Potable Aqua is the old standard in emergency water treatment. It is manufactured by WPC Brands and has long been trusted as a water purifier. It is 16.7% Tetraglycine Hydroperiodide and 83.3% other ingredients. One bottle of 50 tablets (with safety seal and cotton removed) weighs 1.04 oz
Iodine has long been used by the military and other organizations to purify water in the field. It has a trustworthy reputation and is a staple of most first aid kits. There are a few drawbacks though. Iodine will mess with your thyroid if you have too much of it. This makes it impractical to use Potable Aqua for any extended length of time. Also, Potable Aqua will leave your water tasting horrible. To combat this, you can add crushed up vitamin c tablets to the water, but you must wait until the iodine is done working or the vitamin c will hinder its effectiveness. Most importantly, Potable Aqua does nothing to combat cryptosporidium.
On the plus side, iodine should work just fine in cold and cloudy water, though it may take longer.
Potable Aqua comes in bottle of 50 tablets and may be purchased for about $4-$6 (50 tablets treats 25 quarts). You can also purchase it in a package with a "taste remover" for a few extra bucks, but this taste remover is just citric acid and cheap vitamin c tablets do just as good a job.
