I'm new to hiking and found your site on survival kits but I have a question. What is the use of Potassium Permanganate Crystals for? Also, what would the ratio be of potassium permanganate to water?<br><br>

I also had the same question 2 years ago. It has taken a lot of searching to find the answer. Please remember that PP is a chemical and I’m only listing the general consensus on the use of this chemical, nothing scientific. Most of this information I found here on the previous survival forum.<br>Potassium Permanganate- Mix with water until bright pink for water purification, deep pink for antiseptic use or deep red to treat fungal diseases. It doesn’t take much to get these levels. Use as a fire starter when mixed 1 part to 2 parts respectively with sugar and if impacted between rocks it should ignite. This works best with decent quantities.<br>Alternatively, 10-30 drops of glycerin into two or three pinches will create enough heat or fire to ignite prepared tinder. (most antifreeze contains a high percent of glycerin.)<br>Some concerns I have are that while trying to find a place to buy the chemical every pharmacist (at least 15) I talked to had heard of it but hadn’t sold it for years. Probably because there are now chemical combinations available to treat fungal disease that work better. But perhaps it was found to be harmful? Also not many of the new survival books talk about it and if they do it’s brief and unhelpful. <br> I hope this helped.<br><br><br>

I have also NOT been able to find it at any RX. <br>I sent Doug an e-mail awhile back to find out where he was able to get it, but I think he has been pretty busy with Simon's kit for his Sydney race. So if I here back any time soon I'll post what he says<br><br>"Stay Frosty"

One reason it is harder to find is because it can be used in the formulation of illegal drugs and explosive devices. It was also used to treat fungal problems in fish aquariums. Back in my childhood ( I won't say how far back) it was a standard chemical in a chemistry set. Caution should be taken when used. It still can be obtained from chemical suppliers, but unfortunately in large quantities.<br><br>Thanks<br>Ted Fisher EMT I/D<br><br>

Potassium Permanganate in an oxidizing agent that is a common chemical used in synthetic organic chemistry. Because it is cheap, readibly available and effective, it has been abused by those that make illegal drugs in their basements, etc, which is why it has been somewhat harder to come by recently. It is also used by some municipal water treatment facilities. In my professiional opinion (I have a Ph.D in organic chemistry), there is little reason to carry this chemical other than as a stain (signalling) or as a chemical fire starter. A 79 cent bottle of 2% tincture of iodine is the poor, thinking man's choice. Five drops in a quart of room temp. water will kill most common pathogens in 5 minutes. Shake well with a loose cap. By adding a few small crumbs of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) AFTER 5 minutes, the chemical taste will be removed from the water. The residual sodium iodide is relatively harmless for the amounts that would be formed from reasonable use. If you have to have potassium permanganate, I suggest buying the chemical fire starting kit as sold by REI (www.rei.com) One component is potassium permanganate and the other is gyycerin in ethanol. Hope this helps. Andy<br><br>

To: AndyO<br>Is there any harm in using the 2% iodine since it has the alcohol in it? <br>I have tried to get the sublimated iodine crystals for water purification but have found these are about as difficult to obtain as Potassium permanganate. I definitely qualify for the poor man, but I am also partial to what I drink. I am even a little reluctant to the iodine, but it can't be much worse than what they are putting in our local water supply to clean it up.<br><br>In using chemicals for purification the common options I know of are:<br>Household Bleach<br>Iodine<br>Potassium Permanganate<br>Purchased purifiers <br><br>Which do you prefer?<br><br>Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise in this area.<br><br>

I'm sure that the manufacturers would very strongly suggest NOT using 2% tincture of iodine for water purification since it's using it in a manner inconsistant with the label. However, the minute amount of alcohol is meaningless. The alcohol used is USP grade 190 proof ethanol (the drinking alcohol). It is far "purer" than any whisky. Remember, its made to pour on an open wound! It is certainly ok to drink a few drops in a quart of water! Wisconsin Pharmacal makes a fine product in Potable Aqua, but it takes longer to dissolve and the big bottle only treats between 6 and 12 gallons of water. It also decomposes after opening. They really rip you off with the PA Plus which is Vitamin C! ( I know, I ran it through a GC-MS one day when I was bored, the national institutes of standards database spit back a perfect match to vitamin C. Incidently, despite this being a less than exhaustive assay, it would hold up in court.) Another option is Polar Pure, which is nothing more than a bottle of iodine crystals in water. You add the correct amount of saturated iodine water from the bottle to your water supply according to the built in thermometer. I highly recommend this product, but it is bulky. It is the size of a 250 count aspirin bottle. Again, after the labeled "wait time" add some vitamin C to eliminate the taste. I have two water filters/ purifiers. The Pur scout and the Pur voyager. They are both excellent units, but they leave an iodine taste since they treat with iodine as well. The hiker, which does not treat with iodine is a best bet. Incidently, Pur offers a carbon element to remove organic chemicals and the iodine taste. You can make your own from aquarium charcoal in a bandanna. (I would wash it first by running luke warm tap water through it for about 20 minutes. ( use a kitchen strainer and coffee filter)) This charcoal will remove the iodine (remember to wait 5 minutes!) and alot of pesticides and other nasty chemicals. Frankly, I'm tired of carrying around alot of gear and have adopted some of the mentality of Ray Jardine. Alot of gear on the market, despite being well made and useful is just not needed. My bottle of 2% iodine and some vitamin C is all I ever use anymore save for a bandanna to remove sediment occasionally. My latest hobby project is a way to remove the sulfur smell/ taste from costal spring water using cheap readibly available stuff like mentioned above!<br><br>

Thanks for a wealth of info, I have read just about everything I can get my hands on about this topic. So far yours makes the best sense, If its good enough for you its OK by me.<br><br>Thanks Again<br>Ted Fisher EMT I/D<br><br>