For context, I live in Hong Kong where most people drink tap water after boiling first. Some may install water filter but may still boil the water. Very few drink bottle water unless they’re outside and too lazy to bring their own bottles.
Now, I’m researching whether I can drink tap water in Iceland (I’m going there in August), and while it looks like the answer is affirmative, almost no web article mention whether I need to boil the water first. People in Japan (a country I’ve visited a few times) also seems to be used to drink tap water directly without boiling.
The further I searched, the more it seems to me that in developed countries (like US, Canada and the above examples), tap water is safe to drink directly. Is that true? Do you drink tap water without boiling?
It sounds like a stupid question but I just can’t believe what I saw. I think I experienced a cultural shock.
Edit: wow, thanks so much for the responses and sorry if I didnt reply to each one of you but I’ll upvote as much as as I can. Never thought so many would reply and Lemmy is a really great community.
2nd Edit: So in conclusion, people from everywhere basically just drink water straight out of tap. And to my surprise, I checked the Water Supplies Department website and notice it asserts that tap water in Hong Kong is potable, like many well-developed countries and regions.
However, as the majority of Hong Kong people are living in high-rise buildings, a small amount of residual chlorine is maintained in the water to keep it free from bacterial infection during its journey in the distribution system. Therefore it is recommended to boil the water so that chlorine dissipates.
So, in short, I actually do not need to boil the water unless I hate chlorine smell and taste. But I guess I’ll just continue this old habit/tradition as there’s no harm in doing so.
Argentinian here, depends on the region of the country, in most places it’s safe to drink tap water although it usually has too much chlorine or in small rural cities like mine sometimes there’s a bacteria leak on the water so we prefer to buy bottled water
US here. Yes, can confirm I can, and do drink water from the tap without boiling. The city provides, maintains, and regularly checks the safety of the water. Notices are put out if something damages the pipes and a “water boiling” policy is put out promptly over local radio and/or newspaper.
Manila, Philippines: My drinking water comes from a delivery service that drops off a few blue containers of drinking water every few days. I’ve never swallowed tap water but I do use tap water when rinsing after toothbrushing. The sticker on the blue containers has the company name on it, contact details (obviously), and something about “18-stages latest US technology”.
México. NO. Do not drink the tap water. Boiling does not help. It has a bunch of heavy metals and other contaminants in it. It sucks because mechanical filtering is incapable of removing them effectively. Reverse osmosis does but it is a challenging and expensive process to properly keep in your house. We always buy bottled water. Trucks deliver twice a week.
In the US, the only time you’d have to boil water before drinking in most places is if there’s something wrong with the water system and they put out a “boil water” advisory, and that’s pretty rare. It’s definitely not something you have to on a daily basis. Some people will use water filters but it’s not usually a necessity.
Very true. However in the less urban areas there is often well water which varies by jurisdiction from drinkable to toxic (even flammable!) Also some places in the US have water that is unsafe to use even if it was boiled. Usually water is handled on the local level and can be different depending on the local government’s ability, wisdom, and funding.
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Italy here: tap water is drinkable BY LAW, at least inside houses and public places.
In Rome they tell you the fountain water is fine. Though I suspect some is fed through lead pipes
Important:
Despite the overall quality of the water in the region, the water pipes can ruin it. If you got lead pipes you should avoid drinking the water or using it for cooking. Boiling won’t change it.
In Germany, landlords are legally required to tell you if there are lead pipes in your house, don’t know about other countries. Typically, the risk of having lead pipes is higher if the house is older.
TL;DR: lead pipes are very bad
I don’t know if it’s actually true, but some have said that the Roman empire collapsed because the lead in waterworks and aquaducts made people lose their sanity slowly.
Likewise, the crime wave of the 70s in the US has been directly linked to leaded gasoline putting lead in the air, and leaded paint. You can map the crime wave literally block-by-block to correspond with areas that have not done lead mitigation efforts or those that have.
Also makes you think about the pathologically evil governmental policies the older generation have enacted, and how those people have also been influenced by lead in the air.
I’m of the understanding that lead poisoning effects the ability to engage in theory of mind (thinking about what someone else is thinking— also, empathy) and future planning, consideration of consequences, first before influencing other mental faculties. Which is why it can be linked to crime so easily.
Tap water in Brazil is supposed to be drinkable, but I use a filter anyways because I don’t trust the companies.
yep, i’ll drink straight from the tap. i live in california, united states. it is even common to have drinking fountains in public spaces: special button activated taps that spurt cool tap water into the air for you to drink from.
One thing to consider: While tab water in most of the developed world is potable,any water safety guarantees usually end where the house water pipes begin. Depending on the state of the piping, tap water might not be safe, even if the water supplyer says it’s safe.
You can get a water test (especially bacteria is important) for relatively cheap. Last time I did such a test it was ~€60. It’s not wrong to do one.
Also, the definition of potable water is that the water is potable after the tap has been running for 10(!) minutes.
Bacteria contaminated pipes are pretty common and if the water has been sitting in these biofilm-covered pipes over night or even longer, the water can become pretty harmful. Especially after you get home from a vacation, letting the water run for a decent amount of time might be a good thing.
Also: the worst thing that can happen to your water pipe system are blind pipes, so pipes that are connected only on one end. That could be e.g. left-over plumbing after remodeling or pipes that lead to unused taps. If at all possible, these ahould be removed or flushed at best daily.
The further I searched, the more it seems to me that in developed countries (like US, Canada and the above examples), tap water is safe to drink directly. Is that true? Do you drink tap water without boiling?
Yes. It’s a bit of a scandal when that’s not true. (Canada here)
And to my surprise, I checked the Water Supplies Department website and notice it asserts that tap water in Hong Kong is potable, like many well-developed countries and regions.
Boiling it has to be “force of habit”, then. I wonder how long it’s been potable. I’m guessing mainland China is mostly boil-first.
Australian here. Yes, I regularly drink water from the tap without boiling it.
The only exception is if Sydney Water issue a “Boil water” alert. That usually only happens after really major flooding though.
Another Australian here who drinks water on tap. Some places have bad tasting water but it’s still drinkable. It’s probably only bad because it’s different.
Adelaide water is fine now
Australian here, yes. Our tap water is pretty good
UK. Yip. Water “hardness” varies across the country which means people usually prefer the taste of the water in the region they grow up in. Other than all the leaky underground pipes and lack of investment in a privatised service, UK water is actaully very good.
Portugal here.
Safe to drink tap water everywhere, as far as I know, and public fountains (they usually have a metal sheet saying if it is potable or “not tested regularly”.
Depends on the Municipality/Town Halls.
Where I live we have like 5 or 6 public fountains per square km, some with public tanks to wash clothes like old school).Story time tough, and applicable to the conversation:
I went through a Leukemia and the marrow transplant.
5 months after the transplant I went to Lisbon (I live in the north) to see family.
I took a shower after arriving, and my skin reacted very poorly.
The reaction was so strong, the transplant almost didn’t take.
I had to take high doses of cortisol (and other treatments) that fucked up my bones (3 protheses now. Right elbow and the 2 femur heads)The doctors in IPO (oncology hospital) explained that the skin is the biggest organ in the body and where i live the terrain is more Granitic in nature, my skin was used to water here in the north, and the further south you go in Portugal, the more Calcaric (limestone/calcário) it is.
People in Lisbon have to use “Calgon” (product) in the washing machines, to clean the build up of limestone.
But they themselves are used to it.People of the north (of course it depends on the person) showering in the south, tend to have dry skin and hair after the shower.
I’m sorry for the testament.
But it’s knowledge.
Stay safe.
