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You should never drink water straight from a stream — you could get sick, or even die! Most water from natural sources needs to be purified first. Countless, harmful microorganisms and protozoa could be present, such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium.
One option you have for making water safe to drink is water purification tablets. If you’re putting together a 72-hour kit or planning a long hiking trip, make sure you put some in your pack.
Two product options are: Portable Aqua Tablets and Micropur Water Purification Tablets.
There are lots of different ways to purify water — boiling, distillation, bleach, filters, etc. They all have their pros and cons… Here’s what you need to know about water purification tablets.
How Do Water Purification Tablets Work?
Water purification tablets kill most microorganisms and pathogens present in natural sources of water. They mostly contain chlorine dioxide and iodine, but all brands are a little different. These chemicals neutralize E. coli, giardia, and several other microorganisms and bacteria. However, they do not remove heavy metals, chemicals, dirt, and other contaminants.
Water purification tablets are easy to use. All you do is drop a water purification tablet into water you have collected and wait for the designated amount of time for it to work (typically around 30 minutes).
Note: Follow ALL the instructions on the package of your water purification tablets to make sure you are using the right number of tablets for the amount of water you want to purify.
Pros and Cons of Water Purification Tablets
One great thing about water purification tablets is that they don’t take up much space in your pack and they can treat a lot of water at once. Water purification tablets are also relatively inexpensive, although they don’t have a long shelf life once the package is open.
The biggest benefit of water purification tablets is knowing that treated water is safe to drink — nearly all of the harmful microorganisms are killed. However, Climb Tall Peaks argues that water purification tablets pose risks with long-term use and there can even be side effects to using them. Instant Trust Marine also points out that there is a lack of tests to prove their safety.
Water purification tablets can kill protozoa, but they don’t improve the flavor of water or remove dirt. This is the biggest drawback to using them… The chemical taste can even be unpleasant!
If you plan to use water purification tablets during an emergency, you may want to also store some drink mixes to make treated water palatable or use a water filter straw instead.
Safe drinking water is important in all situations, including emergencies. Make sure that you have a plan on how to treat water if you plan to collect any from natural sources. Water purification tablets are just one possible solution.
