Enjoying the JourneyKeep A UV Water Filter in Your Emergency Kit
February 19th 2011 02:09
You can last much longer without food than you can water so you should always be prepared to have safe drinking water available.
Another scenario just might be when there is an illness or disease outbreak at hand and the local governmental agencies are telling you not to drink the water. You also know, every time there is an emergency of some sort the first thing that disappears off the grocery shelves in the bottled water. Yes, keep that bottled water on hand but also keep that UV wand available just in case you need it.
This article is not meant to scarce, frighten anyway it is merely meant to alert you to an easy and safe way to protect you and your family in case of an emergency. A UV water filter wand is so simple and so safe it should just automatically be in your emergency kit just like band aids, flashlights, antiseptic lotion, cell phone and blankets. So simple and so safe.
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Comment by The truth about UV
UV is an excellent purification method, however, it has inheirent difficiencies when used alone, as with the product the original poster is recommending. UV only functions well in water with low turbidity (clear without sedimentation), as bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms can be 'shaded' from the germicidal UV and can also be found within the sediment particles - thereby receiving NO exposure to the UV light. In addition, some organisms, such as Cryptosporidium oocysts are resistant to germicidal UV and must be removed through filtration (.5 microns as required by the EPA). The only way for UV to be effective in treating water sources such as those discussed by the original poster is to run the water FIRST through a .5 micron filter.
Chemicals, such as pesticides, which are commonly found in streams, lakes and other bodies of water due to run-off, are not removed by a UV only system. However, carbon filtration removes these harmful substances. I would be wary of drinking any water that may have flowed through pasture or agricultural land that has not been filtered through an activated carbon filter, regardless of how many times a UV wand has been swished around in the cup. Boiling and chemical treatments such as iodine and chlorine are also ineffective in removing chemical contaminants.
Be sceptical of any UV system that claims it "destroys" bacteria, viruses or microorganisms. That is not how germicidal ultraviolet works. In lay terms, UV inhibits the microorganisms' ability to reproduce - thereby rendering them harmless. It does not kill them, they are still in the water - and capable of regaining their ability to reproduce if exposed to natural sunlight for any substantial length of time.
The only way for UV systems to be effective in producing SAFE drinking water in emergency situations if for the water to be prefiltered. Companies such as Noah, Aqua Sun International and SAFH2O UV have been very successful in supplying systems for emergency response and disaster relief situations. However, these systems are not $49 at your local Walmart. If you are truly concerned with the potential of a disaster that might interrupt water supplies, please investigate the products manufactured by those three companies before trusting your health to a 'magic' wand.