Iodine for Water Treatment?
Published July 1, 2011 | 
Emily asks:
How long is it safe to use iodine water treatments? I’m going to be in a 3rd world country for about 6 weeks, and I plan on using an iodine treatment to clean my water; however, I’ve heard that iodine should only be used short term, not long term.
Are there severe health effects from using iodine for too long, and would it be safe to use iodine as a water treatment for 6 weeks? I would just boil the water, but I seriously doubt I’ll have access to a hot plate.
Hi Emily
Iodine use has risks to thyroid issues. Plus, it is not always effective against virus or parasites. What you should do is use the same type of equipment you use in camping. First, you need to filter the water to remove any ‘chunks’, because ‘chunks’ could impede disinfection. Then use a chlorine based disinfectant that won’t lead to any effects with prolonged use, as well it’s effective against more miro-organisms.
I go camping yearly, and I use Katadyn products, a filter and a chlorine dioxide tab system and it works great. I’ll link to both for you to check them out:
Filter: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007U0…
Disinfectant tabs: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IDX…
It’s probably a bit more expensive then iodine but considering your health, probably worth it I’d say. Please let me know how you make out regardless.
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Can you filter water through a cigarette filter?
Published June 27, 2011 | Ruine asks:
i saw a man vs. wild episode where he used a piece of charcoal to filter water though a bamboo straw… I feel like if i had no fresh water I would at least try to use a cigarette filter shoved in a straw before drinking straight pond water. would this work?
Hi Ruine
When stranded without a safe water supply, there are two steps you must take to make the surface water you find as safe as possible:
- Remove as much particulate matter as possible
- Disinfect the water as much as possible
To achieve #1, you may use a unused cigarette filter. However, you may have a difficult time filtering a significant quantity of water through the filter or even getting the water to go through the filter. Your best bet is to filter the water through your shirt by covering a recieiving container with your shirt and pouring water through it.
To disinfect the water, ensure it is in a metal container and bring it to a boil over a fire for at least 1 minute. Let it cool, then drink it.
When in a survival situation, it’s important to ensure you disinfect the water by boiling it. The last thing you want is a bacteria or parasite far away from a hospital. Especially since many water borne diseases cause diarrhea, which will dehydrate you even further.
I hope that helps, and I hope you never actually need to do this!
If you are going camping and would like to prepare properly, I use a portable water filter and disinfection tablets by Katadyn when I go into the woods. Both are very effective and you can follow the links I put there to check them out.
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