If you do much traveling abroad or into the wilderness, you’re likely to be faced with water supplies that aren’t safe to drink. Picking up a “bug” from contaminated water can be an unpleasant if not completely debilitating experience. Iodine treatments for water take time and aren’t effective against Cryptosporidium. Boiling also takes time and burns up a lot of fuel. Water purification filters may not be effective in removing the small viruses. Ultraviolet light is a high-tech approach to safe drinking water and is often used in municipal water-treatment facilities. The SteriPEN is a portable UV microbiological water treatment system. In use, it looks like a swizzle stick on steroids. The business end is a clear tube that emits a bright germicidal UV light when immersed in water. Treating a liter of water takes only 90 seconds.
The UV light apparently wreaks havoc with the DNA of microorganisms and, according to independent research papers available through the SteriPEN website, renders them “inactive.” Whether that means the little critters are dead, stunned, spayed or neutered isn’t quite clear, but they won’t make you sick
.
When evaluating gear for review, we always like to see things for ourselves, but we don’t usually have a stock of pathogens handy for testing. Fortunately, one of the items listed in the SteriPEN’s long hit list of targeted microorganisms is baker’s yeast. With a packet of Fleischmann’s “highly active” yeast stirred into two glasses of warm water, we used the SteriPEN to dose one of the samples. The control group of yeast fungi bubbled up a nice froth. The UV-dosed glass remained as flat as tap water. It would probably make a lousy loaf of bread.
When evaluating gear for review, we always like to see things for ourselves, but we don’t usually have a stock of pathogens handy for testing. Fortunately, one of the items listed in the SteriPEN’s long hit list of targeted microorganisms is baker’s yeast. With a packet of Fleischmann’s “highly active” yeast stirred into two glasses of warm water, we used the SteriPEN to dose one of the samples. The control group of yeast fungi bubbled up a nice froth. The UV-dosed glass remained as flat as tap water. It would probably make a lousy loaf of bread.
The SteriPEN Adventurer is powered by a pair of CR123A lithium batteries. A recharger case for the Adventurer, available separately, has a solar-cell lid and a recharging bay for a pair of RCR123A rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. If you’re spending a long time in an area where you’ll have to treat your drinking water, the solar charger will ensure you’ll always be able to operate the SteriPEN.