magentawave
Adventurer
I looked online and couldn't find out what Microdyne is made out of. Does anyone know the exact ingredients?
How to avoid intestinal bugs when washing dishes and vegetables w/ tap water please?
- Thread starter magentawave
- Start date
Here's a PDF from UC Davis that says chlorine bleach works as a disinfectant for raw fruits and vegetables. Bleach works to disinfect the utensils and surfaces the vegetables might touch, too. The article recommends a bleach concentration of 200 parts per million, or about a tablespoon of bleach in a gallon of water.
Soak the vegetables and utensils for at least a minute. If the produce is very dirty, wash it separately before soaking. Avoid bleach products that have chemicals added (a pleasant scent, for example).
http://ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu/files/26437.pdf
Soak the vegetables and utensils for at least a minute. If the produce is very dirty, wash it separately before soaking. Avoid bleach products that have chemicals added (a pleasant scent, for example).
http://ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu/files/26437.pdf
magentawave
Adventurer
But how safe is it to ingest chlorine on a regular basis? Not very safe. I'd like to avoid harmful chemicals so I think I'm going to bite the bullet and buy a Lifesaver 20000 jerry can and use it for those times I can't find good water.
photo_i
Explorer
We used to use http://www.purwater.com while traveling in US - just pump it out of river and boil afterwords.
Its relatively safe, but not at the high concentrations of 200ppm. There's a big difference between trying to have clean water to clean things (i.e. your face, your dishes, etc) at 4ppm, and 200 ppm for surfaces, and the article that recommends 2000ppm. But the article does state after cleansing fruit and vegetables (as a soak), that it is supposed to be rinsed to clean water (in other words, water at 4ppm or less). Organics actually inactivate chlorine. Testing for chlorine for water treatment is done at the beginning to measure available chlorine ; if the organic load is high, you will get a low reading. You have to increase the dose. In a less scientific approach, EPA says to add 8 drops of "bleach" to disinfect water, but most household bleach is no longer holding at the 5% concentraion, 6 months later, or if previously opened. Another guide was to add, shake, smell. If the smell isnt bleachy, like a pool, then add more drops. (Hint: the swimming pools smell the way they do because they are supposed to kept between 1 and 3ppm available chlorine, even when there is nothing to disinfect).
Exposing water to air will make the chlorine degrade as well, and very quickly.
I've eaten all over the world as well, and cooked food is no comparison to cold food/cold drinks/fresh fruit/salad. I've always just bought the fresh fruit, washed it in a ziplock with a double dose of miox (~32ppm?), for a few minutes, then just rinsed it with my bottle of water. But thats only for unpealable fruit.
Im all for adventure, but playing with adventure with my intestines is not one of them.
Exposing water to air will make the chlorine degrade as well, and very quickly.
I've eaten all over the world as well, and cooked food is no comparison to cold food/cold drinks/fresh fruit/salad. I've always just bought the fresh fruit, washed it in a ziplock with a double dose of miox (~32ppm?), for a few minutes, then just rinsed it with my bottle of water. But thats only for unpealable fruit.
Im all for adventure, but playing with adventure with my intestines is not one of them.
magentawave
Adventurer
I couldn't find the ingredients list online for Miox or Microdyn. Anyone know?
Tennmogger
Explorer
When we lived in South America and the Caribbean we used potassium permanganate to wash food. It would handle cleaning up lettuce and other leafy veggies, but be sure to separate the pieces and soak good. It could also be added to dish water, and final rinse. When I see disinfectants advertised that say 'kills 99% of germs", well that last 1% will do you in (like drops of contaminated water on utensils)
IMHO, someone who has not grown up with the 'bugs' does not develop immunity in weeks, months, or even years. After 4 years down there I started having serious problems with amoebic dysentery and paramecium infestation, and that was in spite of being careful. But that was in the Oriente of Ecuador where serious bugs live. It seemed my immunity was wearing out, not getting better.
Be careful out there.
Bob
IMHO, someone who has not grown up with the 'bugs' does not develop immunity in weeks, months, or even years. After 4 years down there I started having serious problems with amoebic dysentery and paramecium infestation, and that was in spite of being careful. But that was in the Oriente of Ecuador where serious bugs live. It seemed my immunity was wearing out, not getting better.
Be careful out there.
Bob
Miox uses salt, water, and electricity.
It makes a mixed oxidant solution, chlorine, chlorine dioxide, and a few other things. The technology has already been in place for roughly 20 years in city municipal water system, and also for pool water cleaning. It also seems to have a great ability to destroy biofilm- and keep it from comming back. If you have ever used the same water bottle over and over- you know that slimy layer that builds up. The miox prevents that, and will also break down any existing film. If you use a jerry can for water, its of some importance!
If the Microdyn your talking about is the stuff they use in mexico, I think its colloidal silver. Kinda quacky.
If your talking about the Micropur MP1 tablets, those are chlorine dioxide tablets. Good stuff, and will also work. Just remember that once you dissolve the tablets, thats when your greatest concentration of bug killing power is.
It makes a mixed oxidant solution, chlorine, chlorine dioxide, and a few other things. The technology has already been in place for roughly 20 years in city municipal water system, and also for pool water cleaning. It also seems to have a great ability to destroy biofilm- and keep it from comming back. If you have ever used the same water bottle over and over- you know that slimy layer that builds up. The miox prevents that, and will also break down any existing film. If you use a jerry can for water, its of some importance!
