Are there portable non-electrical water filters that filter chemicals, metals, and pathogens?

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First of all, why not just use bottled water?

Anyway, I'll assume you have some good reason not to. For example, if you travel to a lot to places where you don't drink the tap water, you'll save money in the long run by purifying it yourself. However, it's inconvenient to carry a purifier around while traveling. On the positive side, it's cheaper, and better for the environment in the long run than buying bottled water. However, you might want to do some maths on how long that long run needs to be for this to make sense.

Reverse Osmosis removes metals, chemicals and microorganisms from the water.

You can find a portable Reverse Osmosis system. It's similar technology to what I've described in a related answer, only more compact and portable. Portable RO systems can run on the mere water pressure of taps.

Here's a system sold at Amazon US. It requires no electricity. It's particularly advertised as being portable and suitable for travel. I'm not advocating (nor discouraging) buying this particular product, I'm including it as proof that portable RO systems do exist. RO is one of today's most trusted and widely used methods of water purification.

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My two cents: There are multiple filters out there, some of which will filter out viruses, some that will not. There are many factors to consider with any system: size, cost, capability.

As you state your parents want to filter before boiling I think that the following link has information on filters that may apply to the situation: one of many online filter reviews

Also, here is a page on hiking/camping drinking water from the US centers for disease control Guide to Drinking Water Treatment and Sanitation for Backcountry & Travel Use

Upvote:4

At the risk of being flagged "not an answer" I am going to ignore your overly-broad and perhaps-unsupported worries of "chemicals and metals" and concentrate on pathogens.

While it may seem impossible, devices exist that use batteries (you can charge them typically with any USB charger) and that remove pathogens - bacteria, viruses, protozoa, etc - without heating the water or leaving a taste. They operate on UV light, which is a great sterilizer. One manufacturer sells a number of models that can easily fit in a pocket, for less than $100. My only affiliation is that I bought a different model from that manufacturer and am very happy with it. I used it throughout the Pacific, in places where the hotel told us to treat the water (boil for 20 minutes, one place said), and never had any water-related issues. A family member took it through Asia and stayed healthy in places where the water was known to be untrustworthy. You can easily use it for days on a charge, it's not plugged in while you use it, and there's no concerns about power adapters or the like since it's just USB.

You treat about 500ml of water at a time - a mug or glass - and it takes 90 seconds. I wouldn't want to treat a bathtub, but for the volumes you're likely to drink it's fine. It's so small you can take it into a restaurant and treat the tap water they serve you. It's easy and it works.

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