The problems associated with water are acquisition, purification, and
transportation OR get, good, and go.
FACTS
1 gallon of water weighs 8 1/3 pounds and is 231 cu. in. about 6 1/8" cube
1 liter of water weighs 1 kilogram and is 1 cubic decimeter
ACQUISITION
DEW
STREAM OR POOL
GROUND WATER (DIGGING)
PURIFICATION All water is good to drink, it is the extras that can kill you
-BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS
PHYSICAL REMOVAL
ULTRAFILTER
CONDENSATION
KILLING ORGANISMS
BOILING
CHEMICAL
-ORGANIC HAZARDS
FILTER CARBON
DISTILLATION *IF* 212 degrees isn't the boiling point of the hazard
-INORGANIC HAZARDS -WILD WEST ADAGE, IIF SLIME CAN DRINK IT SO CAN YOU
pH AND FILTERING
ACTIVATED CARBON
ELECTROLYTES
PRETREATMENT All water purification will work better and allow your equipmnet
to last longer if you get rid of as much mechanical solids as possible.
Cheap paper filters
shirt, socks, pants, screen, Kearney bucket
Absorbtion = incorporate
adsorbtion = block/stick
Once you have your water, you need to purify it to make sure that it is
not contaminated with material that will cause sickness or death. The most
common contaminants are
BIOLOGICAL - SOME THING THAT IS ALIVE AND HARMFUL
E. Colii - Infectious isease specialist said, If shit were red, we'ld be
living in a rose colored world.
ORGANIC TOXIN - SOMETHING THAT CAME FROM A LIVING CREATURE AND IS HARMFUL
Venom, vitamin A, cyanide, micotoxins, etc.
INORGANIC TOXIC - SOME ELEMENT OR COMPOUND THAT IS TOXIC
Berylium, cadmium, lead, arsenic, methal mercury, lead, etc.
The most common methods of water purification are boiling, adding
disinfectants, and various types of filtering.
Most biological hazards consist of naturally occuring bacteria and other
organisms.
BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS
* METHODS
KILL ORGANISM - toxin that can kill all forms of life.
MECHANICALLY REMOVE ORGANISM
K BOILING. Boiling water for one minute will kill all bacteria. However,
since additional various organisms that are harmful and commonly found in
water are not bacteria, 15 to 20 minutes of boiling is needed to kill these
other organisms to give you sterile water.
M DISTILATION. Distilation is the most reliable method for obtaining pure
water as the resulting water is sterile, soft, nuetral in pH and removes
all other contaminates as well. If the distiller does not have some sort of
system that preheats the water to remove various gases, the various gases can
be collected in the distillate if all boiled off contaminants are not purged
by running steam through the condensor at the begining of the batch.
K DISINFECTANTS. The most common disinfectant is chlorine. Chlorine is a
poisonous gas and hazardous to handle. Two safer forms of chlorine are common
household bleach which is a 5.25% solution of sodium hypoclorite, and dry pool
chorine ("burn out" or "shock treatment) which is 65% calcium hypoclorite. Dry
pool chlorine can be used to make a solution that is the same concerntration as
household bleach, 24.5 grams (about 10 Tablespoons) of powder in 1 gallon of
water. This mixing MUST be done in a very well ventilated area and stored in
an air tight enclosure since it gives off enough chlorine gas to cause
problems. Please note that many bleaches state, "not for human consumption."
If the listed ingrediants contains anything other than sodium hypochlorite,
avoid it. If it contains ONLY sodium hypochlorite, it is okay. For water
purification use hypochorite solution in the following mixes
Volume clear water 1:5,000 cloudy water 1:2,500
1 Quart 2 drops 4 drops
1 Gallon 8 drops 16 drops
5 gallons 1/2 tsp. 1 tsp.
Allow at least 30 minutes for the chlorine to kill all microorganisms.
Tuberculosis organisms are the only organism that is resistant to chlorine.
Use a 1 to 10 solution for cleaning instruments and surfaces. Do NOT use
hypochlorite solutions for irrigating wounds (as was done in WW1) as the
hypochlorite dissolves blood clots.
Iodine is extremely toxic. One source of iodine are the solid crystals.
How to use iodine to sterilize water. Put 4-8 grams of iodine crystals in a
1 oz. glass jar (must have glass or bakelite stopper otherwise the iodine will
react with the plastic or metal stopper and destroy it.) Actually 0.1 gram is
adequate for the job, but using a larger amount of iodine creates a saturated
solution much quicker.
