How Long Do You Need to Boil Water?
February 26, 2008 - 1:02pm | Melvix
I have always thought that there was some kind of magical number of minutes for water boiling until it became safe to drink, but apparently this is not the case:
The correct amount of time to boil water is 0 minutes. Thats right, zero minutes.
"According to the Wilderness Medical Society, water temperatures above 160° F (70° C) kill all pathogens within 30 minutes and above 185° F (85° C) within a few minutes. So in the time it takes for the water to reach the boiling point (212° F or 100° C) from 160° F (70° C), all pathogens will be killed, even at high altitude."
More low-tech water purification techniques:
Boiling water in a plastic bottle
Solar water distiller
