Re: [at-l] Long Term Iodine Use

["Mara Factor" <m_factor@hotmail.com>]

You can now buy PotableAqua Plus (or some such version).  It includes a 
bottle of neutralizing tablets that I understand to be vitamin C (I'm 
sure someone out there will correct me if I'm wrong  :-).  Does anyone 
out there know if these neutralizing tablets just neutralize the flavor 
and scent of the iodine, or if they neutralize the potentially harmful 
iodine itself?  (Wildbill?)

If they neutralize the iodine itself, then using the iodine and the 
neutralizer would still be a lot lighter than carrying a filter.

If in the unlikely event that time is an issue, filtering may be faster.  
If using the neutralizer, you still have to wait for the iodine to work 
before adding the neutralizer.  Then when getting more water, you have 
to make sure to rinse well to get rid of any remaining neutralizer 
before adding iodine to the next batch of water.

Thanks for any further info...

Mara

>From: DaRedhead@aol.com
>Date: Mon, 6 Jul 1998 09:30:46 EDT
>To: at-l@saffron.hack.net
>Cc: tvanveen@accmail.umd.edu
>Subject: [at-l] Long Term Iodine Use
>
>
>Having decided to go light weight as much as possible on my thru hike, 
I was
>considering forgoing a filter/purifier in favor of the ligher 
PotableAqua
>tablets.  I wanted to know if there was a problem with long term daily 
use,
>and I turned to the 'net.  After several frustrating hours and 
conflicting
>ideas - I gave up.  I threw myself upon WildBills mercy, and he said he 
would
>look into it.  I would say that what little information there is about 
TOO
>MUCH iodine is scarce - most references were concerned with a 
deficiency.
>This is a condensed version of some of what he found, and it appears 
that 1 in
>10 people with prolonged use of iodine are affected (bearing in mind 
that an
>enlarged thyroid is caused by both too much AND not enough iodine, 
strangely
>enough . . .)
>
>-----------------
>There are reports of person's developing Iodine Goiters after consuming 
excess
>Iodine.  Most people who have developed Iodine Goiters (english - 
Enlarged
>Thyroid) have received very large amonts of Iodine for prolonged 
periods. In
>the cases reviewed by (Wolff), intake of iodine ranged from 1-8 
milligram to
>more then 1 gram/day over several months. When Iodine Goiters occur 
under
>these conditions a secondary complication may arise, hypothyroidism.
>
>According to Wolff, there is a danger of Iodine Goiters from prolonged 
intakes
>of iodine above 1 to 2 milligrams/day. 
>
>One "Potable Aqua" tablet has 7.956 milligrams of iodine. As you can 
see this
>is well above the 1 to 2 mg/day. 
>
>Cloudy water requires two tablets per quart and they now recommend two 
tablets
>to ensure killing off Giardia cysts as well.
>
>-------------
>-------------
>
>So, there you have it.  If there are any doctors on the list, maybe you 
can
>enlighten us.  How serious is an enlarged thyroid??  Enough to make 
carrying a
>purifier/filter worth the weight?  And for you thru hikers on the list, 
did
>any of you carry just iodine, and if so, were there any side effects 
you
>experienced first hand?
>
>And a round of applause to WildBill, for sifting through hundreds of 
websites
>and obscure references seeking out this information for me.  Another 
job well
>done, Wildbill <g>  Thanks.
>
>
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