replace them with the H and OH ions, effectively turning the impurities into pure water.
these units are fairly expensive, but at some pet stores, you can get a semi-disposable DI unit in the 25-35 dollar range, i think its called the tap water purifier, made by aquarium pharmaceuticals. its just intended for fishl-tank-type usage, but i think it would work fine for drinking water.
i think its supposed to filter like 50 gallons or so before replacement, but im not too sure.

------------------
AKTI member #A000911

 
On the removal of bad things, and how much you should take out...

When, in the US, a municipality treats their water, they must, by federal regs, remove 99.99% of bad germs and whatnot. Specifically crypto spores and giardia.

This removal can be accomplished in a number of ways, and most use a combination of filtering (since that's needed to meet other requirements anyways) and chlorine. Some places have aquifer water, and this needn't be filtered.

I do not know how good commercial backpacking filters are, but I'd wager a chunk of my paycheck that they do at least 99.9% if not better. Anything that does less than this for biologicals is not something you should consider depending on for open water in the wilderness. Nor is it something you should consider using to do anything more than cosmetic treatment of tap water. It only takes one giardia cell, or crypto spore to get you sick.


Bit of trivia: US requirements for municipal water are _much_ more strict than guidelines for bottled water. Ponder that next time you buy plastic coated H2O. Most bottled water is simply tap water that's been filtered once-over anyways. If you want truly pure, natural water, go visit Eldorado Springs outside Denver CO. Artesian water that last visited the earths surface over 2000 years ago, and spent the rest of it's life creeping through semi-porous rocks. Purest water taken from the ground anywhere in the world, by chemical analysis.


Stryver, who had the fortune to live in that little town for a few months...
 
Two words: fractional distillation. That means everything with a lower boiling temperature than water is eliminated (including chlorinated hydrocarbons) and everything with a higher boiling temperature than water is eliminated (including dissolved minerals) and you're left with water.

Fractional stills are available for home water purification. If you're concerned about terrorists poisoning the municipal water supply that's the only way to go. It's also the only way to eliminate all of a number of other things you might be concerned about in your water supply, such as lead and other heavy metals (reverse osmosis reduces dissolved metals, but it's far from 100% elimination).



------------------
-Cougar Allen :{)
--------------------------------------
This post is not merely the author's opinions; it is the trrrrrruth. This post is intended to cause dissension and unrest and upset people, and ultimately drive them mad. Please do not misinterpret my intentions in posting this.
 
hey thanks so much !

I knew you guys could help out.

I recently bought a few filters for different purposes.then I read the article on the terrorist's plans and thought which one would work best.

thanks

chris
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top