Is it Safe to Drink the Tap Water Where You Live?

According to a United Nations Report, there are approximately two billion people worldwide whose drinking water is unsafe - and often they will have to walk miles to access any water and it is often not on tap.

Here in the UK, the tap water is considered to be of high quality and safe to drink.  

But many other countries are not so fortunate.

How safe is drinking tap water in the USA?

As a general rule, tap water in the USA is safe to drink.  This is because public water systems must follow regulations that have been implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that their water is treated before use.

However, if you live in rural areas you might need to be more aware that some suppliers there may exceed legal limits for certain contaminants.

If you are concerned about your own water supply, it might be wise to install a filter system for your drinking water.

There are plenty of options to choose from ranging from a full filtration system plumbed in beneath your sink in the kitchen to an easy-to-use water jug with its own filter which can be changed when needed.  The Water Nerd shares a list of ten different suggestions here. 

What about other countries?

The CDC offers the same advice for every country where it is safe to drink the water and lists all those countries where the tap water is safe to drink, saying:

“Food and water standards in these countries are similar to those in the United States. Most travelers do not need to take special food or water precautions beyond what they normally do at home."

However, the CDC cautions that travelers visiting rural or remote areas that are served by unregulated water sources such as private wells should take special precautions to ensure the safety of their drinking water.

On the same site, the CDC lists those countries where it is NOT safe to drink the tap water, pointing out that unclean food and water can cause travelers’ diarrhea and other diseases and recommending reducing the risk of illness by avoiding tap or well water and only drinking bottled water with a sealed cap or water that has been disinfected.   They caution that travelers also should only use ice made with bottled or disinfected water.

Water is vital for our health, wellbeing and survival

For example, there are several different ways in which you can use water as a base, with other natural substances, to provide a home remedy for many conditions.  You can find all the details in our earlier post:  Try these Water Remedies to Help with Many Conditions.

For many years, we have all been encouraged to drink eight glasses of water daily to ensure we are well hydrated.  In an interesting change of thought, some scientists and researchers are having second thoughts on this long-held belief, saying that the recommended eight glasses of water may actually be more than we need.  Find out more in our earlier post: How much Hydration do we Really Need?

And then we wrote about how some studies have suggested that proper hydration may slow down aging and prolong a disease-free life.  Find out more here.

• Did you know that water makes up about sixty percent of our body weight with every cell, tissue and organ needing water to work properly.
• Water gets rid of wastes through urination, perspiration and bowel movements.
• Water keeps our temperature normal while lubricating and cushioning our joints.
• Water is critical for our heart health and plays an important role in most of the life processes by acting as a solvent.  For example, the absorption of food in our body takes place in solution form with water as the solvent. 

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