Iodine & Steel doesn't mix

[bushwakka]

Quick, quick check your kit!!

I just opened up one of my small survival kits that was stored in a small tobacco tin. To my annoyance I found that the inside of the tin, fish hooks and saw blade were badly corroded. :yikes: The area of most damage was in contact with a small glass bottle that contained my iodine water purification tablets. The bottle only had a plastic stopper rather than a screwcap (therein lies the lesson...! :banghead: )



I won't make that mistake again.

[PC2K]

it's known that iodine effects everything except glass and teflon...

[arctic hobo]

Most iodine tablet boxes have a bit of foam in between the tablets and the lid. The underside is brown to start with - when it is all brown (2-3 years on mine) it's time to change it.

[Pict]

This is one of the reasons I carry KMnO4 in my mini-kits. The other being I haven't found a small dark glass bottle with secure lid to carry iodine tablets in. You can also get chlorine tablets to treat water. I had a plastic and foil flat of them that fit well in my kit but I used them up and haven't found a distributer for them yet in Brazil.

Iodine will turn your starchy food bright blue. I made some funky looking oatmeal for my kid once. If you treat it with ascorbic acid it won't do that. Mac

[Toddy]

Little bottles of 'fragrance oil', sold at 2 or 3 for a £1 in the smaller pound stores are worth it just for the bottles, these are small, sturdy glass bottle with really good sealing caps. Washed out and laid on a radiator to dry thoroughly before re-filling, they don't spill and the caps are air tight too.

Toddy

[BorderReiver]

Iodine is one of the halide group of chemicals,very reactive little devils :shock:

Always best to keep them well away from metals.

[greg2935]

...and very useful for carrying a little oil for cooking or herbs!