Chemical Treatment of Water

Hi all,<br><br>I would like to hear member's opinions on water purification tablets. I've read on many popular ones that they are effective against most bacteria, including E.Coli and Giardia Lamblia, but not Cryptosporidium. I visited the USDA website and was convinced Cryptosporidium was something I don't want to get (nasty symptoms). As far as risk goes, they went so far as to say that Cryptosporidium is present "in most bodies of water."<br><br>According to the USDA, Cryptosporidium is very resistant (because of it's thick cell walls) to chlorine and iodine treatments. Only boiling water appears to be the definitive way to inactivate it.<br><br>The CDC webpage says that even Giardia Lamblia may be difficult to inactivate because of water temperature, cloudiness, pH, etc.<br><br>However, some officials say that using chlorine/iodine treatments is an acceptable way to treat water. For example, in the book Nuclear War Survival Skills, by Cresson Kearny, the author states that using chlorine bleach or iodine drops is a good way to inactivate bacteria from your drinking water. <br><br>After reading reports from the USDA and CDC, I'm starting to doubt the reliability of chemical treatments. Is this warranted?<br><br>Do you people have any notable experiences with such chemical treatments, or worse, nasty infections?<br><br><br>Peace and God Bless America<br><br>Chris

Iv'e experienced 'severe intestinal upset' twice. I drank from a glacier fed, fast moving stream in Alaska. Then we moved further upstream to discover a FILTHY and abandoned hunting camp.I was ill within 48 hours. Later I drank from a piped water source on a California ranch with identical consequences. The only way to eliminate crypto is boiling and/or mechanical filtration. chemical treatment is still usefull, especially if you must travel light. I treat my water, run it through the filter and if there is a local religous authority get it blessed.<br><br>