We forwarded as much information as we could to the soldier but neglected to post it on the site. Oops.

At the time we could only scrounge up a few NSN’s for Katadyn products:

• NSN for the Katadyn Pocket Microfilter Camping Filter: NSN 4610-01-503-4590
• NSN for the Katadyn Pocket Microfilter Replacement Filters: NSN 4610-01-503-4763
• NSN for the Katadyn Micropur Tablets: NSN 6850-00-985-7166.

In the original inquiry the soldier also asked if we knew the NSN’s for the Katadyn Vario System and where he could potentially purchase a few units along with replacement filters, etc. We did not have any luck locating an NSN for the Vario System but we did find an online retailer (www.waterfilters.net) that carried replacement filters for the Vario System.

Hopefully the answers we provided to the young man a while back and now to the rest of you will do somebody, somewhere, a little bit of good. To all the men and women who have served, currently serve, and will serve in any branch of the United States Military, we thank you for making it possible for us to wake up each day and enjoy a whole host of freedoms not found in many other parts of the world.

One thing a person needs all the time but especially once the weather gets warmer: W-A-T-E-R. Rarely can a person ever get too much fresh, clean water in their system when working or playing in the heat.

As a matter of fact, one of our very own staff found himself on the not-so-pleasant end of dehydration and mild heat exhaustion this past weekend even though he did his best to stay hydrated while attempting to dig out an area for a recessed fire pit area in his backyard… in the middle of the afternoon on a 94-degree day w/ zero shade whatsoever.

Needless to say he learned his lesson and won’t EVER attempt such a stupid thing ever again and will start early in the morning or turn on the lights and work late into the night with an even bigger cooler full of water and gatorade/powerade close at hand.

Learn from our friend’s mistake and keep drinking that water, take breaks often, and time your activities to reduce your overall exposure to the worst/hottest times of the day.

Tap water, bottled water, or no water?

In situations where you have the option of drinking tap water or no water, 998 times out 1,000 we would suggest drinking tap water even if you normally loathe the taste of tap water. If dealing w/ bad tasting tap water means staving of the unpleasant effects of dehydration, then get over yourself and suck down a glass of tap water.

What about those two times when we would not suggest drinking the tap water? Common sense will let you know if you have had the unfortunate luck of encountering tap water so disgusting in taste, odor and appearance that you just KNOW bacteria or some other funky, not-good-for-you stuff lives in it.

On the topic of bottled water, however, we hope that plenty of people have smartened up and started using devices such as the Filtrete Four Bottle Water Station which gives people the power to bottle their own filtered water at home and take fresh, filtered water with them to work or school instead of buying disposable bottles which may or may not get recycled.

There’s no need to buy costly bottled water, which often is nothing more than filtered tap water anyway. By using the Filtrete Water Station (aka the four water bottle filler) to bottle your own water, you’ll be saving yourself money and saving the environment from the many plastic water bottles that go unrecycled every year. ( source )

We’d heard about water generators that pull water right out of the air but until recently we had not found a whole lot of information worth relaying to our readers. Today, however, we’d like to take a few minutes to discuss some of the features of the DewPointe AD6W Water Generator, a CE, ETL, ISO-9000, WQA, ROHRS, and FDA certified atmospheric water system.

Scientists estimate that our planet’s atmosphere holds approximately 3.1 quadrillion gallons of water at any given moment. Additionally, this amount does not, as far as current scientific methods can tell, ever seem to change all that much.

What does that mean? In simple terms, we have a gigantic supply of fresh water all around us pretty much all the time — and devices such as the DewPointe AD6W Water Generator make it possible for the average home or business owner to extract water from the air and quickly make it suitable for human consumption.

About the size of a small office water cooler, the unit condenses moisture from the air and filters collected water using something called a Four Stage SLO FLO water filtration system with patented continual water recirculation filtration system. Below you will find a quick explanation of how the DewPointe Atmospheric Water Generator operates.

• An electrostatic air filter removes dust, pollen, mold and other airborne contaminants (solids) as air enters the unit.
• A cooling unit quickly chills the air to the dew point — the point at which water changes phases from a gas to a liquid — and a collection tray harvest the condensate.
• The water then passes through a sediment filter, pre-carbon block filtration and post-carbon block filtration.
• To render harmless any waterborne bacteria, microorganisms and/or bacteria, the AD6W uses a powerful 11-watt UV light source.

• The filtered water then gets routed to hot and cold water storage tanks.

