I saw this neat little gadget at HipCompass. It’s a handheld water sterilizer, called the “SteriPEN Adventurer Handheld Water Purifier.” When swished around in a glass of dirty water, it’s supposed to destroy the DNA of nasty microbes. It uses ultraviolet light to do so. Interesting! I don’t know if I’d be so brave as to try out the water to make sure the gadget works. And it’s $78 at Amazon, gulp. 
So next to travel insurance, this could be quite the expensive little carry-all. They have bigger filtration systems, too.
Water filtration is on my mind because Health Nut Wannabee Mom had a great post about bottled water versus tap water. She wrote about the benefits of tap water versus the expensive bottled water. And I agree, tap water can be just as good or better than bottled water. But it really depends on your source. If you live near a bunch of landfills or toxic waste dumps, you can be assured that bottled water is a better choice than tap water. I wrote in the comments:
Tap water has so much junk in it. It’s basically sewage liquid, run-off water, and ground water that goes through a treatment plant. My tap water is loaded with chemicals. I know there’s flouride, chlorine, and lead in it, and God-knows what else. In Arizona and Nevada, there’s tungsten in the tap water which has led to a leukemia epidemic there. The water in Albany, NY, was recently tested and was found to have exceedingly high levels of Cialis in it. How on earth did Cialis get in the public water supply? The water is treated WASTE water– people who took Cialis (and I guess there are a lot of men in Albany who do) pass the drug into their urine. The urine goes through the septic system, to be recycled and treated for our drinking water. The chemical treatments might remove cholera and typhoid, but not a lot of the prescription drugs that people take.
There are increasing levels of chemicals — purposely added, and some are there from industrial waste run-off that I just don’t trust tap water…
I’ve been puttering around, looking at water filtration systems and wondering if I want to install something when we redo the kitchen. I guess I just don’t trust the tap water anymore. More to think about…
27. September 2008 at 12:23 am
I am so glad to hear that my post made you think about water quality and I have to say that ever since I got that filtered water bottle I think about tap water all the time. I am considering what kind of filter to put on our home taps too and I refuse to drink any tap water unless I have that water bottle of mine. Let me know what you decide on!
27. September 2008 at 8:10 am
That is an awesome gadget. I have been really into water purifiers for a while now after getting a Brita and then a Pur and then another with the flavor options. I realized, however, that neither of them worked like they said to and then I became very weary. I recently got a water electrolysis machine that produces Kangen Water which is working magnificently for me. I feel more energized, healthier, and my water actually tastes wonderful now; who knew?