Put in 1 oz. (1 tablespoon or 3 teaspoons) of water (at least room
temperature, body temperature prefered).
Close stopper and shake for several minutes. You now have a saturated
solution. A saturated solution is when as much solid has disolved in a liquid
as it can.
Carefully pour off 10ml (10cc, 2 teaspoons) of the saturated solution.
REMEMBER, the iodine crystals are VERY TOXIC! The reason that adding more
water than needed is suggested is so that you need not tip the bottle over too
far thus spilling some crytals.
Add the 10ml (2 teaspoons) of saturated solution to 1 liter (1.06 quart) of
water.
Let stand at least 15 minutes at 77 degrees F. or higher. Make sure all
of the interior surface including lid get treated.
Another form of iodine is the familiar tincture of iodine which is 2%
iodine and 2% sodium iodide in alcohol. Use 3-5 drops of tincture per quart of
clear water and 10 drops of tincure in cloudy water. Please remember, very old
tincure or tincure that has been left unstoppered may have lost some of its
alcohol due to evaporation and whould have an excessive concentration of
iodine.
*NOTE: Iodine is not very soluable in water, but VERY soulable in alcohol*
Betadines are not suitable for water purification. Betadine scrub should be
only used for cleaning intact skin as it is very toxic to tissues. Betadine
solution when diluted 1:100 (3 drops per ounce of water) is suitable for
cleaning wounds.
M FILTERING. Only extremely sophisticated filters are precise enough to
remove micro organisms. One device that is able to do this is the Katadyn
family of water filters from Switzerland. It consists of a core of ceramic
material whose holes are so small that no living organism can pass through.
There are available synthetic woven filters for use in industry that are able
filter out micro-organisms. Example, Coors beer is pastuerized by the micro
filtration process.
Another type of filter is the 800 PSI reverse osmosis style filter, the
Survivor-06 from Phoenix Systems $525 will remove salt for 2 pints per hour.
ORGANIC TOXINS
Many of these will be broken down by heat during the boiling of water or
boiled away if they evaporate below 212 degrees.
NOTE on distillation. If you have a sophiticated still and put in the water,
seal the still, and start the still - any toxin that boils below 212 degrees
is going to pass right through on the first minute of distillation
INORGANIC HAZARDS
Toxic substances like arsenic, various heavy metals, aluminum, salt etc. are
a less common hazard. They can be found however in water near mining sites and
in areas that have alkaline lakes. A lack of normal plant growth around a
water source or unusually colored algae are frequently signs of abnormal pH or
unusual contamination.
Many of these toxins are only water soluable if the water has an unusual pH
factor. That is these factors can only be in solution in the water if the
water is fairly acidic (low pH) or fairly alkaline (high pH). Totally neutral
pH is 7 and most water sources will be between 5 and 8 in pH. If you have the
papers to measure pH and add lyes or acids to the water to bring the pH within
a normal range, the metal may go out of solution and become a solid, but in
particles that are so small that they stay suspended in the water. Letting the
water set overnight will allow the particles to drop to the bottem, but since
they are so small pouring the water from the container might be enough to put
them back in suspension again. A better method would be to filter the
neutralized water. A microfiltration filter could be used for this, but even
common laboratory filter papers would remove most of the precipitated solids,
even though common filter paper is not fine enough to filter out biological
hazards. Many inorganics are highly reactive and are adsorbed by dirt or
activated carbon filters.
Some inorganic hazards like asbestos fibers are mechanically hazardous, any
filtration method will remove this items. If no filters are available, just
letting the water stand still for several hours or overnight with help reduce
contamination. Siphoning water off of the top of standing water is the best way
to remove the water as pouring the container will kick up the sediment again.
A NOTE ON LABORATORY FILTER PAPERS
These filters should be used to prefilter any water that you are going to
treat. They aren't suitable for an entire process, but their removal of
larger contaminants improves preformance of disinfectants and extends the
working life of microfiltration units. Filter papers come in various speeds.
The faster the speed of the paper, the less that is filtered out. Filter
papers are very inexpensive, lightwieght and compact. For maximum effect you
can prefilter water through a fast filter and then put that water through a
slow filter.
