Bad Drinking Water
Besides what I have taught you in other articles about the harmful contaminants that water may contain, I want to explain to you in this article some techniques you can use to help spot out bad drinking water. If you find animal skulls and bones, that is obviously a clear sign of bad drinking water. This is not the end, however. If the water is in fact polluted by chemicals, look for powdery deposits around the edges. Another way to check it out is to boil a small amount and examine the residue.
Another way to look out for bad drinking water is to look for the absence of any vegetation. Green algae is a sign, if you see it on the surface, of bad drinking water. These are all signs that you can use to help spot out the good water from the bad. Remember, in the wilderness, water is essential and you may at times will drink anything you can find. In these kind of situations, you have to have a straight mind and find good drinking water.
And, too much vegetation is the flip side and extremely dangerous since humus from along a river’s edge enters the water. Carcinogens are actually within the chemistry of humus as well as an abundance of free radicals.
More importantly, never buy bottled water in a plastic bottle that’s been housed outside in front of the store. With the sun beating down on the plastic bottles, chemicals from the plastic are released and actually leach into the water and some of those chemicals are known to cross the blood brain barrier in your noggin.