United Airline From Hong Kong, joined Jan 2001, 8792 posts, RR: 17 Posted (7 years 9 months 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 1524 times:
I started a topic on tap water but was locked sometime ago.
I normally do except in places which tap water are not drinkable due to hygiene problem. Always in Canada, USA, Western Europe, Norway, Southern Europe, Australia, New Zealand etc and sometimes in Hong Kong when I am lazy (the water in Hong Kong is drinkable directly from the tap) though a small amount of chlorine/fluorine have been added to the water (Shouldn't be a problem). Go to: http://www.wsd.gov.hk/en/html/others/faq_wq.htm
So do you? And does the water in your home city contain chlorine and fluroline and stuffs like that? I know countries like Canada, Switzerland etc do not.....
Lewis From Greece, joined Jul 1999, 3441 posts, RR: 5 Reply 1, posted (7 years 9 months 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 1510 times:
In Athens the water is OK so I always drink from the tap. I also drank tap water when I lived in Essex, although it was pretty hard, leaving salts and limescale everywhere,
Allstarflyer From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (7 years 9 months 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 1504 times:
Quoting United Airline (Thread starter): So do you? And does the water in your home city contain chlorine and fluroline and stuffs like that?
No way - my condo (rented now) has a built-in Culligan and now I buy spring water (a buck and some change at Shoppers). If I have to drink tap, I will, but I prefer having my own system, obviously due to all the chemicals that are irresponsibly dumped or just allowed to get into the system. I don't know if the problem will be fixed, ever, over here in the States. I don't know of a place in the U.S., either, where residents can be confident they can drink unpolluted water from the faucet.
777236ER From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 3, posted (7 years 9 months 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 1498 times:
Quoting United Airline (Thread starter): And does the water in your home city contain chlorine and fluroline and stuffs like that? I know countries like Canada, Switzerland etc do not.....
Uh tap water nearly everywhere will contain cholorine. Tap water in most places will contain flourine, especially with the increase in tooth decay seen in the Western world.
Of course I drink tap water. Despite chemicals like chlorine and flourine, it's perfectly safe. To argue it's not, based on no empirical evidence, is similar to arguing that organic food is better for you - there's nothing to suggest it is.
UAL Bagsmasher From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 2130 posts, RR: 11 Reply 5, posted (7 years 9 months 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 1493 times:
Chicago water has to be one of the best tasting tap waters in the country. Even though I live in the 'burbs, we get city water here. Yes, I drink it.
MarBergi From Ireland, joined Aug 2004, 182 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (7 years 9 months 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 1477 times:
Quoting Thom@s (Reply 6): Tap water is about as clean as it gets here...
this is actually quite true - tap water is actually cleaner (on paper anyway) than bottled natural spring water as while tap water is generally treated bottled water is not allowed to be treated and still be called natural.
ME AVN FAN From Switzerland, joined May 2002, 13872 posts, RR: 28 Reply 12, posted (7 years 9 months 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 1461 times:
In countries in Western Europe it at least is no problem, but it differs from community to community, it might be quite good in some place (like Zurich-downtown and up-lake) and so full of lime (in places like Glattbrugg near ZRH) that after a glass you need of calcium for a day or two is covered. In places like Egypt (and most of the Arab World) I would much advise against. You can use it for teeth-cleaning, but not much more. In case you HAD a glass due to having been thirsty, contact the nearest bar and ask for an Arak, dilute it with water and drink it, before embarking into other activities !
�
depends on where the "water" is coming from. It may come from the hole in the street beside the hotel and be "hauled" up to the water container on top of the house
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Cheers
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SlamClick From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 10062 posts, RR: 71 Reply 16, posted (7 years 9 months 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 1452 times:
My water is from my own well and the level is presently about 170 feet (52 meters) down. It tastes exactly like the bottled water my wife was buying at Costco which was about the same price as gasoline.
We do use bottled, distilled water in our coffee maker though.
Went to a wedding reception last night. They ran out of bottled water early and still had tons of beer and wine left. Sign of the times.
Happiness is not seeing another trite Ste. Maarten photo all week long.
