Travel Water Treatment Tips For Your Health And Safety

Not all places in the world have as strict of standards regarding safe drinking water as the United States. So you always run the risk when traveling abroad of not having tap water that is safe to drink. If the sanitation in the country is poor and the water is not chlorinated, you still have options to ensure that you have a resource for safe water to drink.

You can boil the water. There are also ways to disinfect the water with chemicals or even filtering. And of course, the sure fire way to avoid getting sick from drinking the local water source is the purchase of water bottles. You will also want to take care with ordering drinks that contain ice. Unless the establishment uses a water purification system, the local ice is not safe either.

Bottled water for safe drinking – Buying bottled water is the best option for safe drinking water. Be sure to inspect the bottle before buying it to ensure that the cap is still properly sealed. Bottled water should be used for brushing your teeth, making any drinks or ice, and for thoroughly washing any fresh fruits or vegetables you make pick up along the way.

The Boiling Method – Boiling is the sure fire way to kill all the germs and parasites that can cause illness. You want to allow the water to come to a roiling boil and let it continue for one minute. Then allow the water to cool to room temperature. If you are at high altitudes, the water should boil continuously for at least three minutes before cooling.

Chemically Treated Water – When boiling water is not an option, you will want to disinfect your water with iodine. You can find special tablets with iodine in them at sporting goods or drug stores. The chemical method will kill most of the parasites that cause diarrhea and other illness. To ensure that water is extra safe, be sure to strain any sediment or cloudy matter that is floating or settled to the bottom of the container before you use the iodine treatment.

Filtering your Water – Portable water filters are a possibility. However, they do not filter out all harmful things in the water such as viruses. Only boiling or chemical can eradicate the viruses from the water. If you like the taste of the filtered water and do not have facilities to boil water, you would have to chemically treat your water as mentioned above with iodine. Chlorine is used in some instances, although iodine is the sure fire way to cover all bases when it comes to parasites and viruses.

Please note that there are certain individuals that should not consume iodine treated water. Pregnant women, people with allergies to iodine and shellfish and those with thyroid issues should not consider iodine a treatment option. The form of chemical treatment would do more harm than good.

On a final note, if you can, purchase an item called an immersion coil. You can stick this in your water and plug it in to boil water within a container if there is no kitchen area in your accommodations. The four options to ensure safe drinking water should get you through your stay at a location where sanitation and hygiene is a problem.

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