A while back we received a question from a soldier stationed in Iraq who wanted information on NSN’s (National Stock Numbers) for specific Katadyn Personal Water Filtration Products. Apparently he didn’t trust the water in a ridiculously hot and dry combat zone. Weird, right?

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.

When a serious disaster strikes, most people’s thoughts immediately turn to property damage and how much it will cost to repair or replace things… but soon their thoughts to turn to survival. Humans may enjoy a flat screen TV, but they need safe, clean drinking water — or they will die.

Therefore, when a major disaster strikes and flood waters have contaminated private wells, prolonged power outages have stopped water treatment facilities from distributing safe tap water, and stores have run out of pre-packaged bottled water… people will need to find a way to stay hydrated.

Micropur MP1 water purifier tablets give people the ability to disinfect drinking water in times of emergency. When used as directed, Micropur MP1 tablets remove and/or render harmless specific contaminants that would make contaminated water unsuitable for drinking.

As the only EPA registered purification tablets on the market, Micropur MP1 water purifier tablets currently reside in the pockets and backpacks of campers, hikers, military personnel, emergency relief workers and pretty much anyone that may find them self in a situation where their supply of safe water has run out and a need to drink water of questionable origin arises.

In just a few short hours, bacteria, viruses, cryptosporidium, and Giardia (if they existed) all get rendered harmless… without the need for harsh chemicals such as iodine or chlorine. Don’t get us wrong, though. In times of need a supply of iodine tablets and/or chlorine can save your life.

According to Katadyn, the manufacturers of Micropur MP1 water purifier tablets, their product leaves its users with fresh, clean tasting drinking water that has no unpleasant chemical aftertaste.

How long do the tablets take to work?

Katadyn claims that adding one tablet to a liter of water and letting it sit for a period of four hours will give its product time enough to make the water safe to drink.

And in conclusion…

Do we believe the Micropur MP1 water purifier tablets have the ability to remove ALL unwanted contaminants in times of disaster? Not hardly! Flood waters contain trace elements of countless toxic chemicals whose levels only the most sophisticated of filtering equipment could reduce (notice we didn’t say remove…).

Would we suggest keeping a box of these tablets in a safe, dry place for when nature or some other force decides to make normally drinkable water unsafe? Absolutely!

LaShonda from Mississippi asked…

Recently our community had some problems with several water mains and we lost water for a while. The water came back on but we have not heard from the health dept that we can use the water without boiling it first, etc. Should we wait for the health department to tell things are OK or can we use the water now since the pressure is back up?

Thnk you.

You have asked a very good question, LaShonda.

While the fact that your water pressure has come back up does mean that your local water company has made progress in repairing the water mains, it does NOT guarantee that you can safely drink the water coming out of your faucet.

Whenever a water main breaks, develops a leak, or requires some form of maintenance that could allow the introduction of outside elements (air, dirt, sand, environmental water, etc.) into the water line, the line must undergo a period of purging before health officials will consider the water safe for consumption.

During that period of water line flushing the water department monitors the quality of the water with rigorous testing. The water MUST pass all testing before the water department will announce to the media outlets (newspaper, television, radio, etc.) that people can resume normal usage of the water safely.

If you have any questions about the safety of your water after learning of a ‘boil water order’ or warning not to use your tap water until further notice, WAIT FOR THE NOTICE.

Do not assume that the return of water pressure to your faucet means you have safe water. In the event you have any questions or doubts, pick up the phone and call your local water department for the latest update on your particular water quality situation.

Emergency Water Filtration and/or Purification:

So you took the plunge and installed the proper water filtration system at your home, school or office and feel confident that you now have safe, clean drinking water available at all times. Good for you!

One question, though…. What will you do on your next vacation overseas? You can’t take your home water filtration system with you, ya’ know!

“The World Health Organization (WHO) attributes 80% of all travel diseases to contaminated drinking water. Don’t let contaminated drinking water spoil your trip. Avoid tap water and ice cubes anytime the water quality is uncertain – even bottled water can be questionable, when available. According to WHO, almost half of all travellers suffer from some form of diarrhoea while en-route.” (source)

For those not very good at math, that last statement means scientists have concluded that most of the sudden illnesses people came down with while away from home resulted from their having consumed contaminated drinking water in the form of ice cubes, bottled water and/or water from the tap.

“Huh? Contaminated tap water? I thought tap water was supposed to be safe…” — A common misconception in countries outside the United States and other Western nations. While the water in those places may undergo filtration and purification, the quality of the finished product may still not measure up to the quality of the water coming from your tap back home and thus may cause you to get sick.

Some other things to consider while making food and beverage choices while away from home…

“When travelling to many countries, special precautions should be taken to avoid sickness from micro organisms in food and especially water. Many countries still fertilise with human excrement, making it important to follow a few tips to avoid getting sick.” (source)

OK, so what can you do to avoid potentially contaminated drinking water while away from home on vacation? The following tips will help:

• Order your drinks without ice unless you know the water used to make the ice came from a safe source.
• Drink only industrially bottled beverages. Bottles or cans which arrive already ‘open’ may have become contaminated since their time of manufacturing.
• Order your food well-cooked. While tempting to order some foods (steak as an example) rare because of personal preference, avoiding raw or slightly cooked foods, seafood, mayonnaise, ice cream, butter, etc. will help to keep you safe.
• Avoid eating food from street vendors. You have no way of knowing how hygienic the food preparation process, cooking process and/or equipment cleaning process is.
• Only eat fruits, raw vegetables, or salads if you know the water used to clean and rinse them came from a trusted source. Keep in mind, though, that you do have the option of thoroughly rinsing them yourself with disinfected water if available.
• Avoid raw milk. Pasteurized milk is safe to drink because it has undergone a heating process which kills of harmful bacteria.
• Fruit juices with high sugar content create a prefect environment for bacteria to grow. One should only drink fruit juices from (factory) sealed containers or from properly cleaned and sanitized blenders.
• As a general rule, fresh hot coffee and tea typically will contain no harmful bacteria because of the heating process used to prepare them. Beer and wine usually also contain no threats but do keep in mind that improperly cleaned glasses, mugs and steins can still make you sick. Also, alcoholic beverages will not kill off bacteria already in the stomach — meaning you cannot use an alcoholic beverage as a safety tool while eating/drinking other items which may contain harmful bacteria.
• Brush your teeth with water from a trusted source such as bottled water, etc. Even a single drop of contaminated water may contain enough harmful bacteria to make a person very ill.
• Use only water from a trusted source when taking medications as. A single drop of contaminated watrer may contain more than enough bacteria to make a person sick and Always use
• One should never bathe or rinse off with ‘random’ surface water.
• Wash your hands on a regular basis and especially after using the bathroom, handling items handled by other members of the general public, etc. Furthermore, just like when home, wash hands thoroughly before eating or handling food.
• When drying off after a shower or swimming session, always use freshly washed towels.

Interested in learning about portable drinking water filtration units you can use while on-the-go, away from home, in the woods, out in the wild, or pretty much anywhere other than home? Take a look at the Katadyn water filtration & purification devices on this water quality filters web site.