Iodine water purification

[nicodiemus]

Hello folks,

I found a fair bit of material online that indicates Betadine (and presumably videne, and any other 10% povidone-iodine solution) can be used for water purification in a ratio of 3-4 drops per litre with a 30 minute stand time.

Has anyone tried this? I have litres of such solutions for my brewing antics, and it will obviously work out cheaper than any of the commercial water purification products...

I'm not associated with any of the above trademark holders, nor am i a medic or chemist. I do not intend to use any information gained or discussed in this thread, it's merely for informational purposes.

Max

 

[BOD]

Hello folks,

I found a fair bit of material online that indicates Betadine (and presumably videne, and any other 10% povidone-iodine solution) can be used for water purification in a ratio of 3-4 drops per litre with a 30 minute stand time.

Has anyone tried this? I have litres of such solutions for my brewing antics, and it will obviously work out cheaper than any of the commercial water purification products...

I'm not associated with any of the above trademark holders, nor am i a medic or chemist. I do not intend to use any information gained or discussed in this thread, it's merely for informational purposes.

Max

I have used this for some years now and there seem to be no adverse effects and I rarely have developed any gastro illnesses during my forays into the bush.

I used to think that you should not use iodine for more than a week.

I have no idea how or why I thought this but Stuart recently told me that this is not true and one can use it for extended periods.

However he did tell me that while iodine is a proven sterilizer the picture is not so clear with Betadine. That said Betadine has been my chief source of "iodine" and I'm still here but then again most of the water I use is probably okay to drink straight off without purification anyway

 

[nicodiemus]

I use betadine heavily for sanitizing. I'm a brewer, and i've never had a single infection in any of the batches i've done.

Industrially it's called iodophor. It's the same stuff they use to prepare surgical sites, so it's good stuff in that sense. Reason i was wondering is that it makes an ideal addition to your pack, since it can be used as an antiseptic, where puritabs can't.

The reason for being told not to use it for long term is health and safety, obviously. Excessive iodine intake can cause the same symptoms as iodine deficiency, which is bad for all involved!

Thanks for letting me know. I tested it yesterday, and it tastes no worse than the stuff i was drinking on my expedition in the Himalayas. Apparently if i add ascorbic acid it will neutralise the flavour, so i'm off to Boots later.

Does anyone happen to know the reaction there?

 

[John Fenna]

Vit C realy does make iodine water taste better.
I often use fizzy orange Vit C tabs to my iodised water and it tastes much better than a puritab swimming pool flavour drink. After making tea with my orange flavoured water it tasted a little like Orange Pekoe!
Is there any truth in the griff I have heard that Iodine is a cumulative poison?

 

[nicodiemus]

Iodine is a cumulative poison. Your intake is about 100 microgrammes a day, i believe. Without it, or with too much, it causes illness, but neutralizing with ascorbic acid (vitamin c) should render it unavailable i think.

In any case, people use these compounds for months at a time with no ill effect in the field, so i don't think its a massive concern. Chances are when you're roughing for any long period you're not getting your full range of nutrients anyway.

 

[match]

Milton Fluid (as used for sterilising baby bottles etc) can also be used as a water steriliser. I can't remember the dosages, but it tells you on the bottle the amount you need to add to make water safe for drinking.

(Milton Fluid is just dilute sodium hypochlorite solution - i.e bleach).

 

[nicodiemus]

I believe it's about 1ml per litre, but i don't have any to hand. I'd prefer to use cheap thin bleach. At 15p per litre, you can't get much cheaper than that, and unlike milton your budget thin bleach doesn't contain cling agents.