Water Purification Tablets Revisited

It’s been over six years since I first wrote about water purification tablets, those handy little gems that render surface water safe for human consumption.  The article at that time focused on Katadyn Micropur MP1 water purification tablets.  And at that time, I recall that there were a few other water purification tablets sold on Amazon, but not a lot.  Not like today.  I find the range of choices amazing and tempting.

I shouldn’t be tempted, right?  I’ve already got a few ways to boil water, the first and best method for purifying most contaminated water.  Then there’s bleach, assuming it is still efficacious, and that may be a big assumption.  That’s one reason why we also have pool shock.  We’ve got plenty of that.  However, packaged in 1-lb bags, it’s not something to take when traveling, camping, or backpacking.  There are also SODIS and iodine drops, plus more conventional tabletop filters and straw filters. 

My backpacking days are behind me now (truth be told, they weren’t in front of me much either—but Aaron has to share some blame for that); however, we still do some camping and traveling.  We always carry some water with us, but should the unthinkable happen while we were out and about, we might not be carrying enough fresh water.  It makes sense to add some water purification tablets to the medical kits.  Well, ok, I already have some.  But I think I should have more.

When I first wrote about the Katadyn Micropur tablets, I think they were the only chlorine dioxide tablets available on Amazon, and they were rather expensive.  Don’t worry—you haven’t missed out—they still are expensive.  But now, there are a lot more choices on the market, all with their pros and cons.  As before, there are still iodine tablets on the market, though I’m not quite sure why.  Water purified with chlorine dioxide tablets generally tastes much better than water purified with iodine tablets.

I hesitate to present this information in table form, because the tables are often corrupted by Blogger, but I’ll give it a try.

Water Purification Table Comparison
Manufacturer	Chlorine dioxide	Iodine	Cost	Country of manufacture
Aquatabs	X		$0.24/1-2 liters	Ireland
Potable aqua		X	$0.26/1 liter	USA
Primal survival gear	X		$0.20/1 liter	India
Katadyn Micropur	X		$1.33/liter	USA
Ef-Chlor	X		$0.09/liter to $0.13/8 gallons	India

 

The first four water purification tablets in the table are intended for traveling, camping, and hiking, as well as emergencies at home.  They’re more expensive and will treat only 1-2 liters at a time.  The fifth manufacturer in the table is the new(er) kid on the block.  The fact that they’re made in India will be an issue for some people, probably the same who refuse to order pharmaceuticals from overseas pharmacies.  And that’s ok; we all have to make our own choices in these matters.  But what’s really interesting to me is not just that they are so much less expensive than their Irish and American counterparts.  The tablets will also purify up to eight gallons of water depending on the strength that you purchase.  While pool shock is more cost effective in the long term, the Indian-manufactured chlorine dioxide tablets have become quite affordable.  They’re a reasonable option for travel, regardless of the kind of travel you’re doing, and they're a terrific, quick solution for disasters at home.

Links to related posts:

Calcium Hypochlorite (Pool Shock) for Water Purification  

Katadyn Micropur Tablets

SODIS 

How to Purify Water with Bleach 

Basic Water Purification