unnecessary expense, and in many cases, the water is not as good and definitely not as fresh as water purified at home. All three systems will remove chlorine (not RO alone), bacteria, metals, and chemicals, though I have some concern about volatile chemicals left after distillation. (Distilled water should be prefiltered by solid carbon.) Because solid carbon filtration is more economical in time, water use, and dollars and very good at removing chemicals, this may be the best process for city folk unless you want the added fluoride taken out. Solid carbon will not remove the fluoride ions, which are strongly bonded to sodium or calcium. Natural spring or well water that is tested and clean may be the best choice for people living in the country. (See more on water quality and contamination in Chapter 11, Environmental Aspects of Nutrition.)

Traveler’s Water
In the United States and much of the Westernized world, the greatest concern is contamination of water by pesticides and herbicides used in agriculture; by chemicals, such as hydrocarbons, from industry; and by the chlorine and other agents added to kill existing and potential germs in the water. When traveling to Third World countries and other areas that do not "treat" their water, or when hiking or camping in nature areas of this country, we may need to take measures to make the water safe from microorganisms.

There are always potential dangers from microbial contamination in water or food. Awareness and safety measures are important. Untreated water may harbor bacteria or parasites most commonly, or viruses on occasion. Our mountain rivers and streams or lake waters may contain giardia or parasitic amoeba, campylobacter or other bacteria, metals, chemicals, or radioactivity. Common organisms that may cause intestinal infection in Third World countries (or in contaminated food or water in this country) include salmonella, shigella, E. coli, giardia, amoebas, and cryptosporidium. Contracting hepatitis from water may also be a slight concern, but foods are a more common transmitter of infectious hepatitis.

We have a few options concerning drinking water when we travel. First, we may carry our own water, although this is limited to short trips or when camping with a vehicle. We may also avoid drinking water totally as some try, for example, when traveling to Mexico or South America. Drinking bottled carbonated beverages such as waters, sodas, or beer usually keeps us safe from germs, as they cannot exist in the high carbon dioxide levels. But food might be washed or ice cubes made with contaminated water.

Overall, when traveling (or anytime for that matter), there are three ways to clean water to make it safer. These treatments are heat, chemicals, and filtration. At sea level, boiling water for one minute will kill bacteria and parasites; boil ten minutes to destroy viruses. For every 1,000 feet of elevation, add one minute to the boiling time to clean the water of possible germs. So in the mountains, at 10,000 feet, water must be boiled for 10–20 minutes, dependent upon your concerns. Little heating coils or stoves may be used, but overall this process may be cumbersome, especially when larger amounts of water are needed.

Chemical treatment may be simplest and the least expensive, yet it has drawbacks—most people do not like the taste and for some there might be side effects or reactions. Both chlorine and iodine have been used effectively for this purpose. Halazone tablets release chlorine into the water. Five tablets per quart will effectively kill almost all microorganisms, but the taste is not very exciting. In my opinion iodine is preferable, used as 2 percent liquid—ten drops per quart and let it sit for 30 minutes to kill the germs. Globaline is a crystaline iodine. One tablet can be added to a quart of water and will work in ten minutes. Overall, I believe that chemical treatment is a last resort for water purification.