If the Microdyn your talking about is the stuff they use in mexico, I think its colloidal silver. Kinda quacky.
If your talking about the Micropur MP1 tablets, those are chlorine dioxide tablets. Good stuff, and will also work. Just remember that once you dissolve the tablets, thats when your greatest concentration of bug killing power is.
magentawave
Adventurer
Are there small portable systems available for purifying water with Miox or colloidal silver?
The MIOX technology was made portable Back in about 2003- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), gave a grant to MSR, and the MIOX corp.
It eliminates:
E. Coli, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium, as well as other agents like VX nerve gas, Soman, the blister agent Lewisite, and the biological agents causing Anthrax, Plague, the Smallpox surrogate (Vaccinia), and Tularemia.
They are no longer being made. You can find them on ebay, govt auctions, and some online stores still have it.
The newer player into the game is http://www.h2gopurifier.com Its basically the same technology, with some differences.
Biggest difference: The MSR uses cr123's. I've been using LIPO rechargables in mine. The h2go has an integrated battery, that can be recharged up to 500 times, from USB port.
Some users had issues with the MSR's version of rock salt, in an upper chamber and getting water in and out. Sometimes it wouldn't come out for some people and they had a lot of complaints. I've had that issue once, and it was because I tried table salt. the H2go, uses a seperate salt solution bottle that you can make yourself.
Lastly, the H2go, has an integrated solar panel. It can charge itself up in the sun, which may be a good thing. It also has an option to make solution for purifying 5 gallons in one shot, whereas the MSR version only has the option to purify 1 gallon at a time.
I still like the MSR version. Its been field tested by several branches of the military. It uses a commonly available technology (cr123). It doesn't have anything to wear out (the H2go battery pack is only good for 500 recharges, like a cell phone). It requires a seperate bottle for the salt solution. And finally, the MSR version had the leader in the mixed oxidant water purification industry as their partner. The H2go, is run by the former exec of the MIOX corp.
Also when the battery compartment of the MSR is closed, its water resistant. (I'd probably venture to say 10M of depth). I would not say the same with anything that has a USB port.
If your using this everyday to sterilize your dishes, I'd possibly consider the newer H2go. But for the 3-4 days at a time that I'm purifying several gallons, its not been a problem for me to use the miox.
It eliminates:
E. Coli, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium, as well as other agents like VX nerve gas, Soman, the blister agent Lewisite, and the biological agents causing Anthrax, Plague, the Smallpox surrogate (Vaccinia), and Tularemia.
They are no longer being made. You can find them on ebay, govt auctions, and some online stores still have it.
The newer player into the game is http://www.h2gopurifier.com Its basically the same technology, with some differences.
Biggest difference: The MSR uses cr123's. I've been using LIPO rechargables in mine. The h2go has an integrated battery, that can be recharged up to 500 times, from USB port.
Some users had issues with the MSR's version of rock salt, in an upper chamber and getting water in and out. Sometimes it wouldn't come out for some people and they had a lot of complaints. I've had that issue once, and it was because I tried table salt. the H2go, uses a seperate salt solution bottle that you can make yourself.
Lastly, the H2go, has an integrated solar panel. It can charge itself up in the sun, which may be a good thing. It also has an option to make solution for purifying 5 gallons in one shot, whereas the MSR version only has the option to purify 1 gallon at a time.
I still like the MSR version. Its been field tested by several branches of the military. It uses a commonly available technology (cr123). It doesn't have anything to wear out (the H2go battery pack is only good for 500 recharges, like a cell phone). It requires a seperate bottle for the salt solution. And finally, the MSR version had the leader in the mixed oxidant water purification industry as their partner. The H2go, is run by the former exec of the MIOX corp.
Also when the battery compartment of the MSR is closed, its water resistant. (I'd probably venture to say 10M of depth). I would not say the same with anything that has a USB port.
If your using this everyday to sterilize your dishes, I'd possibly consider the newer H2go. But for the 3-4 days at a time that I'm purifying several gallons, its not been a problem for me to use the miox.
Honu
lost on the mainland
been covered
but lived in Honduras and for sure I got both Giardia and Dysentery from living eating there kinda hard to avoid since I was truly living ? but the one thing most local clinics are really good at diagnosing and getting you the correct meds
when I was going there was spending a year and doc even said better see if you get something then treat it then take to much preventative stuff
if its your own food etc.. should be easier to control
but lived in Honduras and for sure I got both Giardia and Dysentery from living eating there kinda hard to avoid since I was truly living ? but the one thing most local clinics are really good at diagnosing and getting you the correct meds
when I was going there was spending a year and doc even said better see if you get something then treat it then take to much preventative stuff
if its your own food etc.. should be easier to control
tikidollracer
Observer
why not just put your fruit in a baggie and turn on one of the UV steri-pens? similarly for making a qt (liter) of dish water.
-SM-
-SM-
Joker
Adventurer
A lot of great advice here but I think it also depends on how long you are going to be on the ground. If your only going to be there a week or so I would just go with bottled and boiled water, if your going to be there a couple of months or more I would try to acclimate myself and not plan anything you would regret missing in the first couple of weeks.