Rubber Gloves, Safety Glasses, and Other Trail Necessities

I generally prefer not to treat most of water I acquire from mountain springs, but I've heard rumors that these desert water sources--when you can get them--are often less than desirable. I'm carrying my SteriPEN, the same one I used on the Florida Trail, and seems to work well enough. I never did get sick from drinking water treated with it, and some of that water looked pretty nasty. But it runs on batteries, and what if they run out? What if the device stops working?

So I also like to carry an extra backup system. This time, I decided to try these Katadyn Micropur Purification Tablets. Later, I read the customer comments, and found this interesting tidbid: "Just a heads up, no matter what your local REI employee says, these are NOT OK to pack in a carry-on or checked bag while travelling... even if still sealed in the original packaging. Says 'DANGER: Corrosive' pretty clearly on the package, as the TSA agent will be happy to point out. ;) YMMV, but official TSA rules say 'No Corrosives.'"

Really? Something you drop in water and meant to be consumed is corrosive?!

I pulled out my little tablets and looked myself. This is what it said:

DANGER: Keep out of reach of children

DANGER: Corrosive. Causes irreversible eye damage and skin burns. Harmful if absorbed through skin. Harmful if swallowed. Do not get in eyes, on skin or on clothing. Wear protective eyewear (safety glasses), protective clothing and rubber gloves. Wash thoroughly with soap and water after handling. Remove contaminated clothing and wash clothing before reuse.

(The emphasis in italics is my own, not on the packaging.) Needless to say, I was shocked to discover I'd be carrying such a major bio-hazard on my back all this time. The stuff sounds positively deadly. While I can't be certain what other hikers are carrying, I'll readily admit, I don't normally count safety glasses, "protective" clothing, or rubber gloves among my backpacking gear. And apparently, the stuff is so toxic, I can't even drink the water once it's been purified. I'm a little confused about how to remove the dissolved tablets from the water to make it safe to drink again. There's no explanation about that.

But when I think about some of the other crap I've consumed on my previous thru-hikes, this sounds positively harmless by comparison. So screw it. I'll drink it and take my chances. =) Wish me luck!