Logan22L From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 17, posted (7 years 9 months 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 1438 times:
Quoting Allstarflyer (Reply 2): No way - my condo (rented now) has a built-in Culligan and now I buy spring water (a buck and some change at Shoppers). If I have to drink tap, I will, but I prefer having my own system, obviously due to all the chemicals that are irresponsibly dumped or just allowed to get into the system. I don't know if the problem will be fixed, ever, over here in the States. I don't know of a place in the U.S., either, where residents can be confident they can drink unpolluted water from the faucet.
I'm glad you are concerned about pollutants in drinking water, but you have to realize that risk assessments have been performed on hundreds of chemicals to establish acceptable levels of ingestion. Public water systems are required to analyze for over 80 anaytes in their source water and their distribution system. Other regulations require systems to look for other contaminants that may need to be regulated in the future.
Further, many bottled waters come from the very same source water as tap water which you don't want to drink. Problem is, the same laws that force public water systems to monitor are not in place for bottled water producers! So, have your perceptions, but at least base them on reality. Do some homework on this, and you might like your tap water a bit more than your bottled.
Allstarflyer From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 18, posted (7 years 9 months 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 1433 times:
Quoting Logan22L (Reply 17): Do some homework on this, and you might like your tap water a bit more than your bottled.
I'll research it more then. I was taught there's a difference between tap, distilled, spring, etc. and spring is the best I like. Actually, my own Culligan is what I like, when possible.
Glidepath73 From Germany, joined Mar 2005, 1017 posts, RR: 50 Reply 20, posted (7 years 9 months 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 1413 times:
Germany has on of the highest standard for Tap water. The hygiene is a very important point. (Even they try to reduce the necessary amount of Chlorine, in Germany you taste almost no Chlorine in the Tap water.) Here in "Schwarzwald", we have mostly excellent Tap water. I drink it very frequently. In some regions here, the water is very healthy, has a lot of minerals and is even recommended by the doctors to drink it... from the Tap.
Derico From Argentina, joined Dec 1999, 4233 posts, RR: 13 Reply 21, posted (7 years 9 months 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 1404 times:
I've been drinking tap water since I was a kid walking around with my friends in the summer heat opening my neighbor's outdoor taps, never got sick in my life. I'm very picky on drinking and eating things that are clean and fresh, but I trust the water as it is 100% potable.
In Argentina the tap water all over the country is excellent, I'd say the best in Latin America. Even in the far north near the borders, with some exceptions, everyone drinks it safely. In Patagonia you can even drink the water from creeks. I've never heard of a foreigner getting sick from Argentine tap water, and foreigners eat loads of salads and iced drinks when visiting. Every guide book like Frommers, Fordors, Lonely Planet says tap water in the country is completely safe. Smart tourists know this, but many are ignorant of this and spend loads of money unnecesarily in bottled water (which is great too), but they could have used all that cash in other things...
My internet was not shut down, the internet has shut me down
Logan22L From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 23, posted (7 years 9 months 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 1393 times:
Quoting Allstarflyer (Reply 18): I was taught there's a difference between tap, distilled, spring, etc.
Well, there is. It depends on how you use the term "bottled" water and what the source water is. Spring water is groundwater that is naturally filtered through rock, etc. It is susceptible to contamination as is all other groundwater. It tends to taste good because of the mineral content. Keep in mind, though, that the regulations for spring and other bottled waters, are not as strict as that for Public Water Suppliers.
Distilled water is likely to be purest; however, it generally tastes flat as the minerals are removed. Bottom line, be aware of the source of your bottled water. A spring in Elizabeth, NJ is probably not going to give you cleaner water than a Public Water Supplier in Augusta, ME, for example.
Filtered tap water will give you a level of protection, but be aware that the kinetics of desorption can be very rapid, and if the filter gets saturated, you might get a slug of contamination in your next glass. Also, some filters remove volatile organics (carbon) and others metals (ion exchange resins). Just know what you're removing, and what you are not.
I say all of this because as someone whose job it is to provide technical support to EPA for drinking water regulation, don't just listen to public perception of tap water vs. bottled water. Look at the science.
Rossbaku From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2005, 673 posts, RR: 1 Reply 24, posted (7 years 9 months 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 1386 times:
Only when bottled is not available.