Worried about having another appliance drawing power, adding to your utility bill, and possibly resulting in a large added expense? Well don’t. According to the device’s manufacturers, the unit will produce a gallon of pure drinking water at a cost of around 60 cents per gallon. That means you’ll spend quite a bit less money on bottled water products AND not have to deal with disposable water bottles ever again.

What if we don’t use all the water in the unit? Won’t it spoil?

Not according what we’ve read so far. The unit apparently contains a built-in (patented) refresh cycle that forces any water in the unit to get re-filtered every 24 hours.

How much water will the AD6W produce?

According to product literature, at 70 F and 60% relative humidity, the DewPointe will create more than 4 gallons of pure water each day.

At 85 F and 80% humidity, the Dewpointe will produce more than 9 gallons of purified drinking water each day.

In most areas the unit will produce an average between 2 and 5 gallons of clean drinking water a day.

Difficult to install or set up?

Not at all. Simply plug the unit into a standard 110 V electrical outlet and within 24 hours the DewPointe will have its reservoirs filled with pure drinking water.

How will this device affect the environment?

On this point we think the following quoted material does a pretty good job of describing the unit’s environmental footprint:

“The DewPointe is environmentally friendly and uses less energy to produce water than standard bottling or desalination processes and it eliminates plastic bottle waste. The DewPointe also reduces carbon emissions caused by the transportation and production of bottled and packaged water. It uses a completely renewable source of water without depleting natural resources or damaging the environment. ( source )

Oh, but you still want the convenience of having bottled water with you at all times… Not a problem! Several companies manufacture reusable water bottles (in a variety of shapes, colors, capacities, materials, etc.) that you can use over and over again without ever worrying about contributing to the billions of water bottles currently clogging our landfills.

It also did not help that other folks started pointing out (and publicizing) the growing problem of what to do with the billions of empty water bottles winding up in landfills.

Needless to say Nestle’s sales plummeted and ever since then the company has struggled to regain marketshare by creating lower-priced, more environmentally conscious bottled water products such as its Pure Life product whose .5L container claims to use approximately 35% less plastic than an earlier .5L water bottle made by Nestle.

Nestle has not stopped there, though, it seems. In fact, they started an interesting experiment whose results they hope will change the public’s opinion of bottled water… and it involves trout.

You read that correctly. We said, “Trout.”

Nestle is testing the health of fish – trout, to be exact – in Cascade Locks, Oregon, in an effort to prove that municipal water can replace spring water in their Arrowhead brand. Key to the year-long test is showing that the Idaho Sockeye, an endangered species, can survive in hatcheries supplied from municipal wells.

Resistance from local environmentalists is so strong – Nestlé put the 1,700-gallon tank under lock and key and added security cameras. So far, three of the fish have died and will be autopsied. ( source )

We don’t know if we really have much to say after that. Nestle wants to know if municipal water from a well can sustain the health of trout and somehow if the water can keep the fish healthy for a year, this proves… What exactly?

Undoubtedly we missed the point of Nestle’s 1,700 gallon trout experiment, but regardless of the results their product will require bottles for packaging that will clutter landfills and deplete the planet’s dwindling resources.

While we applaud Nestle’s creativity in trying to revive bottled water’s image, we think they will fall short of the mark… and most people will not switch from their very economical refillable water bottles, sports bottles w/ built-in water filters, etc.

After all the talk about BPA and other potentially dangerous compounds leaching out of portable water bottles it comes as no surprise that companies like Klean Kanteen have started producing stainless steel portable water bottles.

Advantages of stainless steel water bottles like the K18PPS water bottle include a zero percent chance of the bottle leaching BPA getting into the drinking water, a zero percent chance of flavors from previous beverages surviving a wash cycle and tainting new beverages, and users of the bottles spending a lot less money on bottled water.

Dishwasher safe and 100% recyclable, the Klean Kanteen K18PPS stainless steel water bottle provides a safe and environmentally conscious alternative to plastic water bottles and/or plastic lined aluminum water bottles. An array of accessories also make these stainless steel bottles every bit as convenient as their plastic counterparts.

