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.
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.
It depends on where you live in the US for sure. Not everywhere has drinkable water. And even more places have poor-tasting or very hard tap water.
Also depends on what’s happening. I used to live in the US in Texas and when the power went out at all we would need to boil for a while. A lot depends on the local government and utilities in the US, every state and county seems to do stuff in a slightly different way.
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.
My wife’s old house was on well water and surrounded by farms. Due to the nitrate levels it was unhealthy to drink without an expensive filtration system.
Lol, I was you 10 years ago. For context I’m Malaysian and we only drink water that is first filtered and then boiled. When eating outside we generally avoid iced drinks unless it’s a reputable shop.
Then I moved to Australia and reacted with utter horror to see my then-bf drink straight from the tap. I was like wtf you’re going to get parasites! Spit it out!
Now I drink water like Aussies and my kid refills her bottle from the tap too. My parents, when they visit, still boil water to drink but they’ve at least stopped thinking we’re trying to murder their grandchild.
Berlin, Germany: we drink water straight from the tap. It’s free and delicious. If you don’t feel like drinking tap, just drink a “Berliner Rohrperle”. It’s the same thing with a fancier name, because our tap water is awesome.
Nowadays we even have public drinking fountains dotted around the city.
It is safe in most parts of the EU. If you can’t, they tell you, usually.
Iceland has one of the cleanest water in the world.If you can’t drink your tap water without boiling, your government has totally failed you.
Netherlands: our tap water is better than bottled spring water
Finland
Yes. Our tap water is among the cleanest on earth
German here. Yes, constantly. The only reason to not do it would be taste (personal preference) or sometimes due to pollutants entering the system, which is explicitly communicated by the city.
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.
West Aussie here, straight from the tap. Though different areas will taste different, they’re nearly all safe to drink. Any unsafe are well signed.
The taste of the water varies a fair bit depending on the area. I find northern suburbs of Perth water tastes a bit odd and would definitely want to filter it if I lived there.
Funny you say that, I’m NoR and think its fine 🙂
Another Australian here. Our water is safe to drink out of the tap. I drink tap water daily and have so all my life.
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
Tap water in Brazil is supposed to be drinkable, but I use a filter anyways because I don’t trust the companies.
Interestingly it’s perfectly safe to drink tap water in Hong Kong. But tradition and fear of the government keeps water boiling alive.
https://www.mychinainterpreter.com/china-travel-guide/can-you-drink-tap-water-in-hong-kong/
As opposed to say parts of the US where you really shouldn’t drink tap water but everyone does anyway. Flint Michigan looking at you.
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’ve lived in Canada and the US and I’ve never thought twice about drinking water straight from the tap.
In France we drink it straight without boiling it. But water quality control is pretty strict here in France and more generally in Europe
