Why Is Tap Water A Problem For Some People?

Discussion in Water started by hades_leae • Jul 17, 2016.

  1. hades_leae

    hades_leaeActive Member

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    After all, it is just water. If there was no water bottles in the stores, you are not going to simply say, "looks like you won't be drinking water then".

    I don't like paying for water because I don't believe I should. It's free already, and if tap water was bad for us, it wouldn't be available for us to drink due to strict regulations.

    Why do people treat tap water as if it's not a good source of drinking water?
     
  2. Theo

    TheoWell-Known Member

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    It always sounds cheap, but it depends on where you are in the world. There are many countries where you shouldn't drink tap water and if you have a sensitive gut, it's better to stay safe and use filtered or boiled water.

    I only drink tap water if I have to and now have a filter water bottle that I use so that even if I use tap water it can be filtered. If you look at Flint in Michigan, you can see that their tap water was not safe for consumption so you can never be 100% sure.
     
  3. davos

    davosActive Member

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    Tap water is often safe enough for drinking. But bacteria can be pretty sneaky and some pretty nasty ones are able to thrive in moisture, river basins, and of course, tap water supply. You are safe if you install a carbon or UV radiation filter to be certain.
     
  4. explorerx7

    explorerx7Active Member

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    In my country, the water quality is considered to be of excellent. I have seen people who had been drinking tap water for years suddenly decide that they are unable to drink it any longer and that they are now only able to drink bottled water. I believe that it merely a fad for some of the persons who declare that they can drink bottled water only. I have seen repeatedly where tests have been run on bottled water in the United States and the quality of this water was found to be significantly inferior to that of the tap water. Therefore, bottled water may not be necessarily superior to tap water.
     
  5. Corzhens

    CorzhensWell-Known Member

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    The water company here guarantees their water in the tap, that it is clean and fit for drinking. Maybe yes. In 1994, we discovered murky water with a matching unpleasant odor coming out of the shower. That started our love affair with bottled water. Even if Wilkins was very expensive (more expensive than soda) we persevered. At least we have peace of mind with our drinking water. since that time, we never drank tap water anymore. We also do not give tap water to our dogs, they deserve to drink bottled water too.
     
  6. remnant

    remnantActive Member

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    Personally, I don't consider tap water to be unsafe. The reason has to do with the fact that it is transported in an enclosed medium protecting it from contamination and its also chlorinated. The only problem I would allude to tap water is the high amount of chlorine that is put to sterilize it. This chemical is deleterious to gut health.
     
  7. Happyflowerlady

    HappyflowerladyWell-Known Member

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    We do not drink tap water at all and only use it for washing dishes or clothes. The water here has chlorine and other chemicals that are added to the water to sterilize it.

    We have a Brita filter pitcher, and after the water goes through that, we put it in a large water purifier that has several different types of filters which totally clean ot the water.
    The first filter has to be constantly cleaned due to all of the contaminents that come out of the water even after it has been through the Brita filter pitcher.
    We also have a portable ice maker, and when we used the filtered water from the Brita pitcher in the ice maker, it would turn brown and we had to clean that out all of the time.
    Now, we use the water distiller for all of the water that we put in the ice machine, and the taste is excellent, and the machine stays pure.
    After seeing what the water filters look like, there is just NO way that we would even think fo drinking plain unfiltered tap water ever again !
     
  8. Theo

    TheoWell-Known Member

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    Recently, here in the UK all the people in Yorkshire have been advised not to drink the tap water due to some contamination and distributed free bottles of mineral water instead. When something like this is announced it makes you wonder what they aren't telling you. It's not the first time the area has been advised not to drink the tap water or to boil it first so there must be some underlying issue with the system.

    Some areas may have minimum standards and you don't know whether those standards are being maintained or whether they are high enough. It's much better to filter yourself and to be on the safe side.
     
  9. Zyni

    ZyniWell-Known Member

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    There is more to it than just the source of the water. You can also get contamination via the pipes and old faucets and things. Also, tap water tends to have chlorine, and sometimes there is so much that you can smell it and taste it. That can't be healthy.

    I do drink it on occasion, but I have also subscribed to the theory that filtered water is better than tap water. I need to get my own filter or distiller or something, instead of buying bottled water though, since it should be more economical to go that route.

    Currently, I fill gallon bottles at a kiosk for half the price of what the cheapest sealed gallon of water costs in stores near here. I don't like to spend extra money either, but in this case, I think it's worth it. The health costs down the road would probably be far more costly.
     
