Re: [Philmont]: MicroPur

At the risk of the accusation of overkill I'm reposting my reply to the
earlier question about Micropur (originally posted under a reply to
"Just got back.")

The Philmont protocol is as follows (I'm assuming a 1-liter container
here; there are specific instructions given for hydration bladders and
larger containers that rely on these basic guidelines):

Fill container to "normal" level allowing a bit of air space. One
Micropur tablet. Wait a minimum of 15 minutes. Invert container and
bleed threads (i.e. loosen and allow a bit of water to flow out). Wait
an additional 15 minutes minimum. Total minimum time is 30 minutes.
Water is ready to consume.

The Micropur tablets state on the packaging that water is purified in 4
hours. Having purchased a pack before our trek I questioned the ranger
taught methodology. The bottom line is that Philmont has reaearched the
product and found that no source on the ranch is as cold or a dirty as
the water on which Micropur bases its 4 hour time. Please see this site
http://www.katadyn.net/micropur.html for a discussion of the product.
There you will find this statement: "Note: Product instructions have a
4 hour contact time. Fulfilling the role of protecting consumers, the
EPA requires that packaging claims for Micropur MP1 communicate how the
product performs in the most challenging water conditions (water that is
very cold and dirty). While MP1 is effective against bacteria and
viruses in 15 minutes, it requires 4 hours for cryptosporidium in cold,
dirty water. Therefore, labeling requirements include a 4 hour wait time
for maximum consumer protection (see chart above)."

By the way, the taste and smell is virtually unnoticeable. If you need
to over treat (e.g. 2 tablets for a 1.5-liter container) simply opening
the container and letting the water "breathe" eliminates the treated
water odor.

Gary Boyd
Crew 151 CC
Georgetown, Texas
Trek 32 622-N-1

SIHIWI@aol.com wrote:

> Dr. Bob and all,
>
> Interesting...our Ranger said treat (1 pill per qt.), wait 15 minutes,
> treat (flush) the threads, wait 15 minutes, good to go. Quite
> different from your instructions. 714-A2, 2005.
>
>
> YIP X 7
> 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005
> IWTGBTP (but probably won't be able) ;+(
> Steve Unger
> T-50, Fort Worth, Texas

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Received on Sun Jul 31 19:12:48 2005