Bottled Water! How safe is this!

Franbern

Twelve years ago when I was working in the NHS organising in-house training courses, I was always amazed as to how many (and usually the lower grade workers), asked where our water fountain was. I pointed to our kitchen tap, (Staff room), telling them there was gallons and gallons of the stuff in there.

Usually, they refused, would only drink bottled water. Strange they would happily drink the tea/coffee in our staff kitchen - not sure where they thought that water came from!!

I found a full page in an Observor Colour Magazine about bottled water and its many dangers as well as cost. Turned that into a full sized poster and plastered the walls with it. Not sure if even that got the point over.

What do you mean by lower grade workers?

I'm not keen on water but I am aware it is generally very good for us. Once I discovered sparkling, I never looked back. Drink a decent amount of that nowadays.

In the West Midlands the water tasted foul on some days. We bought a water filter and bingo, the problem was sorted and the water very drinkable. Here in the NE, the tap water tastes fine.

If your water doesn’t taste good buy a water filter and it will save you from buying bottled water at huge cost and be far more environmentally friendly.

Going to exercise classes I always took a water bottle rather than buying plastic bottles. Advice on plastic bottles often suggests that these bottles should not be used again, presumably because plastic can leach the chemicals into the water.

Oh my word sago how awful

ayse, aluminium leaches too - so kids water bottles are coated inside to prevent it. Having no faith in the coating (it's bound to get scratched) I replaced them all with stainless steel. Glass would be best, but too heavy and breakable.

We used to have a jug water filter but now we have a cartridge which is fitted under the sink and a separate tap by the sink which provides our drinking water and water for tea and coffee. The cartridge lasts for six months and the water tastes fine.

Redhead56

I actually can’t drink our house water it’s like drinking bleach even though it’s been tested it’s horrid. I don’t like still bottled water but to stay hydrated I drink carbonated water mixed with ginger lemon or lime juice. It’s not something I drink everyday just when I am thirsty so I feel I should.

Where I live the water is vile. Ruins a cup of tea. We had a water filter fitted, it is under the sink and every six months I put a new cartridge in. Makes the water lovely and it costs about £40 a year for the cartridges.

Sago

We lived in the south of England about 35 miles fro London, our water was gross.
We went away once and on our return a pool of water in the sink had worms in it.
I bottled them up and called the water company, I was told they were freshwater shrimps and perfectly normal?.
After that we boiled and filtered our water

Sago ?

theworriedwell we also have a water filter which is good for general use but I can’t drink flat water at all. That’s why I buy carbonated water but the bottles are recyclable and I use them on my veg patch for seedlings.

I have drunk tap water for years before it became fashionable. My DGC were laughing the other week because in a photograph of when my 12 year old DGD was born, there was the same water bottle I use now! I must admit a couple of times I have had to clean what looks like moss out of it, but I am still here. By the way I was also wearing the same fleece jacket I still wear now.

I used to buy sparking water but now have a Soda Stream.
I filter my water for the kettle, get flat water out of the fridge which has a filter,cooling thingy built in .

Just look at your wee. If it’s dark then you need more water, if it’s a straw colour then you are drinking enough. We never used to cart water about and we lived in hot countries.

I do remember one episode of 'Come Dine with Me'. One of that weeks contestant was reall wine snob!!. One day the lady who was hosting, provided some very expensive, very fancy bottled water. This ran out, so she filled a couple of the empty bottles from her kitchen tap and took it back into the dining room. The wine snob, drank it and then remarked how totally different it was drinking such wonderful water!!!!!!

South London tap water is almost undrinkable. It never used to be that bad and I often resort to bottled water.

There is no need to buy bottled water. It's advertised as 'pure' and therefore suggesting that our tap water isn't good. I drink water from the tap in hot drinks and cold.. If you are really wanting 'pure' water you can get a water filter jug and keep one plastic bottle to fill for on the move. There is also an option to have a filter fitted to your kitchen tap at source as well. I've lived in a country where water from taps isn't safe( for western people) so I'm very grateful for our clean water here.

I’d be glad to drink tap water if it didn’t taste as if it has come out of a swimming pool!

I remember Nestle taking their water for bottling from drought struck California, another time from a Native American Reservation, both 'paid' for by a few cents to the water companies. The Native Americans had to buy their water back in gallon containers. When there was a backlash, they sold their water business on.

I was warned not to keep plastic bottles in the car in the summer cos the heat does something to the plastic so I take a drinking bottle now with me of tap water. I always drink tap water in the house so thought why waste money on plastic bottles of the stuff. My recycling bin has a lot more room in it now too.

FAS from plasic of bottles causes cancer

Hetty58

ayse, aluminium leaches too - so kids water bottles are coated inside to prevent it. Having no faith in the coating (it's bound to get scratched) I replaced them all with stainless steel. Glass would be best, but too heavy and breakable.

Thank Hetty.

My DS has a degree in chemistry and says never drink bottled water as the little bugs in it can multiply when the bottles are sitting on the shelf in the shop.

We never buy bottled water, very expensive and unnecessary. We live in an exceptionally hard water area but the tap water is perfectly acceptable, to us anyway. I can't believe how many people walk around with a plastic bottle of water in their hand (or bag) and worse still throw it aside once it's empty.

Skydancer

My DS has a degree in chemistry and says never drink bottled water as the little bugs in it can multiply when the bottles are sitting on the shelf in the shop.

I used to work in a lab, admin role I'm not a scientist, and that was the view of all the scientists in the lab. They tested water as part of their role.

It’s quite safe if you don’t mind drinking the microplastics which are leached into the water. Plus the fact, you mustn’t worry about how you grandchildren are going to manage on this earth in fifty years time regarding where the plastic bottles finish up.

I turn Thames Water's best hard water into draft ale in my basement. It tastes brilliant!
Water direct from the tap here in the Chilterns is hard and tastes fine as it is. It doesn't make good tea - especially green or jasmine tea. Filtered from a jug, though, and the tea is perfect. Real ale is best made with hard water (Burton on Trent is the centre of decent ale production historically) and the alcohol kills bugs in the water. In Dickensian times 'small beer' was just strong enough to kill the bugs in the foul water of the time yet none too intoxicating. Cheers!

If the taste of your tap water is not to your liking try adding a splash of lemon juice to improve it.