Clinical Inquiries

What is the best portable method of purifying water to prevent infectious disease?

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The US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (USACHPPM) published a report in 2006 on the efficacy of commercial off-the-shelf individual water purifiers.8 Using National Sanitation Foundation Protocol P248 and applying it to “real-world” emergency military operational conditions, USACHPPM found that no device scored high on every attribute, and that overall scores for most devices were in the moderate range. The top score for any device was 79 (out of 100).8

The overall top 3 scoring products were: 1) the SweetWater Purifier from Mountain Safety Research; 2) the Micropur MP 1 tablets from Katadyn North America, Inc; and 3) the First Need Deluxe water purifier from General Ecology, Inc.

Acknowledgments

The opinions and assertions contained herein are the private views of the authors and not to be construed as official, or as reflecting the views of the US Air Force Medical Service or the US air Force at large.

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