would they work/purify water from, rivers, canals <-- (which contain all sorts of horrid things) ?? would the tablet clean and purify even canal water to make it safe to drink. if so how do you know? and do they make any kind of water safe to drink?
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Purifying (disinfection) tablets usually consist of iodine and maybe chlorine. These elements will kill bacteria, most virus' and other small organisms found in water. You need to have a certain contact time between the water and organisms to ensure a good kill. The longer the contact time, the better. Some virus' such as giardia and cryptosproidium have a hard shell that protects the organism from disinfection. That is why most backpackers now carry small filtration units if they are going to drink from streams, etc.
Disinfection tablets will not remove other contaminants such as arsenic, lead, etc. They also combine with natural organics (lignins, etc) to create trihalomethanes, which aren't good.
In summary, purifying tablets should only be used in waters where there is no indication of man made influence to the water source (mountain streams, etc.).
Disinfection tablets will not remove other contaminants such as arsenic, lead, etc. They also combine with natural organics (lignins, etc) to create trihalomethanes, which aren't good.
In summary, purifying tablets should only be used in waters where there is no indication of man made influence to the water source (mountain streams, etc.).