RossBaku
25 Eaglekeeper101: "I assume this water is safe to drink? You know, I don't care if it's safe or not - I drink it anyway. Do you know why? Because I'm an American, and I
26 Matt27: I drink tap water all the time. Why buy expensive bottle water when you get clean fresh water from the tap?? (And it's free too ) //Mattias
27 NWAFA: It all depends. My home in ABQ - yes, its great. My home in the PHX area - NO. Hotels in Florida I will not drink Tap water and that goes with Souther
28 United Airline: I seldom drink bottled water. Did anyone try the tap water in Hong Kong or Singapore? It is also very important to make sure that the tanks and the pi
29 Andz: Our water is among then highest quality in the world and yes I drink the tap water, as I said in the other thread I don't subscribe to the scam of buy
30 United Airline: Exactly. They are tasteless and no minerals/nutrients left. I would rather go for mineral water or tap water except when clean tap water is not avail
31 Jafa39: My house doesn't have mains water, like many Kiwis I collect rain from the roof and it collects in a 5,000 gallon tank at the back of the house, we ha
32 United Airline: Sometimes I use a filter before I drink tap water. Does anyone have a clue what does reverse osmosis mean? Some filters work that way I know... Guess
33 Jafa39: Rural areas don't have a reticulated supply, as development occurs some decide not to go onto the mains, if you run out you buy a top-up from the tan
34 Logan22L: Perhaps a bit of fluoride would help too. Not so many teeth dropping out and getting lodged in the family dog's colon.
35 WhiteHatter: Like your kidneys but in reverse. Instead of salts and other chemicals moving across the barrier, they go the opposite way and leave a very pure wate
36 ScarletHarlot: I guess it's not like your rainwater is all polluted with airborne industrial waste like ours tends to be in North America, eh Jafa? In my hometown th
37 Logan22L: Roy, you may be a Rickenbacker specialist, but you're no biochemist. Osmosis is the process of water molecules diffusing across a semi-permeable memb
38 NZ747: Where I live the tap water tastes like shit. I've drunk it a few times, but that was when I was too drunk to notice the fact that it tastes just like
39 United Airline: Does reverse osmosis remove any nutrients? I know Amway uses an infra-red system.
40 Spinaltap: Yes Christchurch has the best tap water in the world. Aquifer water from the Southern Alps naturally filtered underground. The water is so pure that
41 United Airline: Some cities even export their tap water, like Melbourne from what I heard.
42 Euclid: As Andz said above, our tap water is of very high quality. The only reason I buy and drink bottled water is for the variety of very delicious flavours
43 Ryanb741: Well I have 2 houses. In London I will drink tap water. In my house in Bangkok the water is allegedly safe to drink but we have a water purifier that
44 MD11Engineer: I drink tap water at home all the time. Berlin water comes from deep wells (Berlin is literally built on 800 meters of sand and gravel, the wells are
45 HT: Reverse Osmosis is used to reduce the amount of dissolved minerals. The result is "Purified Water" (as stated on the lable of the bottle). If the pro
46 MD11Engineer: The EDTA takes the calcium and magnesium ions and forms with them soluble complex compounds, which don't leave residues. Jan
47 United Airline: I am thinking of whether or not I should buy a water filter that uses reverse osmosis. Any recommendations? It kills the germs. There is also a filte
48 Chrisrad: I live in Melbourne and the tap water is fine where I live, no need to buy it, never heard that we export it though?
49 A340600: I drink tap water, but in Florida the waters so soft I drink bottled, Sam
50 United Airline: Sydney's tap water is fine too, though I heard that there were a few issues in the past. Can anyone confirm that? Absolutely not. Thanks for the info
51 HT: Then you certainly have the "problem" of removing all that foam (i.e. detergents) while taking a shower bath ?! It is quite different with either sof
52 WhiteHatter: I'm enough of a biochemist to realise our tap water tastes like boiled bat piss and I've stopped drinking it Anything beyond that is way over my head
53 ScarletHarlot: We have an R/O filter system in our kitchen, under the sink. It does not have any electrical parts or pumps. I do agree though about the higher water
54 UALPHLCS: I only drink rain water and pure grain alcohol. It keeps the commies from sapping my precious bodily fluids.
55 Bhmbaglock: Make everyone in the pyramid rich! Seriously, I don't understand people buying bottled water. I was pumping gas the other day and the guy at the next
56 United Airline: Same here. Slightly off topic. Which is the best material to make pipes? Lead is definitely out. LOL. Please refer to: http://www.wsd.gov.hk/en/html
57 Logan22L: "I merely meant, your majesty, that you shine out like a shaft of gold when all around is dark."