I am glad you weighed in on this. I was started to get a little concerned. I have been a active whitewater boater for years. We have used a small capful of bleach to do dishes (rinse cycle) on river trips (per 5 gallons) for years. A university chemist recommended this to me and it seems to work just fine. In my 1995 EVC I have been using a capful (~teaspoonful) when I fill up our freshwater tank in the spring or after it has been sitting a while with water in it. I feel this keeps bacteria from growing and does not hurt the parts or skin. Mind you we DO NOT drink this water. Our drinking water is a separate matter (container) all together.

Sean Garrett 1981 Westy (his) 1995 Eurovan Camper (hers) Soon... 1987 Syncro project sean.garrett@asu.edu

> -----Original Message----- > From: Bill N [mailto:freeholder@STARBAND.NET] > Sent: Monday, December 30, 2002 10:12 AM > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM > Subject: Re: A WARNING!!! (Was: Cleaning the water tank!?) > > > I notice you preface this by stating you have no specialist > knowledge of this subject. While I > appreciate your concern, your advice could get people sick. > > First, there is not a problem with home use of chlorine > bleach causing production of dioxin. I > quote below from an FDA site" > > "Dioxin is an industrial by-product that is produced a number > of ways. Dioxin is not produced > by manufacturing sodium hypochlorite bleach, nor by using it > in the home. To form it you'd need > to introduce acidic solutions, concentrated chlorine gas, > temperatures in excess of boiling or > organic molecules such as those found in the cell walls of > wood and paper." > > Chlorine can produce dioxin when it is being used to bleach > paper pulp in paper mills, but will > not do so in home use. It is a very safe disinfectant that > is used not only in water supplies, > but also in almost every swimming pool and in many hot tubs, > although I prefer bromine for hot > tubs. > > Vinegar is not a general disinfectant. It is an excellent > cleaner for many applications, > including cleaning the corrosion from copper brewing parts, > and will keep many kinds of > bacteria from growing, but it does this simply because of the > PH. Some bacteria don't like > acid conditions. Others (for example: acetobacteria) love > these conditions and grow very well > in vinegar. > > Keep in mind that the bacteria that cause food poisoning live > very well in your stomach, which > is a very acidic environment. Don't count on vinegar to kill these. > > Vinegar is used in food preservation (pickles, for example) > but is only used in conjunction > with heat. Any acid food product does as well as vinegar in > this regard. That's why when you > can food at home, pickles and tomatos can be processed in a > water bath canner, while non-acid > foods must be processed in a pressure canner to attain higher temps. > > Now, the fact is that one of the most effective things we can > do to keep our water systems in > our Westys safe is to simply drain the tank when we aren't > using it. Anything else we do is > just extra protection. If you want to use vinegar, fine, but > don't think you are disinfecting > anything. It will get the scale out, though. Many > dishwashing liquids do have a germicidal in > them, so they could be effective, if you rinse them out well > enough afterward. If you use > bleach, don't worry about it. It won't hurt anything. I > will say you don't need to use nearly > as much as many are saying. 1/4 cup is more than ample. > > BTW, my wife and I do have substantial "specialist knowledge" > in this area. > > Bill > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Anthony Polson" <acpolson@HOTMAIL.COM> > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> > Sent: Monday, December 30, 2002 5:43 AM > Subject: A WARNING!!! (Was: Cleaning the water tank!?) > > > > > > Hi Dave, > > > > I am not speaking from a basis of any specialist knowledge, but I am > > dismayed to see several people, including yourself, recommending > > Chlorine-based bleach as though it were intrinsically safe. > > > > In fact Chlorine-based bleach generates some of the world's > most dangerous > > chemicals, both in its manufacture and use. These > chemicals are called > > Dioxins, and they pose a massive threat to human health and > to the global > > ecosystem as a whole. There are strong links between > Dioxins and cancer and > > birth defects. At Seveso, Italy, they were the cause of > one of Europe's > > most massive ever public health disasters. > > > > > > I realise that European and American approaches to the > environment are very > > different, and that advice on hazardous chemicals may be less easily > > available on your (western) side of the pond. However, the > principles of > > chemistry are the same, and no-one who knows about Dioxins > would risk their > > production in a potable water tank. Of all places, surely > this is one where > > Chlorine-based bleach must be avoided. > > > > I would forget the Chlorine-based bleach and go for a good > scrub with > > detergent followed by sterilisation with vinegar. (Thanks Stan!) >