• Klean Kanteen 18 oz. Water Bottle w/ Looped Cap
• Klean Kanteen 18 oz. Brushed Water Bottle
• Klean Kanteen 27 oz. Water Bottle
• Klean Kanteen 27 oz. Brushed Water Bottle w/ Looped Cap
• Sling for Klean Kanteen 27 oz. Brushed Water Bottle
• Built NY Slinger Tote for 27 oz. Brushed Water Bottle
• Klean Kanteen 40 oz. Brushed Water Bottle w/ Looped Cap
• Sling for Klean Kanteen 40 oz. Brushed Water Bottle
• Nite Ize Carabiner for Klean Kanteen Water Bottles
• Klean Kanteen Water Filter Adapter
• Klean Kanteen 12 oz. Stainless Steel Sippy Cup

Shortly before leaving me, my ex-husband installed a monstrosity of a water filter for the whole house that he claimed would remove 99% of this, that and the other thing. He said we needed it. Too bad I still have to pay it off… But anyways, I now travel a lot and have noticed that the water tasted funny everywhere I go — and i really don’t like it very much at all. I’ve started carrying bottles and 1 gallon jugs of water with me on my trips but I think there has to be a better option. Do they make a travel-sized whole house filter? Thanks for your time and I look forward to reading your response. — Suzanne

We thank you for your question, Suzanne, and sorry you got stuck paying for that ‘monstrosity’ of a whole house filtration system. At least you have safe, clean, and good tasting water at home, though, right?

We completely understand your not wanting to carry jugs of bottled water around in your car, assuming that you drive everywhere. Although one can usually pick up gallons of purified water for small amounts of money from the local grocery store, the inconvenience of lugging them around all the time definitely sounds like a miserable experience.

You could pick up travel-sized sport water bottles with built-in filtration units, but those typically work better for short trips, hiking trips, etc. and that does not sound like what you want. It sounds to us like you want a portable version of the ‘monstrosity’ you have at home.

After doing a little research, we came across a Countertop Portable Water Filter made by Crystal Quest. It has multiple filtering stages (like your monstrosity at home) and claims to remove hundreds of contaminants (like your monstrosity at home most likely does).

Stage 1 — Water passes through a 5 micron filter pad which remove suspended particles such as silt, sediment, cyst (Giardia, Cryptosporidium), sand, rust, dirt, and other un-dissolved matter.

Stage 2 — Water passed through a specially blended bed of high purity media known commercially as KDF-55D ®, and KDF-85D ®. This media uses an oxidation-reduction process to effectively neutralize chlorine and remove metals.

Stage 3 — Water passes through through granulated activated carbon (GAC), a compound known for its ability to adsorb a wide variety of organic contaminants such as chlorine (99.9%), chemicals linked to cancer such as trihalomethanes (THM’s) and benzine, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), PCB’s, MTBE’s and many of other chemical contaminants which if present in water may also cause bad taste and odor.

Stage 4 — Water passes through a final 5 micron filter pad to filter out suspended particles such as silt, sediment, cyst (Giardia, Cryptosporidium), sand, rust, dirt, and other un-dissolved matter.

Unlike the ‘monstrosity’ you have not, yet finished paying for, the Crystal Quest Portable Countertop Water Filter has a pretty good price (around $70) and will supposedly last for up to 5,000 gallons.

Compare that to paying $1 per gallon for purified water from the store…

Worried about a time-consuming installation? From the looks of things, the Crystal Quest Portable Countertop Water Filter attaches to a common sink faucet via an adapter that screws into where the aerator goes. Should take less than a few minutes, though instinct tells us you may want to carry a pair of pliers in your travel bag — in case no one has removed the aerator in your cabana, cabin, or hotel room in a while.

Our thought process changed after reading some interesting statisitics including, but not limited to, how often water cooler fixtures get cleaned, storage times for water cooler bottles before use, storage conditions for water cooler bottles before use, etc.

Some people, including ourselves, have started to shy away from public water coolers and instead use personal water filtration devices such as washable, refillable water bottles with Level 2 Filters. Most tap water contains a low level of sanitizer which keeps it bateria-free and the filters in our personal water bottles remove the residual sanitizer, and other nasty things such as metals, from the tap water right before we consume it — making it as freshly purified as possible.

Grip Sport Bottle with Level 2 Filter

Sports Bottle with Level 2 Filter

Level 2 Filter Replacement Cartridges

News of BPA-laced water bottles, environmental woes caused by people not recycling or empty bottled water bottles, revelations that some bottled water comes from municipal water systems and other tidbits of information have put the bottled water industry on its heels… and now this.

A town in Australia banned bottled water AND London has decided to install chilled water vending machines on a trial basis in several highly trafficked locations.

