why did more people drink bottled water now? is it safe to drink filtered water from the tap?

Question

I have been filtering tap water, then boil it, and wait for it cool down before I drink it. Is it safe? I know drinking water directly from the tap isn't good for our health, but what is it exactly that is bad for our life?

Answer 1

All UK tap water is safe to drink as the government lays down standards the water companies have to adhere to. Granted in some areas, it tastes better than others, but remember, before everyone got sucked into the marketing from the bottled water companies, we all used to drink straight from the tap, without any filters or fruit flavours.

This was on the DEFRAA site
"Audits and inspections of water companies in England and Wales, and enforcement action to ensure compliance with the Water Quality Regulations - including investigation of customer complaints and incidents which affect drinking water supplies - is dealt with by the Drinking Water Inspectorate."

Answer 2

According to the National Resources Defense Council, the explosion in popularity of bottled water products is driven by the imagery of pristine glaciers or crystal-clear mountain streams. A four-year study by the Food & Drug Administration found that bottled water isn't necessarily safer or cleaner than tap water.

There is a fairly strict set of standards that city tap water must adhere to that bottled water does not. Tap water requires disinfection, testing/elimination of e. coli bacteria, filtration to remove pathogens, testing for viruses and other microbes, and so on. The drawback is that the most common way to eliminate the microbes is to put chlorine in the water, which doesn't taste very good. There are also additives like fluoride (although where I grew up, the city's water supply had an abundance of natural fluoride, exceeding the standards set by the FDA).

If you filter your water and boil it, it should eliminate the chlorine, hyrdogen sufide (rotten egg smell), and most other things that don't taste good, and it should be as safe as just about any commercial bottled water.

Answer 3

There is absolutely nothing wrong or bad about tap water - it is probably safer than bottled water because you don't where the bottle water has come from - the label may say fresh from a Scottish stream, or alpine lake etc. but has it been processed? At least we know that tap water is safe. Don't believe all the hype found in advertisements, just save your money and drink tap water with confidence.

Answer 4

Water from most taps in USA cities is safe to drink. But usually chlorine is added - tastes terrible but safe. Bottled water has no chlorine. But you can filter tap water through carbon (filter pitchers with cartridge) to eliminate chlorine and pour into recycled bottle. Saves much money.
Some don't want the fluoride in the city water. Another subject.

Answer 5

Bottled water became popular a few years ago and now people are pouring their money down a rat hole to drink a simple thing like water. There is nothing wrong with tap water. It goes through a filtering plant and there are regular inspections to ensure it's safety. I think what is bad for our lives is wasting money on bottled water.

Answer 6

You are perfectly fine with filtering. People just do that because mainly tap water has flouride in it, and if you have too much of it, you can get very ill. Water bottles are also cheap at stores. If I were you, I wouldn't filter and boil it. You have to ask yourself, "Is it worth boiling, filtering, and waiting for it to cool for me to drink???" I wouldn't do that. But that's my own opinion. Good luck!!!

Answer 7

People have been brainwashed into believing that tap water is bad for them. By 'taking' in some germs in one form or another it builds our natural deffences. bottled water just takes out these minor bugs that otherwise ultimately would do us some good. i have drank tap water all my life, when i go abroad (Anywhere) i drink tap water and i never get ill.

Answer 8

There is stricter control on UK tap water than bottled water. The taste can be unpleasant if the chlorine content is high or the distribution pipework is old and iron pick-up has taken place.

Answer 9

in many cases water from the tap is cleaner and better for you than bottled water which contains a lot of mineral deposits.

Answer 10

water from the tap is not bad for you.