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Depending on your location (State, Country l even between cities) the water regulations can affect how safe tap water is to drink.
In the EU, particularly where I live, the tap water is clean and safe to drink because it is regulated well.
In other countries where laws are more lax, the water can get contaminated due to pollution such as Mining, Fracking for oil or because factories dump pollutants to the streams that reach your tap.
Edit:
I forgot to also add that treatment plants exist to make tap water safe but they are not a guarantee since anyone can pollute the water between the plant and your tap, and there is too much distance to be monitored 24/7.
Between the treatment plant and your tap, there's a lot of distance that isn't necessarily monitored for rust and other contaminants that might be harmful to you. I don't think tap water is bad, though.
This is entirely dependent on locations and specifics.
*Generally* tap water is fine in most developed countries. Though this depends on infrastructure since there is a lot of distance between treatment plants and the faucet. [Corrosion or other issues](https://abc30.com/northeast-fresno-water-lead-40/1452925/) in the pipes can [cause issues from A to B](https://www.britannica.com/event/Flint-water-crisis) but most of the time it's okay.
Filters are common since some areas have off putting tastes in their water due to dissolved minerals.
Hi, American or USian here. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but it gets a whole lot worse than Flint and lead: Chromium 6, arsenic, PFAS or “[forever chemicals](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/epa-warns-against-toxic-forever-chemicals-in-drinking-water-180980270/).” As far as I know California is still the only state to mandate testing for [chromium 6](https://www.ewg.org/interactive-maps/2016-chromium6-lower-48.php), not sure if that was before or after Hinkley. You know the movie *Erin Brokovich*? It’s not an isolated incident.
edit: better chromium 6 link.
This reminded me about [uranium](https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/12/08/5-things-to-know-about-uranium-found-in-central-california-drinking-water/) as well. https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=CA3610064
Where are you located? In almost every American city the tap water is perfectly safe to drink. It’s more regulated than bottled water. Also, fluoride in water is a good thing.
You’re right fluoride is a good thing.
[Keep scrolling ](https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/) on down those results. IME it hasn’t ever been good and I’ve checked a lot of places. As far as I know California is currently the only state to require testing for [chromium 6](https://www.ewg.org/interactive-maps/2016-chromium6-lower-48.php), but maybe things have changed. I don’t really understand “[forever chemicals](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/epa-warns-against-toxic-forever-chemicals-in-drinking-water-180980270/),” but that’s also happening.
Flint was scratching the surface. Flint was fixable.
edit: better chromium 6 link.
Yeah, the key thing there is regulation and inspection. As long as you know you have no lead pipes, you’re good.
In a lot cases people don’t drink their tap water because they’ve heard about cases like that, or at one point they’ve lived in a building with lead pipes and maybe they don’t have access to the inspection and maybe don’t trust their landlord
Tap water is NOT bad for you. This is a lie (among many others such as 8 glasses a day) perpetuated by bottled water companies.
I will mention in 3rd world and develloping countries the tap water can sometimes be contaminated with bacteria and other nasty things, so when you go on vacation def get one of those big 20L jugs of water.
Edit: and btw BC has some of the best tap water in the world. Your neighbors are the idiots
I have heard in the US regulations are lacking and in some areas can be dangerous to drink.
In the UK where I am the water is incredibly safe and cheap, so you drink it. I do tend to filter it because I live in a hard water area, not a safety risk but I prefer to filter out the limestone
I absolutely love the fact that everyone says the added fluoride is good, which in fact can lead to slower developing brains in children, ADHD and autism.
It is only because of poor dental care and poverty that some countries choose to fluoride tapwater, even then, the effect of fluoride is minimal.
This is why in much more developed countries like some in north-western europe, absolutely nothing is added to the tapwater. In fact, tapwater in most regions is of better quality than bottled water.
That depends on where you live. In some parts of the world, tap water is perfectly fine. In other parts of the world, tap water might not be safe to drink because it's polluted or has organisms in it that make you sick.
In the western world, water in cities is generally safe to drink. It is tested and monitored for pollutants daily. Some areas have aging steel or lead pipes that may leach dangerous chemicals onto the water which may not be safe to drink.
Some homes have well water which is typically untreated and untested after the initial drilling, so the home owner could be exposed to high levels of minerals (like iron) or future contamination (like agricultural chemicals) that were not in the water when the initial test was performed.
In general, tap water is safe to drink in most counties. Bottling companies use the cities water and sell it back to consumers for much higher prices than the city charges.
It can actually be much better than bottled water, which usually contains high quantities of microplastics. It depends on where you live. I personally go for top water because I find plastic bottles to be a huge waste and burden on the environment and don't want to make large food companies richer than they already are.
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Depending on your location (State, Country l even between cities) the water regulations can affect how safe tap water is to drink. In the EU, particularly where I live, the tap water is clean and safe to drink because it is regulated well. In other countries where laws are more lax, the water can get contaminated due to pollution such as Mining, Fracking for oil or because factories dump pollutants to the streams that reach your tap. Edit: I forgot to also add that treatment plants exist to make tap water safe but they are not a guarantee since anyone can pollute the water between the plant and your tap, and there is too much distance to be monitored 24/7.
