Water purification and safe drinking
Drinking water is not as reliable in foreign countries as it is at home. Contaminated water can contain protozoa (single-cel organisms), bacteria and viruses. Drinking water contaminated with one harmful organism can be hazardous to our health. Examples are infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract like diarrhoea, typhoid, cholera and hepatitis A.
When purifying water, it is important to deactivate bacteria and viruses. Boiling water is easy and effective. However, this is time-consuming and not always possible. Deactivating protozoa and bacteria is possible with a 0.1-0.5 micron (pore diameter) membrane filter. Deactivating bacteria and viruses can be done by chemical treatment with sodium hypochlorite, like Hadex® drinking water disinfectant. However, the chlorine solution Hadex® has no influence on protozoa.