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Water Purifier Tablets Can Save Your Life!
Clean drinking water is a luxury that most of us enjoy without even realizing it, but in some countries it is a daily struggle to obtain enough water to drink, and often the water itself is as deadly as the dehydration that it prevents. We take our drinking water for granted…until disaster strikes. When Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans and much of the southern coast of the United States, people’s homes were destroyed and everything, including the water supply, became contaminated by seawater, sewage and many other pollutants. Part of the challenge in taking care of Katrina’s many victims was keeping them supplied with safe drinking water. Water purifier tablets are an integral part of any emergency supply kit, and during disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, relief workers need a constant supply of them. Water purifier tablets aren’t just reserved for disasters. The military uses them on a regular basis when stationed in foreign countries, and backpackers and campers are advised to carry them when travelling in the wilderness where there is no safe water supply nearby. Taking a drink from a cold mountain stream is a thing of the past now that even natural water supplies are prone to contamination. Increased use of the wilderness has resulted in higher levels of bacterial contamination in back country streams and rivers. Even water in the most remote areas can contain dangerous bacterial contaminants from animal feces, decaying carcasses or plant matter. Boiling water removes some but not all contaminants, but there isn’t always the opportunity to boil water, especially when backpacking in the wilderness. Most water purifier tablets are made from iodine or chlorine, although chlorine-based water purifier tablets are preferable because they remove a wider range of bacteria and contaminants than iodine-based purifiers. Iodine tablets also leave an unpleasant taste in the water, which can be counteracted by adding ascorbic acid to the water, usually in the form of a vitamin C tablet or powder. Chlorine based tablets are about three times more effective than iodine at disinfecting water to make it safe for drinking, and it doesn’t require the addition of a second substance such as ascorbic acid to make it palatable. Chlorine is the same substance used to disinfect swimming pools and municipal drinking water, so the scent and taste of it is familiar to most people. Chlorine water purifier tablets may leave the water with a slight swimming pool aroma, an odor that most people associate with cleanliness, but the chlorine taste can be reduced by allowing the water stand uncovered for at least thirty minutes. Water purifier tablets do not remove large particles or sediment from the water, so filtration may be required for water with high levels of turbidity, but allowing purified water to stand will also allow most sediment to settle to the bottom of the container, leaving the water on top reasonably clear for drinking. Water purifier tablets should always be included in household emergency supplies, camping supplies and first aid kits, because you never know when you might need them. To read more on related topics, please follow these links:
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