What was a major limitation of using iodine tablets for water purification in the 1980s?
Answer
They required a thirty-minute waiting period for the chemical to work
Iodine tablets were a common field treatment method for wilderness travelers, but they imposed a significant operational delay on the user. After adding the chemical to the water, the hiker had to wait approximately thirty minutes for the purification process to complete before the water was safe to consume. The emergence of mechanical filters that provided near-instant, taste-neutral water was a major improvement, significantly increasing the speed and self-sufficiency of backcountry travel.
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