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saywherefore t1_jckuspk wrote

Sunlight can be a useful tool for sterilising things. For example you can sterilise water by leaving it in bright sunlight in a plastic bottle. Or you can put a mattress in the sun to reduce the number of mites in it.

Think about how sunlight bleaches fabrics and other materials that are left out for an extended period - that is the same mechanism at work.

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ThisTooWillEnd t1_jcljs8p wrote

Importantly, the water must be very clear for this to work. If you just put some dirty lake water in a bottle and put it in the sun, the water will still be both unclean and full of life. Filter first, then UV treat.

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Doormatty t1_jckyonh wrote

Gonna need a citation for being able to sterilize water by leaving it in a bottle in the sun.

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redligand t1_jcl1u6p wrote

Solar disinfection is used effectively in remote communities in the developing world. The effect is amplified by leaving the bottles on reflective surfaces. It's not great and it takes hours but it is effective.

See here for an academic source: https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-70061-8_125-1#:~:text=Solar%20disinfection%2C%20or%20SODIS%2C%20refers,at%20least%206%E2%80%938%20h.

Wiki: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_water_disinfection

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KingGrowl t1_jcm6pwi wrote

An old trick for stinky shoes is to open them up and leave them in sunlight for this very reason!

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joyamazingpinoy t1_jcmrokh wrote

When I ran out of money, I used to put water in clear bottles and put them out in bright sunlight from 7 am to 3 pm.

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papad622 t1_jclekxe wrote

Plastic bottles in the sun….Wellp I ingested a credit cards worth of micro plastics but at least the germs were gone!

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BloodshotPizzaBox t1_jclnk7v wrote

Well, over 3 million people die each year from waterborne pathogens. I can assure you that germs are the much bigger problem to have here.

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runner64 t1_jclmqo7 wrote

Microplastics will kill you in 20 years but dysentary will kill you tomorrow.

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