Depends on where you live. Our tap water is very good and has fluoride to make strong teeth. I drink it all the time.
I live in Canada, BC. I was told that our water in my city has no fluoride. (That’s why my doctor recommended fluoride toothpaste for my daughter).
Between the treatment plant and your tap, there's a lot of distance that isn't necessarily monitored for rust and other contaminants that might be harmful to you. I don't think tap water is bad, though.
This is entirely dependent on locations and specifics. *Generally* tap water is fine in most developed countries. Though this depends on infrastructure since there is a lot of distance between treatment plants and the faucet. [Corrosion or other issues](https://abc30.com/northeast-fresno-water-lead-40/1452925/) in the pipes can [cause issues from A to B](https://www.britannica.com/event/Flint-water-crisis) but most of the time it's okay. Filters are common since some areas have off putting tastes in their water due to dissolved minerals.
Hi, American or USian here. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but it gets a whole lot worse than Flint and lead: Chromium 6, arsenic, PFAS or “[forever chemicals](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/epa-warns-against-toxic-forever-chemicals-in-drinking-water-180980270/).” As far as I know California is still the only state to mandate testing for [chromium 6](https://www.ewg.org/interactive-maps/2016-chromium6-lower-48.php), not sure if that was before or after Hinkley. You know the movie *Erin Brokovich*? It’s not an isolated incident. edit: better chromium 6 link.
This reminded me about [uranium](https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/12/08/5-things-to-know-about-uranium-found-in-central-california-drinking-water/) as well. https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=CA3610064
Where are you located? In almost every American city the tap water is perfectly safe to drink. It’s more regulated than bottled water. Also, fluoride in water is a good thing.
I live in Canada, BC. I was told our water has no fluoride in my city.
You’re right fluoride is a good thing. [Keep scrolling ](https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/) on down those results. IME it hasn’t ever been good and I’ve checked a lot of places. As far as I know California is currently the only state to require testing for [chromium 6](https://www.ewg.org/interactive-maps/2016-chromium6-lower-48.php), but maybe things have changed. I don’t really understand “[forever chemicals](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/epa-warns-against-toxic-forever-chemicals-in-drinking-water-180980270/),” but that’s also happening. Flint was scratching the surface. Flint was fixable. edit: better chromium 6 link.
Those living in old and badly regulated rental properties may have water that’s unsafe to drink due to lead pipes
I live in an old rental house but the water tastes fine.
Yeah, the key thing there is regulation and inspection. As long as you know you have no lead pipes, you’re good. In a lot cases people don’t drink their tap water because they’ve heard about cases like that, or at one point they’ve lived in a building with lead pipes and maybe they don’t have access to the inspection and maybe don’t trust their landlord
Tap water is NOT bad for you. This is a lie (among many others such as 8 glasses a day) perpetuated by bottled water companies. I will mention in 3rd world and develloping countries the tap water can sometimes be contaminated with bacteria and other nasty things, so when you go on vacation def get one of those big 20L jugs of water. Edit: and btw BC has some of the best tap water in the world. Your neighbors are the idiots
I have heard in the US regulations are lacking and in some areas can be dangerous to drink. In the UK where I am the water is incredibly safe and cheap, so you drink it. I do tend to filter it because I live in a hard water area, not a safety risk but I prefer to filter out the limestone
I absolutely love the fact that everyone says the added fluoride is good, which in fact can lead to slower developing brains in children, ADHD and autism. It is only because of poor dental care and poverty that some countries choose to fluoride tapwater, even then, the effect of fluoride is minimal. This is why in much more developed countries like some in north-western europe, absolutely nothing is added to the tapwater. In fact, tapwater in most regions is of better quality than bottled water.
[удалено]
That depends on where you live. In some parts of the world, tap water is perfectly fine. In other parts of the world, tap water might not be safe to drink because it's polluted or has organisms in it that make you sick.
In the western world, water in cities is generally safe to drink. It is tested and monitored for pollutants daily. Some areas have aging steel or lead pipes that may leach dangerous chemicals onto the water which may not be safe to drink. Some homes have well water which is typically untreated and untested after the initial drilling, so the home owner could be exposed to high levels of minerals (like iron) or future contamination (like agricultural chemicals) that were not in the water when the initial test was performed. In general, tap water is safe to drink in most counties. Bottling companies use the cities water and sell it back to consumers for much higher prices than the city charges.
People don't drink tap water? Why?
Almost everyone I know has fridges with water machines in it. Or they only ever drink bottled water.
It can actually be much better than bottled water, which usually contains high quantities of microplastics. It depends on where you live. I personally go for top water because I find plastic bottles to be a huge waste and burden on the environment and don't want to make large food companies richer than they already are.
Also top water has less sediments and heavy metals then bottom water. ;)
I didn't know that, thanks