[at-l] Cryptosporidium WAS MIOX????

[shellydhale at earthlink.net (Shelly Hale)]

Jim, you had commented on a post that I had made, but I did not have time to research it then.

Here is what the email I sent stated...

At 01:55 PM 2/26/2004 -0500, Shelly Hale wrote:
>I may have understood this wrong, but I heard that even iodine can't kill cryptosporidium.  So, basically, after a 30->minute wait for it to kill the giardia, you'd be drinking the same as the filtered water anyway.

You replied, "Uh huh!"

So, I had to go back to see what was what on this, and over and over I found that cryptosporidium can't be or is impervious to iodine tablets.  Over and over I found that boiling water was the best purification system to use to get rid of it because it can form cysts to protect itself from chemicals and slips through most filters.  

But, the problem then becomes what to do with the water while it is still hot.  I found Flexiflask and/or Nalgene containers can handle boiling water, so they are an option if one wants to treat water this way.  Also, boiling doesn't remove sediment.  So, I guess that one would still need a filtering system.

I guess I need to see what is more effective weight-wise.
With boiling, I would only need to carry a little more fuel (I use a Pepsi can stove & denatured alcohol) and a Flexiflask.  But, I still might have to get a filter.  With a MIOX, I think I would still have to get a filter for sediment.  However, with boiling, I already have what I need and that is fuel and pot.  It would take me about 2 pots of boiling water to fill my platy.  

More weight in fuel + possible water filter (wonder if cheese cloth would work for sediment?), but already carry pot.  
OR
Less fuel + water filter + MIOX +2 CR-3 lithium batteries+test strips.
OR
Less fuel + water filter + Potable Aqua tabs.
OR
?

But, I gotta mention that I'm a country girl raised on well water and can't stand that chlorine taste at all.  So, the tabs are not too much of an option for me.  YUK!  'Course, I heard that the Vitamin C tabs that are now often packaged with them take that taste away.  Guess I will have to try them.  

I have always boiled water when I ran out of my stock brought from home, so I may just stick with this method.

Thanks for getting me to think on this, Jim.  Lord knows that I don't want to experience any of the nasty symptoms associated with either of them.  And, thanks for letting me ramble through my thought process.  I guess this post is more or less me thinking out loud.  I am still going to test different ways of purifying my water, comparing weight, cost, and effectiveness, before I make the final decision that is right for me.


Just for kicks, I am including a couple of sources on the cryptosporidium info I found concerning purification with iodine tablets.  The following is a fact sheet from the US Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation and the second one is from the National Park Service.  I could list thousands of sources that I found, but I figured these were two good examples.

http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/water/media/pdfs/Crypto.pdf  
CRYPTOSPORIDIUM and GIARDIA

Both species are generally resistant to most chemical disinfectants, like chlorine or iodine, at usual treatment doses, contact times, and other parameters (temperature, pH, etc.). Temporary, short term super chlorination (or iodine disinfection) with increased doses and contact time can be effective. UV and ozonation can be effective at controlled flows, high doses, and extended contact times. Distillation is effective. Commercially available microfilters are effective, but require careful operation and maintenance. Crypto can be removed by NSF approved filters which capture particles of less than 1 micron, and giardia can be removed by NSF approved filters which capture particles of 4 micron or less. The FDA recommends use of a 1 micron medical grade filter to remove both. Improving well casing/sealing or drilling deeper wells can improve groundwater quality. Boiling water for 1 minute (5 minutes at higher elevations) is the traditional POU treatment method. Bottled water may be used, although is not regulated for testing for microbial contaminants. Raw water quality can also be improved through complex planning of waste treatment/disposal methods,
public watershed, and land management, especially during periods of high precipitation or heavy runoff.

http://www.nps.gov/public_health/inter/info/factsheets/fs_crypto.pdf

Shelly Hale