Keep It Clean…

When I grew up, we would go camping and there was no concern for water filtration or safety. Now-a-days, there is so much information available to help your camping and travel adventures stay safe & healthy & keep from getting intestinal illness (gastroenteritis). All you need to do is “keep it clean”!

Your life source is WATER and remains equally, if not more, important when traveling. Let’s look at the various water sources you may be exposed to during travel or camping and see how to reduce possible contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, fungal, and/or parasites.

Risky sources may be:

·        Food

·        Refrigeration

·        Swimming

·        Brushing your teeth

·        Water sports

·        Eating utensils or dishes

·        Cuts, scrapes or wounds

·        And, of course, drinking water

Discover the different contaminants & pollutants (pages 132-135) that may be in each water source & how to keep it clean: http://amzn.to/2ckb2Mm

Simple, everyday tricks for drinking, or exposing, yourself to water, may help you avoid potentially serious contamination. Here’s how to avoid risky water sources while camping or traveling:

·        Wash all fruits and vegetables, in boiled, bottled, or filtered water.

·        Wash your hands with soap and water prior to touching your face, eyes, mouth, nose, or privates.

·        Use filtered, bottled, or boiled water to brush your teeth.

·        Use boiled water to wash pans, utensils, or clothes.

·        Avoid swimming in still, quiet, warm waters.

·        Close your eyes and mouth or use a nose plug and goggles when swimming, jumping, water or jet skiing, wind surfing, or wake/paddle boarding in open water, streams, rivers, lakes, and the ocean.

·        Cover scrapes or shallow wounds with black electrical tape (water proof & easy to tear).

·        Get deep wounds treated prior to exposure to local water sources.

Now, you’re ready for summer FUN ~ Safe and Healthy!

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   Boiling water is the most effective method of purification. Use a cooker, camping stove, or other nonflammable pot or container and place over a heating source. Bring the water to a rolling boil and maintain the boil for one full minute. If you are at an elevation of one mile (5,280 feet) or more, keep the water at a rolling boil for four full minutes. Boil up to ten minutes if water has sewage in it.

Adele Eliot. “How Long to Boil Water for Purification?” http://traveltips.usatoday.com/long-boil-water-purification-62933.html; See also Washington State Department of Health. “Purifying Household Water.”