f you want to find out about any particular river then have a look at this. http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/planning/33106.aspx
Thanks for that Frogo, ...difficult to believe governement agencies,, they'll p**s on you & tell you it's raining & I don't think drinking the stuff is what they have in mind. ...I would give the findings of organizations such as Greenpeace more credibility.
Really! I think your being a little bit paranoid there fella.
Don't worry chap, there's more folks like you than there are like me, that's why they can continue to "inform" us with relative ease.
What do you mean like me?
Far too many dangerous substances in any river water unless its from very high ground and even then there is no guarantee.
Nitrates, Phosphorous,Nitrite,and chemical drain off from agriculture makes the whole thing a very dangerous practice indeed. Some things may take years to come back and haunt you, and a chlorine tablet only kills, it does not clean.
A Reverse Osmosis pump with a UV bulb and active carbon filter would probably be the safest method, but even that is fallible, plus you have to carry/ operate it.
Springs in the highest mountains are your best bet, but a river to me is nothing more than an open sewer. May as well drink from a puddle in the farm yard or dip your cup into the toilet bowl.
It's true I do believe a great many reports put out by the environment agency, but then I do tend to trust the results of report containing fieldwork carried out by people, some of who are good friends and put a lot of hard work into collecting the raw data to produce the findings shown on the EA website.
I used to believe them too, but then I used to believe a lot of things, including the existance of father christmas,....... I think Tchernobyl erased any remaining credibility I had...............it will be interesting to see how they handle the imminent reactor melt down of the nuclear power station in Japan,..............anyway, each is free to believe or not & that's what counts.
Don't worry chap, there's more folks like you than there are like me, that's why they can continue to "inform" us with relative ease.
if you think tap water is miraculously free of 'chemicals and radioactivity' then you're sadly mistaken tapwater is just river/ground water thats been treated with chemicals to kill the nasties. water without chemicals in it is actually bad for you it wants to get the chemicals back so it takes them from your body, and you need them to continue to live and thrive. i've drunk water from loads of different rivers with no ill effects as long as its fast flowing and there's nothing dead in it you should be fine, although boiling it is prudent in most cases. you seem to delight in panning everyone else's opinions which is a poor approach to forums i find
Just a word about water filters, these were originaly developed for military use, to be used by special forces in extreme conditions, where there is no alternative but to drink any water available & the idea is just to reduce the side effects on the soldiers so they would be able to continue their mission. They do not render the water pristine, the filters do not remove all polluants...what these men HAVE to drink & what we choose to drink should be 2 different things.
Yes I know, I did add & eat, I think your'll find, (at the moment), eating your catches from the Thames is not recommended.................
Hmmm... what have you used for the basis for these assertions my good chap, early Sanskrit writings refer to filtration of water sources, which Hippocrates further developed centuries later in the form of a cloth sleeve (and modern special forces operate from vehicles to be resupplied by air by the way).
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As for the filter I was refering to a pocket or portable filter often used by bushcrafters, as that was the object discussed...but prehaps Hippocrates did have one, tucked under his chiton,....... I stand corrected...
True, fish are caught & eaten from the Thames, there are even a few restuarants I believe that have them on their menu, but these are caught nearer it's source, Oxford way, with little or no industry upstream, you are right one should always clarify.there may some readers who have difficulty in following. I admit my knowledge is limited as to the current comestabilty of the Thames's fish, but I would be most surprized if you or anyone else would tuck into a smelt or flounder, caught under tower bridge.......but you have incited me to update my info, & to be more cautious with my outdated affirmations....thanks.