[[Image:Icon boiling1.png|right|100px80px|]][[Image:boiling water.jpg|thumb|right|250px200px|Boiling water for purification. <br>Photo: [http://kopernik.info/en-us/theblog/201012 Kopernick]]]__NOTOC__<small-title />
Boiling is considered the world’s oldest, most common, and one of the most effective methods for treating water. If done properly, boiling kills or deactivates all bacteria, viruses, protozoa (including cysts) and helminths that cause diarrheal disease. Pathogens are killed when the temperature reaches 100 degrees Celsius. In high-lying areas, where the boiling temperature of water can be as low as 80 degrees Celcius, a longer boiling time is necessary to kill all pathogens.
Organizations recommend boiling both for water treatment in developing countries and to provide safe drinking water in emergency situations throughout the world. Although boiling time recommendations vary significantly, from 0-20 minutes, to make water safe for consumption the water simply must reach the boiling point of 100°C. However, studies in developing countries have documented incomplete inactivation of bacteria in boiled water. This disparity between the laboratory and field results is attributed to users not heating the water to the boiling point and/or recontamination of boiled water in storage. To date, there have been no peer reviewed studies assessing the health impact associated with boiling water, although some case-control studies in cholera outbreaks have noted boiling as being protective against cholera.
===Suitable conditions ===
Boiling is applicable in area with a good fuel supply, a cultural tradition of boiling, and where water is stored safely after boiling.
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===Construction, operations and maintenance===
[[Image:village boiling.jpg|thumb|right|250px200px|Several solar cookers at work boiling water to make it safe to drink. Photo: [http://climate.nasa.gov/kids/games/solaroven/index.cfm Nasa.gov]]]
====Operation====
Pots used for boiling may need to be replaced.
===Costs===
{{Treatment_Cost
Note: Program, transportation and education costs are not included.
==Field experiences== ==Manuals, videos, and links===
* [http://www.cawst.org/assets/File/HWTS_Fact_Sheet_Boiling.pdf Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage, Fact Sheet 4.1: BOILING]. Provided by: [http://www.cawst.org CAWST (Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology)]
===References===
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===Acknowledgements===
This article is based on a factsheet from [http://www.cawst.org/ Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST)], which is gratefully acknowledged.
