Water filters
Potable Aqua Chlorine Dioxide Tablets
Potable Aqua (Pharmacal)
Chlorine dioxide tablets with a four-year shelf life that treat a quart in four hours.
Where to buy in
What you get
One tablet treats a quart or liter with a four hour wait. The maker lists bacteria, viruses and cysts including Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Shelf life is four years from manufacture and the maker says it meets EPA microbiological standards.
- 2.6x oxidizing capacity of chlorine (maker claim)
- 4-year shelf life from manufacture
Pros and cons of the Potable Aqua Chlorine Dioxide Tablets
Pros
- Cryptosporidium and Giardia are both on the maker's list along with viruses and bacteria.
- Shelf life of four years from manufacture.
- Named by Wirecutter and The Prepared.
Cons
- Four hours per treatment means you plan ahead rather than drink on arrival.
- One tablet per quart so a household outage uses tablets quickly.
Specs
- Type
- chlorine dioxide tablets
- Removes
- bacteria, viruses, cysts incl. Giardia and Cryptosporidium
- Tested to
- meets EPA microbiological standards (per maker)
- Shelf lifemaker's claim
- 4 years
Why it scores 8.6
8.6/10
Shortlist score. How it is calculated
Emergency features
- Removes bacteria and protozoa
- Also removes or kills viruses
- Filter life or capacity listed by the maker
- Tested to a named standard
- Works without power
Tester picks
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Number 16 of 20 on this shortlist for Google searches by model name.
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