Can someone red-pill me on the safety of tap water?

[FlexpertHamilton]

I've been drinking tap water my whole life and I was pretty convinced it's perfectly safe. However due to my increasing distrust of the government and medical authorities I can no longer trust it is fully safe to drink. I am mostly concerned about flouride and pharmaceuticals that are found in the water supply. Flouride in particular is something I can't really seem to form a stance on because there is a lot of contradictory information on both sides.

Does anyone who has really researched this issue in depth have any insight to share? Almost everything I see is either broscience nonsense or dismissive arrogance. I'm starting to think I should approach this issue like Pascals Wager and just assume tap water is a bad idea to drink - water filters aren't that expensive anyway.

 

[wifehunter]

I use the RO water vending machine at most grocery stores. 40 cents per gallon here.

 

[EyeBRollin]

I've been drinking tap water my whole life and I was pretty convinced it's perfectly safe. However due to my increasing distrust of the government and medical authorities I can no longer trust it is fully safe to drink.

That pretty much answers the question. Local results may vary. For ease of mind invest in water filtration systems for the home.

 

[samspade]

Well I don't know much, but...In the US, tap water is tested far more thoroughly than bottled water. Tap water is regulated by the EPA as well as local environmental authorities, while bottled water is regulated only by the FDA. Obviously there have been some problems with polluted tap water (Flint, Michigan e.g.) so you might want to find a cheap way to test it. But overall I would take tap water over bottled water - depending on where I lived. A filter can't hurt but I'm not sure it filters out everything.

I've heard variations of the fluoride theory since I was in college - that the gov't somehow tracks you with it. It never passed the logic test for me but what do I know? Obviously they have to treat the water with something or you will get the shyts or worse.

There was an episode of Penn & Teller's Bullsh!t that covered this. Not super in-depth, but it was interesting. I can't track down the video or even a synopsis.

 

[HaleyBaron]

Get water filters and drink out of aluminum or steel canisters. Plastic is one of the worst things to consume from. If you buy bottled water, be prepared to drink water that has had plastic melded into it, which has caused a lot of cancerous and bad **** in general that no one is being sued for at the moment.

Buy a water filter canister. You can also invest in a rainwater tank, that catches rainwater and comes with a filter. I use to work with guys that sold it, it's a legit thing. The government tried to make it illegal to collect rainwater, but you know how it goes.

 

[BriBri]

I drink tap water almost exclusively, have been for my entire life. Fortunately, the town I've lived in for the past 20 years puts out a 'water quality' report each quarter, produced by an independent water testing lab. It gives me a little peace of mind. The quality of tap water is obviously going to vary based on where it's sourced from and how it is treated by whatever municipal/government agency oversees the water supply.

 

[Serenity]

Tap water varies a lot depending on where you live and where the water comes from. I wouldn't be so worried about fluoride or pharmaceuticals, I'd worry more about what the pipes are made of and dangerous metals leaching into the water. Tests of the water source won't reveal this as it's before the water passes through bad/old pipes.

I've also been drinking tap water my entire life, but I live in Norway and the tap water here is exceptional. I'm not sure if they even add chlorine to it in my area, I think they just lightly filter it and blast it with UV light to kill microorganisms. It's better than bottled water.

 

[EyeOnThePrize]

Yes. The most alarming is EE2. It’s estrogen from women’s birth control pills. It is estrogenic and even prevents fish from being able to procreate.

Estrogeneration by AnthonyJay.

Afaik the estrogen is largely from cattle production. The waste contains a c0cktail of hormones given to them to prevent disease and bulk them up, which has them producing large amounts of estrogen. The amount of estrogen from human birth control is insignificant by comparison.

@FlexpertHamilton
Some cities/towns in the mountains and by oceans have great water, but some still have lead pipe infrastructure. Some cities actually let their water fountains run continuously, because it keeps the water from sitting and building up concentrates of lead and flouride to dangerous levels. This is cheaper for them than digging up and replacing the pipes.

Generally the higher in the mountains the town, the better quality water.

 

[Billtx49]

My city water department here in Texas recently completed two user based tests. They consisted of the user filling a container on two separate occasions from inside the dwelling. They were basically tested for toxic metals. In home lead and excess copper content if I remember correctly, but no returns on chemicals or drugs…

Federal and state regulations here require that type of testing every three years. Any excees drug or other chemical testing is done probably constantly at water treatment plant output and has to comply with local regulations also.

