G E A R F E A T U R E
The pure facts on treating your D R I N K I N G WA T E R
Get Fresh! BY CONOR MIHELL
A
FRIEND once hypothesized that by drinking untreated water
from scuzzy sources—ponds, puddles and swamps—he would develop a tolerance to water-borne pathogens. After seven years of intolerant bowels, he fi nally got around to visiting a doctor and learned that his intestines were home to countless varieties of pathogenic cling-ons. Ridding his body of these parasites, he said, was even worse than hosting them. While drinking from a puddle is—for
most—an obvious no-no, the threat of contamination exists in virtually all bodies of water. In canoe country, waterborne nasties fall into the ranks of protozoa, bacteria and viruses. Protozoa cause unpleasantries such
as giardiasis. These are the largest pathogenic micro-organisms, measuring in at one micron (one-thousandth of a millimetre) or more. Bacteria are ubiquitous in most
bodies of water and can generally be consumed without harm. The odd few, however, trigger diarrhea and dysentery. Most measure about one micron in size, though some particularly dangerous ones, such as e. coli, are smaller. Viruses are less common in North
America but can be smaller than 0.1 microns and cause diseases like polio. They are more of a concern for those in developing countries.
>>
w w w. c a n o e r o o t sma g . c om ■ 33
MAIN PHOTO: IAN MERRINGER // INSET PHOTO: PETER MATHER
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52