Do you know what is actually in your drinking water?
Hey guys, @mark_hikeau here. I hope you enjoy this review about a natural water purifying product we have been using for months from Purinize Australia.
Staying hydrated and having access to clean, fresh water is obviously the most important resource for a hike, especially on hot days or extended multi-day hikes, which makes sense seeing our bodies are approximately 60% water. We can live for weeks without food but only a few days without water.
If you’re like me, you’ve been using smelly chemical water purifying tablets for years! I started using these at 13 years of age as a Boy Scout on our overnight hikes. That mind you was over 35 years ago and water purifying technology has come a long way since then!
I currently work for FRNSW in a dual role as a Full time Firefighter and a Hazmat Technician. If you're not sure what a Hazmat Technician does, here’s a quick run down. If there was a radioactive ☢️ source leaking, we attend and contain the hazardous material. If a highly corrosive, toxic chemical spills from an overturned truck, we either contain the material or neutralise it, then clean it up. Hence we understand that water (H2O) is a simple chemical that needs a certain process to eliminate bacteria and viruses.
It’s essential to realise bacteria and viruses are two very different things. I see people buying anti-bacterial spray and soap to clean surfaces to kill Covid19. Unfortunately Covid19 is a virus. You would need an anti-viral spray or soap to do so.
It’s the same with water purification. Simply pushing water through a common filter is not going to remove everything that can make you sick, neither is boiling the water. Which is why PURINIZE® was pretty amazing the first time I read about it, but even more so when I saw it in action.
The 24 Hour Test
We bought two 3L water jars and filled them with normal tap water. Looks clean and fresh straight from the tap. We added 6ml of PURINIZE® to each 3L jar (although only 3ml was recommended) and left it for 24hrs. Just a note: it’s important to leave the lid off the jars as some 'off-gassing' will occur. After 24hrs, you’ll find lying in the bottom all the now chemically inert impurities which have combined into a yellow coloured sludge. What’s in that yellow sludge?
Well, a simple research online will tell you what’s in your local water supply. Our local water contains impurities such as : Rust, Arsenic, Lead, Chlorine, Fluorine's, Aluminium, Copper, Mercury, Cadmium, Radium, Potassium Permanganate, Nitrate and Volatile Organic Compounds. These are chemicals, heavy metals and what we call in Hazmat VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds.)
Sound healthy? Doesn’t sound like pure water does it! Little do most people know that you are drinking these impurities every day at home AND when hydrating yourself on a hike!
Well that’s where PURINIZE® comes in. PURINIZE® has natural minerals in it that decontaminates and clarifies water without harsh chemical disinfectants, and eliminates and/or reduces 200+ contaminants. It works in all water sources including your kitchen tap, tank or natural creek bed, a river, dam, stream or lake. This is the reason why we love taking it on our hikes - any water source can be purified!
If you are the sort of person who likes to see scientific evidence (like we do), the Purinize Australia website has laboratory tests.
Some other awesome things that we love about this product
PURINIZE® is 100% Non-Toxic & Eco-Friendly. Free of iodine, chlorine dioxide and other harsh chemicals. No human health or environmental hazards.
It’s easy to use and effective against Pathogens including bacteria and protozoa, agricultural and industrial chemicals, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals and more.
It’s long-lasting and safe for every day use. Won't lose potency after opening. Lasts indefinitely properly stored so you don’t have to worry about it going off.
Improves flavour and clarity. No iodine or chlorine aftertaste (which is a really different clean flavour). You’ll be surprised with the actual taste of what we call “pure” water. It’s nothing like what you have been drinking straight from the tap all these years.
If you're considering spending a fortune on a water purifying system at home, we’d recommend trying Purinize first. You’ll honestly be amazed at how well it works, and like us you’ll be amazed (and/or disgusted) by the yellow impurities (sludge) that drops to the bottom of the jar every time you purify the water!
Yours in health and hiking
@mark_hikeau
P.S. If you want to know exactly what forms the yellow sludge, check out the further detailed information below:
It works through a processes of Reduction-Oxidation (REDOX) and Coagulation-Flocculation (CF). Reduction-Oxidation (REDOX) converts hazardous contaminants into less toxic compounds that are less mobile and/or inert. REDOX involves the transfer of electrons from one compound to another. One compound is oxidized (loses electrons) and one is reduced (gains electrons). For example, (toxic) hexavalent chromium is converted into (non-toxic) trivalent chromium.
Coagulation-Flocculation (CF) removes suspended pollutants, in the form of microscopic particles or gross organic matter, by trapping them and clumping them together to form particulates. These entrapped particulates eventually settle and can be easily removed from the purified water by straining through a regular filter, coffee filter, or fine cloth. And that is the yellow sludge you see in our photos and on a daily basis at home.