Dave,

The Brits used to give their troops tea and rum to both flavour and disinfect water. What better way to get rid of pathogens in the field than steeping in tea? And with rum, you even get liquid courage along with it.

I'm old enough to have lived in a time when our drinking water had to be laced with iodine to make it safe. The alternative was boiled water which assaulted the taste buds. 

I get as much free bottled water as I can drink. As much as I hate the lack of flavor and sweetener in it, I would rather drink that than water from a Westy tap. Just reminds me too much of toilet tank water.

Ben

sent from my electronic leash

On May 19, 2011, at 2:30 PM, <mcneely4@cox.net> wrote:

> Ben, the iodine you need, and that too much of can affect the thyroid (but that takes a whopping huge dose) is the ionic form, iodide.  Though Potable Aqua tablets include potassium iodide, I understand that is to make the iodine (molecular form, nonionic) more readily soluble.  It is the molecular form that is the effective disinfectant.  In fact, some backpackers, back in the day, used to just put a lump of molecular iodine in the water bottle.  It is barely soluble, and will dissolve over time to an equilibrium point.  Once the water is refilled, it begins to dissolve again.  Just make sure not to swallow the lump!
> 
> So far as choice of beverages, mine won't be coming from a soft drink bottle or as bottled water, at least on a usual basis.  I'll take the camper tank water over either.
> 
> mcneely
> 
> ----