Water quality is locality based. If you’re not happy with water department testing requirements, get a full home high dollar filtration system if you use tap for ice from the fridge, for drinking, and cooking.
Don’t overly obsess about drugs, it’s a scare tactic, the Main killer to avoid in any water system and dwellings is water Lead content…

 

[Alvafe]

you should always invest on a filter, because if your water source don't have impurities the pipes in your house can have then, i'm used to always drink water from filters

 

[Bible_Belt]

My local water company is run as a family business by the local redneck power brokers in the area. The board meets in secret, their finances are all secret, including how much the board of directors decide to pay themselves. The law protects these assh0les like they are a branch of the government. All they do is buy the water, double the price, and make themselves rich.

I know people who pay $20 a month for water, and I know other people who pay $60 per month, for the same water from the same lake. It just depends on the corruption level of the local water district and how rich they decide to make themselves.

 

[BriBri]

My local water company is run as a family business by the local redneck power brokers in the area. The board meets in secret, their finances are all secret, including how much the board of directors decide to pay themselves. The law protects these assh0les like they are a branch of the government. All they do is buy the water, double the price, and make themselves rich.

I know people who pay $20 a month for water, and I know other people who pay $60 per month, for the same water from the same lake. It just depends on the corruption level of the local water district and how rich they decide to make themselves.

Similarities to how the U.S. government is controlling the country's oil supply recently . Didn't mean to get too political.....

 

[jimwho]

I've eaten lots of snow. Got lost offroading and we ended up drinking hot still water to survive. Guzzling potable water like a fish out of hoses for 60-years. Drank from moving streams (Mammoth tastes the best) <USA. Small snow run off in the mountains. Straight out of a well for ten years. Currently drink from a Berkey filter due to too much lead from the well at my new place. Boiled lake water to drink. If eating ***** for 45-years hasn't killed me I think I'll be ok. I'm going to trust my kidneys and liver to fix the water, "and I'm a Plumber".

 

[zekko]

I wouldn't drink it. I drank it when I was younger, wouldn't do it now. Everybody drank tap water when I was growing up. I'd guess it's gotten worse though. It's true the city tests the water, but it can also pick up stuff like lead or copper after it enters your home. I live in an older house, so I stay away from it.

 

[Billtx49]

but it can also pick up stuff like lead or copper after it enters your home. I live in an older house, so I stay away from it.

Yes, I love older homes, especially large mission style, but if I ever bought one I would definitely have an in the wall pipe inspection as well as chem testing.
Hell, any house built before 1986 may have lead soldered joints regardless of pipe composition…

 

[Stuffnu]

I swear, my parents were probably one of the first to buy a water distiller back in the 1980’s. For those that don’t know, it basically boils the water to evaporation which cools and collects in a bottle. The remnants is all the impurities and it looks like sludge. To this day, I very rarely drink tap water because of that.

Good suggestions on here but reverse osmosis (RO) is the best way to go. I have a simple water dispensing cooler and refill a few 5 gallon jugs at retailers as needed. For those in Canada, Water depot is a good source and cost $3 each. No need for pricey in-house systems especially if you move around or worry about filter replacements.

I always correct a friend who drinks bottled water and say it’s taste good. Purified water is actually tasteless and blah.

 

[HaleyBaron]

I swear, my parents were probably one of the first to buy a water distiller back in the 1980’s. For those that don’t know, it basically boils the water to evaporation which cools and collects in a bottle. The remnants is all the impurities and it looks like sludge. To this day, I very rarely drink tap water because of that.

Good suggestions on here but reverse osmosis (RO) is the best way to go. I have a simple water dispensing cooler and refill a few 5 gallon jugs at retailers as needed. For those in Canada, Water depot is a good source and cost $3 each. No need for pricey in-house systems especially if you move around or worry about filter replacements.

I always correct a friend who drinks bottled water and say it’s taste good. Purified water is actually tasteless and blah.

I hate purified for this very reason. It tastes like nothing and my mouth and brain is confused.

 

[Billtx49]

I hate purified for this very reason. It tastes like nothing and my mouth and brain is confused.

Yes, it’s amazing that purified tastes so bland after minerals are removed. The opposite being too much sulphur or something else it tastes like krap if you’re not conditioned to it, but not enough minerals and it’s tastless…

Probably why well water in some locations tastes so good when it has the right internal mineral balance, and something to keep in mind is minerals are important for your body to stay healthy. If you take them out of the water, you have to get them through other food sources.