Good for an emergency situation but please review waterborne disease protocolsGood for a real emergency but please review waterborne disease protocols
To level set as I have a
fair amount of outdoor experience but by no means do I claim to be an expert -
this personal water filter has a 15 micron filter, in comparison LifeStraw uses
a 0.2 micron filter. To put this in
perspective an average human blood cell is approximately 5 microns in diameter
or 0.0002 inches, a 15 micron filter would be approximately 0.0006 inches. While incredibly small, Giardia cysts are
approximately 12-15 microns by 6-8 microns.
Too small to see with the naked eye, Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts
(most common waterborne diseases) are more resistant to conventional water
treatment, such as chlorination and ultraviolet irradiation. The primary reason
is that these organisms have a cyst stage that exists outside the host, i.e.,
you, me, and other animals.
All that being said the best
strategy to protect a water supply is to use a multiple barrier approach. For
individual water supplies, this would include a comprehensive treatment system
that may include: evaluating water source, filtration, disinfection, and
possibly reverse osmosis or distillation.
National Sanitation Foundation has approved several point-of-use
devices. Prior to selecting a treatment
option, it is advisable to have your water tested (water-research.net).
In short, waterborne
diseases are nasty. These organisms are not bacteria or viruses and are
commonly referred to as “backpacker diseases”. Most surface water sources
(streams, creeks, springs, etc.) can be consider vulnerable or are contaminated
so please cautious whenever drinking from an untested source.
Amazon Link: Pinty Camouflage 99.9999% Purification Water Filter Life Emergency Straw Camping