ORGANIC HAZARDS
These substances can be removed via activated carbon filters. An item to
note about activated carbon filters: water or moisture in the carbon filters
is a breeding ground for biological organisms. Many filters are doped with
silver compounds to prevent or retard organism growth.
Note never pour hot water through activated carbon. Also, powdered
activated carbon is more likely to release it toxin content.
Hartz Mountain 191 grams ~6 oz $2 dusty in cardboard box
VRP 300 grams ~10 oz $10 (three month supply) very low dust, in sealed plastic
bottle
SOIL FILTERS
The book NUCLEAR WAR SURVIVAL SKILLS, in addition to having good information
on water storage and transporation, has an excellent design for a water filter
based on a bucket, gravel, towels and clayey soil (4" down). page 71-74
This device will buffer the pH (assuming normal soil) and adsorb 99% of
radioactivity. It produces 6 quarts of water/hour initially and 2 quarts an
hour after several hours of use. I you get 1 quart/ 10 minutes you need to
repack the soil. Buy shaving off 1/2" of the 6-7" soil stack every time the
filter clogs, you can get 50 quarts out before a complete soil change is
needed.
ELECTROLYTES
Nutshell single dose storage ratios for 300 quarts
Lite salt 1 teaspoon 5 - 11 oz. tubes of Morton Lite Salt
Baking soda 1/3 teaspoon one pound box
sugar 10 teeaspoons 25 pound sack
water 1 quart
Subj: ELECTROLYTE AND FLUID REPLACEMENT
For those that do not subscribe to the FIGHTING CHANCE newsletter P.O.Box
1279, Cave Junction,Oregon 97523 $60/12 issues/year or haven't purchased the
Medical Preparation video tape by Dr. Jane Orient (president of Doctors for
Disaster Preparedness) $29.50 from same address, here is a good little life
saver that you might be interested in.
One teaspoon of "Lite Salt"(by Morton, 1/2 iodized potassium chloride, 1/2
sodium chloride in a blue cylinder), 1/3 teaspoon of baking soda (sodium
bicarbonate), 10 teaspoons of table sugar (sucrose), and one quart of water.
That happens to be a life saving fluid replacement and partial electrolyte
expiedent replacement. At least it is expiedent if you have had the foresight
to purchase the above three items BEFORE an emergency happens while it is
readily available and very cheap. Many people die in times of emergency
because of fluid losses. This can be from burns, vomiting, or diarrhea. The
body needs water and certian water souluable chemicals to function. If either
or both of these drop below a certian level, you die. There are many non-fatal
diseases like cholera that become fatal due to lack of simple things like
proper fluid replacement. If you have ever had a bad case of diarrhea and
start to have pain in your muscles or joints, congratulations, you have had the
early warning symptoms of a potassium deficiency.
Bananas are very high in potasium.
For ease of purchasing the items for Dr. Orient's formula, Morton Lite
Salt comes in a 11 oz. light blue cylinder. Baking soda a 1 or 4 pound box.
Sugar 5, 10, or 25 pound sack. To make approximately 300 quarts of the
solution you need 5 - 11 oz. units of Morton's Lite salt, 1 - 1 pound box of
baking soda, and 25 pounds of sugar.
FIGHTING CHANCE is a great publication for those that are installing
blast/fallout shelters. It also is the place that tells you where to buy
ventilators for $20 that other places charge $245.00 and in this month they
tell you where to purchase 12-120 volt AC/DC PM motor generators for $12 that
other survival stores sell for $100-275.
TOXIN STORAGE IN THE BODY
Most in fat cells, rapid fat burning without adequate water can cause
kidney damage
HOW MUCH WATER IS ENOUGH? enough to keep your urine a normal color and smell
One exercise fitness center recommends
1/2 oz water per 1 pound body weight (sedentary) (me ~= 3 quarts)
3/4 oz water per 1 pound body weight (athletic) (me ~= 4 quarts)
In the dessert under heavyy labor you might go through 2-5 gallons
Sweating = losing water + losing electrolytes
No activity in a cool cave 1 quart a day might be all you need short term
with no bathing or food preparation needs.
TRANSPORTATION
Page 67 of NWSS plastic trash sack inside pillowcase or burlap sack.
Canteens, plastic, steel, aluminum (al + halide based tablets can produce
toxins)
Water bags of aluminized mylar and boxes
Polycarbonate jugs
Folding bags with handles