  10. Lushlala

    LushlalaWell-Known Member

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    We appear to have the same problem where I am, @Happyflowerlady@Happyflowerlady! For a long time it was thought Botswana was safe to drink, but not so long ago the US government did some research and sadly found the water to contain a hideous amount of chemicals used to sterilize it. The Americans in Botswana were then advised by their embassy to avoid drinking it, so a lot of us have followed suit! Even some local doctors are advising against it. We now stick to bottled water and only used tap water for cleaning purposes.
     
  11. Happyflowerlady

    HappyflowerladyWell-Known Member

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    Proper hydration is necessary to every body function that we have; so drinking clean water is one of the most important things that we can do to take good care of our body and keep it healthy. The taste and smell of chlorine in our drinking water can also be a reason why some people do not drink enough water, even though health experts warn us over and over how important it is to stay hydrated.
    Some of the chemicals added to drinking water will stay in our bodies, and that is not good either. We might not feel the consequences right away; but eventually, they will cause physical problems and illness if we continue to pollute our system with chemicals and toxins.
    Spending the extra money to get a good filtration system, or purchasing your water from a place that has put it though a good filter is one of the most worthwhile things we can do, and is so worth the time and money spent to assure ourselves that we are drinking safe water.
     
  12. JosieP

    JosiePWell-Known Member

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    It depends on many things how safe your water is. It could even be right down to your own neighbourhood or house. Things happen. And the idea that something wouldn't be available if it were unsafe is sort of silly. Generally though, tap water isn't about to kill anybody lol. I filter because I prefer the taste (refuse to buy water.. I find that the silliest thing of all. Especially in plastic).
     
  13. xTinx

    xTinxWell-Known Member

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    Well tap water undergoes a rigorous treatment process which involves chemicals that aren't really good for your body. Now if you drink directly from the tap without bothering to filter the water, you may increase your risk of contracting some water-borne disease caused by protozoa or bacteria. The water source may be contaminated so you have to be keen on filtering and getting rid of harmful particles.
     
  14. Pat

    PatWell-Known Member

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    The tap water in my area is good, taste good also. Some places just miles from us the water not only taste bad but has an odor to me. We do have a filter on the water from the refrigeration. But I like the taste of the tap water better.
     
  15. JoushaP

    JoushaPNew Member

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    That's because in certain countries they still use galvanized pipes for plumbing which can erode faster and contaminate the water. Western societies have actually used copper piping as it is less likely to erode like that of the older methods. You think you are drinking clean water but the only way to find out is with a proper water tester. Even the bottles water you drink is contaminated. We tested most out there and the best store bought water bottle there was, is Fiji Bottled Water.
     
  16. TheKnight

    TheKnightActive Member

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    MY country's city water isn't very clean. It sometimes smells like rust and it can be very dirty. When I lived in California, the tap water tasted great. It had almost no flavor. In my area, the water tastes as if you added baking soda to it. It tastes like the metal tube as well, almost like iron.
     
  17. Alexandoy

    AlexandoyWell-Known Member

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    I have a weak tummy, so to speak, and I easily get diarrhea when the water is not very clean that's why I do not drink the so called house water in restaurants. As much as possible, I order bottled water or canned soda so as to avoid drinking something that is contaminated. Even when we are abroad, I am very careful in drinking water and i never drink from the tap. Okay, it is expensive but that's the price I pay for my health.
     
  18. biege

    biegeActive Member

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    Tap water is indeed free but then, you cannot really tell what's in it. We had this news before wherein they've found a dead body in one of the water pipes and it took them days to clear it out. The worst thing is, the body got chopped into several pieces because it got severed by the water turbine. Since then, we've stopped using tap water as a drinking source. In the US, they've had a problem before with their tap water being treated with Fluoride. Fluoride can be found mostly on toothpaste, and it freeze up a part of your brain if you ingest it making people susceptible to suggestions making it hard for them to make decisions on their own. This is not a conspiracy theory, this is all documented, and reported facts.
     
  19. Ray1

    Ray1Well-Known Member

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    To be very frank people in our country have stopped tap water for a long time especially in cities because they know that the quality of water is no more drinkable. The water supplied by tap water is full of impurities and even worms which is health hazard so most of the consumers have installed water purifiers in their kitchens for all drinking and cooking purpses. The people who cannot afford a water purifier use boiled water and use cotton to filter the tap water.
     
  20. remnant

    remnantActive Member

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    Tap water in my area is usually fit for drinking because its pumped from dams and chlorinated at the source. However, its good to boil it if you can just in case. There is also the problem of dirty tap water during the rainy reason due to runoff which flows to there dams. In this case, its prudent to decant and filter the water to remove impurities.