Chlorine in water

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Chlorine in water

by Jeff
(United States)

An army friend of mine said he used to carry a small eyedropper bottle full of straight chlorine bleach. He get his drinking water from a clear stream and would squeeze one drop of bleach in his canteen for clear water and two drops if it was cloudy.

He said that since straight bleach is so highly concentrated that it would kill the bacteria in the water, and such a small amount would not have any detrimental effect on the human body.

I haven't been able to confirm this as a viable water purification method.

Any ideas?

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Chlorine in water

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Feb 04, 2008
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Chlorine in water
by: Al Tennessee

I have used this and drank the water. I am not dead yet not had any ill effects from water. Take pure water with you but if you need this method it is good.

Jan 24, 2008
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Bleach is recommended by Red Cross
by: Anonymous

From American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org/services/prepare/0,1082,0_91_,00.html#sources

Disinfection: You can use household liquid bleach to kill microorganisms. Use only regular household liquid bleach that contains 5.25 percent sodium hypochlorite. Do not use scented bleaches, colorsafe bleaches or bleaches with added cleaners.

Add 16 drops of bleach per gallon of water, stir and let stand for 30 minutes. If the water does not have a slight bleach odor, repeat the dosage and let stand another 15 minutes.

The only agent used to treat water should be household liquid bleach. Other chemicals, such as iodine or water treatment products sold in camping or surplus stores that do not contain 5.25 percent sodium hypochlorite as the only active ingredient, are not recommended and should not be used.

Dec 14, 2007
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Great!
by: Sarah

Great tip!! Very interesting!

Dec 13, 2007
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Chlorine Purification
by: Anonymous

I just finished reading an interesting book called 98.6 Degrees The Art of Keepin Your Ass Alive by Cody Lundin. In the book, it talks about purifying water with chlorine and this is what he had to say: Quote, "In the case of sodium hypochlorite 5.25%, otherwise known as chlorine bleach, organic matter bonds with the chlorine itself, and actually changes its chemical makeup into something called chloramine, which doesn't do jack to disinfect your water. This is just one reason why chlorine sucks for field water disinfection." Lundin's recommendation for purifying water is in the use of Tincture of Iodine 2%. Just another point of view I found.

Dec 10, 2007
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Sounds Like a Good Idea
by: Anonymous

That would definitely help keep your survival kit light-weight. Now we just need to get this confirmed and I can add it to my own survival kit.

Dec 03, 2007
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Chlorine causes the runs.
by: Anonymous

The problem with using chlorine bleach is if you ingest too much chlorine in that form you will get a mean case of diarrhea. This will defeat the purpose of purifying water. The best way is to boil the crap out of the water. 2 minutes minimum at a full boil.
There is also much safer commercially prepared water purification tablets that are inexpensive.

Nov 15, 2007
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Clorine and Iodine
by: Ned

Using chlorine is one of two common method of chemical treatment for water purification. The other method is using iodine.

Remember that chemical purification methods may only be partially effective, depending on the water temperature, pH level, and clarity of the water. Cloudy water often requires higher concentrations of chemical to disinfect.

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Chlorine in water

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Chlorine in water