Originally Posted by
Pratt
About 4 years ago, on the Cross Vermont trail, I stopped at the Onion River Campground. On the back of the bathroom door was a 'boil water' notice for the town! I survived.
Filters and iodine or chlorine tablets will take care of bacteria, and some viruses, I don't think they will do much for dissolved toxins like lead, pesticides, or what ever plastic acronym is currently in vogue.
Some friends traveled around Asia extensively by bicycle back in the 70-80s. They treated their water with iodine and reported that they developed health issues as a result. I don't recall for certain what the problem was, thyroid maybe. I think they said that they followed dosage recommendations, but the long duration of usage was a problem. Higher dosage for shorter duration can also be an issue so be careful with iodine dosage.