London may soon follow in the footsteps of Bundanoon, the Australian town that last week banned bottled water and set up drinking fountains for thirsty locals.

The capital’s first water stations will be set up this month in a move that could have serious repercussions for the £1.5bn-a-year bottled water industry, with companies finding it increasingly difficult to justify their carbon footprint as the quality of tap water improves.

Thames Water, Britain’s largest privatised water company, with 13.6 million customers, has had talks with the Greater London Authority and Transport for London to install water machines in the capital. In the first trial, Hydrachills will be installed at Hammersmith bus station and at the Tower Bridge museum. The machines can fill bottles of up to 500ml with chilled water for a 20p charge. All proceeds will be donated to Waste Watch, a charity working to change the way people use natural resources. ( source )

This means a whole lot of thirsty commuters will soon have the option of filling up personal water bottles at home and then refilling with clean, chilled water on their way to the office for a much less money than they would normally spend on bottled water.

So the question becomes, will London commuters take advantage of this fantastic money-saving opportunity? We think that will depend upon the quality of their water at home and the quality of the water dispensed by the machines.

So, as usual, we suggest people test their drinking water for contaminants on a periodic basis with a test kit such as the SenSafe Water Quality Test Kit which tests for contaminants commonly found in drinking water.

Testing procedures in the kit come from recognized water testing methods, the kit contains no harsh chemicals (liquids, tablets, etc.), it comes with clear, easy-to-follow instructions, and best of all it provides accurate results without the need for expensive testing equipment.

The SenSafe Water Quality Test Kit includes:

• Sulfate Test Strips (2)
• Chloride Test Strips (2)
• Nitrate Test Strips (2)
• Nitrite Test Strips (2)
• Iron Test Strips (2)
• Copper Test Strips (2)
• Free Chlorine Test Strips (2)
• Hydrogen Sulfide Test Strips (2)
• pH Test Strips (2)
• Total Alkalinity Test Strips (2)
• Total Chlorine Test Strips (2)
• Total Hardness Test Strips (2)
• Pesticide Test (1)
• Bacteria Test (1)
• Lead Test (1)

  Table SenSafe Water Quality Test Kit also includes a handy table record and compare your results against USEPA recommended levels for drinking water.

  ]]> http://watertestingblog.com/2009/10/14/another-blow-for-bottled-water/feed/ 0 http://watertestingblog.com/2009/10/11/what-plastic-products-may-contain-bisphenol-a/ http://watertestingblog.com/2009/10/11/what-plastic-products-may-contain-bisphenol-a/#respond Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:09:11 +0000 http://watertestingblog.com/?p=530 For several years the compound known as Bisphenol A has repeatedly made headlines as a threat to humans. Studies have linked it to a wide range of ailments and medical conditions, none of which the average person would want.

  BPA, a toxic component used in plastic manufacture that hardens the material, has long been connected to a wide variety of adverse effects, including increased risks of brain, reproductive, cardiac, and immune system diseases and disorders; problems with liver function testing; interruptions in chemotherapy treatment; and links with serious health problems. Studies have overwhelmingly found BPA to have negative effects at doses lower than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) current standards; retention in the body longer than was previously believed; leeching into liquids being held in containers regardless of the containers’ temperature; and longer lasting damage, which can be passed to future generations. Over 200 peer-reviewed studies have linked BPA to health problems. ( source )

  So… Naturally people want to know what sorts of containers they ought to avoid so they can minimize their exposure.

  Look for the number 7 on plastic products.

  A commonly used plastic hardener and polycarbonate plastic byproduct, BPA has been found in everything from baby bottles, sippy cup, water bottles, aluminum can linings, eyeglasses, and cars, to DVD and CD cases and some dental sealants. BPA can also be found in appliances and windshields; on recyclable bottles, BPA as a component can be verified if the item contains recycling number 7. ( source )

  What does BPA have to do with water testing? Not much… except that it really doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to put freshly filtered, pure drinking water into a container that has the potential to leach toxic chemicals into it.

  As usual we suggest people test the quality of their water routinely… and now we suggest they be careful not to use portable water containers made with BPA.

  Other BPA Articles of Possible Interest

  • BPA Exposure From Sales Receipts
  • Prenatal BPA Exposure Linked to Behavioral Issues

  Katadyne Exstream Personal Water Bottle

  Katadyne Exstream XR Personal Water Bottle

  Katadyne Micro Microfilter Water Bottle

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