Para conseguir agua potable y evitar enfermedades o diarreas existen varios métodos pero ninguno tan rápido y sencillo como la luz UV (Ultravioleta) que asegura agua 100% pura de forma rápida y sencilla.
Filtrar el agua puede limpiar agua sucia o turbia y eliminar algunos restos de materiales o sustancias orgánicas pero no garantiza que agua pura libre de virus o protozoos por lo que podemos contraer enfermedades graves como la salmonelosis o la giardiosis. Los filtros de agua de calidad, como por ejemplo los Katadyne, resultan caros, pesados y grandes. Otros filtros de agua como el Life Straw o el Mini Sawyer son más baratos pero su eficacia es limitada.
Para potabilizar agua podemos hacer fuego y hervir el agua, al menos un par de minutos en ebullición, pero necesitamos hacer fuego y tener combustible. También se puede potabilizar agua mediante productos químicos, antisépticos y desinfectantes como el yodo, betanine o cloro (pastillas potabilizadoras) El sistema más sencillo y eficaz para potabilizar agua es mediante Luz UV o Ultravioleta, como el Steripen, un dispositivo portátil que potabiliza agua en un minuto al esterilizar cualquier tipo de microorganismo, bacteria, virus o protozoo.
Hello everyone. Few elements are as essential as water. Having an
effective system to get drinking water is essential. It is true that when we make
short trips to the mountains, we can carry water in our cantimplora or camelback.
However, in the longest trips, adventure trips or in situations of emergency
or catastrophe, carrying all the water we need with us is practically impossible.
So we have to resort to the water we find and that we must treat it with the
maximum precaution possible. No matter how clean a stream may seem, it can be contaminated
by feces or dead animals that we do not even see. And this precaution must increase in
summer or in tropical climates when the heat favors the formation of parasites and other
dangerous organisms for our health. First of all, I would like to clarify the
difference between drinking and filtering. Filtering eliminates organic remains and depending on the
filter we use, it can eliminate some parasites and microorganisms, but not viruses or some
protozoa as dangerous as giardia, which is very common, survive in cold mountain waters,
even resist the normal chlorine level of tap water. And generally the filters
are usually quite large and expensive if they are good. Then there are these novelties that,
although they are very small, but with a fairly limited use. So that it is clear, one thing is to
drink and the other to filter. And basically to drink the water there are three systems. Boil the
water between 2-3 minutes in boiling water. What do we need for that? Fire, either through a
stove or through a bonfire. And that takes us to have time, fuel and the necessary kit
to be able to make fire. The second way to do it, using chemical products,
such as iodine, which I have here, between 2 to 10 drops per liter, we let it rest for 30 minutes and
we already have drinking water to use it. It is very effective against microorganisms, bacteria and viruses.
Another system using chlorine, which is more practical, cheaper than iodine. And above all, if
we use it in the form of pills like these, drinks that should never be missing in our
equipment. But it is not as effective against some viruses such as polio or hepatitis, which can be
quite common in water in tropical climates. And finally, which is quite recent,
through ultraviolet light. It is a fairly recent system that uses a pencil-type device
in which it incorporates a lamp with ultraviolet light. This particular model is Teripen, I hope
it looks good. And the truth is that it is very effective against all types of microorganisms, bacteria and viruses.
Therefore, very safe. And above all, that it does not use chemical products. It weighs less than 100
grams and drinks water. The truth is that it is very simple. We are going to take the cantimplora with water.
Let's see, I'll take it so you can see it well. To drink 2 liters of water, I have to press the button twice
and insert it. And we are removing it little by little so that it has an effect throughout the water. I don't know
if the camera can see the light well, but the lamp is already on and it is drinking the water.
It actually works by sterilizing all types of microorganisms. Although so that it does not kill them,
they cannot reproduce in our digestive system. And we are safe from contracting any
type of disease. It takes approximately a minute. As I am drinking 1 liter,
you have to press the button twice, as I said before, but if it were half a liter, you have to press it only once.
A green light should turn on here, which would indicate that the drinking has been successful.
If the light was a little orange or yellow, it means that we must
repeat the process again. If the light is red, it is that the battery is low, you have to recharge the
batteries again . The truth is that it is a very simple and quick way to get water in about
a minute. If you think about it, when getting water, a liter to make fire,
have the necessary equipment and boil it, which takes a long time. As you can see, I don't know if you can see it well,
the light has turned on, that means that the water is already drinkable and we can drink it.
The truth is that it is cool, that I just took it from the river. The problem uses batteries
of at least 2,400 amps. Other batteries are not valid. In fact, when we put it on, the device
seems to work, everything is correct, but when it comes to drinking water, it will always give us a
red light, that means that the right batteries must always be used. And of course, the price
can seem a bit expensive, it cost me 80 euros, which is about 90 dollars, but it can be more expensive,
you can contract a disease such as typhus, cholera, in short. So whatever it is when using
the water drinking system, we should always be as careful as possible when consuming
water in nature, on adventure trips, in tropical climates or in situations of
catastrophe or emergency. When the health or hygiene system stops working in the event of
a flood, earthquake or armed conflict. And nothing more than that, I hope it has been
useful to show you more, as always I will put all the information you may need and as always, see you soon!