[pct-l] CDC recommendations for water treatment

[giniajim]

Finally read this report.  Some salient points:
-  With regard to protozoan organisms (giardia, cryptospordium), "thought leaders" are downplaying the risk in backcountry waters (p. 24).
-  Viruses and bacteria are gaining increased attention and is the focus of this article (p. 24).
Waterborne bacteria live as either free-floating planktonic bacteria or a biofilm, a community of cells (p. 25).
-  In natural waterways, greater than 99% of bacteria exist in biofilms (p. 26).
-  Filters can clog with biofilms and biofilm bacteria will even grow on filter elements with long use or storage (p. 26-27). [Note: I'm assuming this means storage without first cleaning the element with bleach or other disinfectant].
-  Water treatment in a laboratory setting used Aquamira, Polar Pure, and MIOX. (p. 28).
-  Aquamira was the most efficacious among the three at killing biofilm bacteria. (p. 31).
-  There was no difference in the treatments applied to planktonic bacteria; all three were equally efficacious. (p. 66).

As always, read for yourself and draw your own conclusions.  



----- Original Message ----- 
  From: giniajim 
  To: pct-l at backcountry.net 
  Sent: Friday, October 22, 2010 12:08 AM
  Subject: Re: [pct-l] CDC recommendations for water treatment


  Also, for what its worth, here's a link to an article from Backpacking Light, Spring 2005, that I found on the Aqua Mira web site: http://aquamira.com/BPL_2_Efficacy-of-Water.pdf

    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: David Thibault 
    To: pct-l at backcountry.net 
    Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2010 11:59 PM
    Subject: Re: [pct-l] CDC recommendations for water treatment


    All you ever want to know about cypto

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptosporidium


    Basically,  filters and boiling work,  chlorine doesn't,  No mention of Aqua
    Mira which uses free Oxygen but I suspect it should work - just not sure of
    the required wait time.

    Even if I knew the wait time for Aqua Mira I doubt it would make any
    difference  -- I am just barely waiting 20 minutes or else I can wait hours
    it depends on my thirst when I hit a water source.

    There is generally no effective treatment - it eventually goes away.

    Day-Late



    > Did they say anything about Aqua Mira?  (which I don't think is the same as
    > the REI product?  (Happy to be corrected on this point)).
    >
    >
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