Is it Really Safe to Drink the Water from Your Bathroom Tap?
Tap water is safe to drink in the United Kingdom. In reality, the UK has some of the most safe tap water in the world.
While the water from the mains connection in your kitchen is safe to drink, the same cannot be guaranteed to be true for the water in your bathroom.
Drinking water from the bathroom tap is acceptable if your bathroom has a mains connection. However, drinking warm water in the bathroom is not recommended. This water typically comes from a storage tank or water heater, where it may have taken up dirt and pollutants.
Limescale is found in most water systems, particularly in areas with hard water. Although consuming limescale is safe, a smart water filter can help reduce limescale and enhance water quality.
Lead, unlike limescale, can be toxic if consumed. The good news is that lead is rarely present in tap water. However, the bad news is that water can collect lead from ancient lead pipes.
If you reside in an area with soft water, you are at a higher risk since hard water often contains a larger concentration of limescale, which can effectively block lead contaminants. Thus, replacing old lead pipes with copper or PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) pipes can keep water from absorbing lead.
In this question-and-answer blog, we’ll look at the safety of drinking water directly from the bathroom tap.
#1. What is the quality of tap water in the UK?
The Role of the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) in Ensuring Water Quality and Safety
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) regularly tests water quality to ensure it is clean and safe to consume. The DWI searches for health concerns such as E. coli and other bacteria in water reservoirs around the UK.
In addition, the DWI responds to public inquiries and investigates consumer complaints about drinking water quality.
The DWI Standards for Overall Quality of Tap Water in the United Kingdom
The DWI has established tough Drinking Water Standards and Regulations that govern the presence of added chemicals and dangerous bacteria in drinking water. The drinking water regulations make it clear that the water must be safe to drink.
The DWI examines tap water every day, but bottled water only once a month. As a result, tap water is often safer than bottled water.
According to Discover Water, the UK’s tap water quality is among the highest in the world, with a rating of 99.96%. If you have been drinking water directly from the kitchen tap, you are in good hands.
#2. How is tap water handled in the United Kingdom?
Water Treatment Process in the United Kingdom
Storage
Storage is the first step of the water treatment process. Water is typically held in a reservoir for a few weeks. Some reservoirs are so vast that locals use them for fishing, sailing, birdwatching, and nature hikes.
Storage promotes the natural cleaning process. This stage is convenient because heavier particles do not need to be removed as they settle to the bottom.
Screening
In this method, the stored water is collected and filtered via a screen to remove branches and leaves. They must be removed since they can block the entire treatment process.
Eliminating Particles
Flocculation
In this stage, a solution is added to the water to increase particle size and make removal easier.
Filtering
In this step, the invisible particles are eliminated by passing the water through the following two filters:
Rapid Gravity Filters – A tank filled of coarse sand functions as an excellent filter, trapping minute particles as water passes through it.
Slow Sand Filters – Large beds of even finer sand remove even smaller particles when water passes through them before proceeding to ultimate treatment.
Some water treatment plants use additional technologies, such as ozone, carbon, and ion exchange, to ensure that all invisible and dissolved particles are removed from the water. These technologies cause chemical reactions in the water, which results in the removal of fine particles.
The final Step
In the last step, a small amount of chlorine (less than 1mg per litre) is added to the water. Any leftover germs are eliminated, ensuring that the water is safe until it reaches the taps in houses.
The water is thoroughly tested at each step of the treatment process. The water is tested in specialised facilities by a team of samplers and experts.
#3. Is It Safe to Drink Water From the Bathroom Tap at Home?
If you’ve ever consumed water from your home’s bathroom tap, you’ve probably noticed that the water tastes slightly different than kitchen water and is often significantly warmer.
But is drinking the same water you use to clean your teeth every day such a bad idea? Let’s look at the following study:
According to Brunel University, London, every time you drink a life-sustaining glass of tap water, you may be unwittingly consuming a very tiny dose of other people’s medications. The reason for this is that today’s medicines are stable and long-lasting.
Although the dose of this cocktail in tap water is consistent, a large percentage of the prescribed medications that people excrete end up in wastewater.
A percentage of these medications eventually re-enter the residential supply, although in extremely low dosages, via the sewage filtration system.
Important Factors to Consider When Drinking Bathroom Tap Water at Home
Old Pipes
As previously indicated, water pipes in older homes can pose a health risk. In the United Kingdom, lead pipes for plumbing have been banned since the 1970s.
Despite the ban, millions of newly constructed houses are still equipped with hazardous lead pipes. To reduce this risk, water providers typically add orthophosphate to drinking water as a plumbo-solvency agent.
While adding tonnes of this substance to drinking water each year is a cheaper alternative than replacing all of the country’s lead pipes, it is not entirely reliable. There have been recent reports of lead poisoning.
To prevent water from absorbing lead, replace old lead pipes with safer new copper or PEX pipes.
Water Storage Tanks
According to Hafren Dyfrdwy Limited (previously Dee Valley Water Limited), the water in your bathroom faucets is normally kept in a tank in the loft. As a result, unlike the water from your kitchen tap, this water does not come directly from the mains.
This water may have been stored in your home’s plumbing system for some time. This water could contain minor amounts of dust and debris from your home’s storage tank.
As a result, while there’s nothing wrong with occasionally drinking water from a bathroom tap at home, it’s far safer to drink water from a kitchen tap that is connected to the mains.
Water Filter
Most water filters can remove dirt and debris from water but cannot remove lead. To remove lead from your water, use a heavy metals filter.
If your home has a lead plumbing system and you drink tap water, you can remove lead by installing a ZeroWater filter in the bathroom. After installing a heavy metals or ZeroWater filter, the lead-free water is safe to consume.
#4. Is it Safe to Drink Water from Hotel Bathroom Taps?
The main concern about hotel bathroom tap water is that older buildings often have lead pipes in the bathrooms, making the water unsafe to drink. Even if the hotel was recently built, the plumbing system may have copper pipes connected with lead solder.
While water from the mains does not have time to absorb any lead from the pipes, water that has been stored in a tank, as is most often the case in hotels, which includes bathroom tap water and possibly any hot water taps in the bathroom, has most likely been in the hotel’s plumbing system for some time. The stagnant water in the pipes has most likely absorbed trace levels of lead.
Next, lead isn’t the main concern. A neglected tank may be intercepted by little creatures such as rats and birds. It is not a pleasant concept. However, it is a potential source of infection over which you have no control in a hotel setting. You should be cautious, especially if the tap water smells strange or appears suspect.
Another important concern about hotel bathroom tap water is the likelihood of hazardous bacteria and germs accumulating. Let’s get practical here.
The water in a vacant hotel room can remain stagnant in pipes for several days or weeks, providing a breeding environment for hazardous microorganisms. This can surely render the water dangerous to consume.
On the other hand, you may not encounter this problem at hotels with high occupancy rates and strict hygiene standards. This is the sole similarity between drinking bathroom tap water at home and in a hotel.
#5. Frequently Asked Questions concerning Bathroom Tap Water
What are the most prevalent contaminants discovered in bathroom tap water?
The most common pollutants discovered in bathroom tap water are:
- Pharmaceuticals (natural and synthetic chemical substances)
- Pesticides
- Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs)
- Chemicals in Personal Care Products (PCPs).
- Fluorochemicals or Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
What is the difference in quality between bathroom tap water and kitchen tap water?
The quality of kitchen tap water connected to the mains is far better to bathroom tap water from a storage tank. However, if the storage tank is cleaned on a regular basis, the quality of bathroom tap water will be comparable to that of kitchen tap water.
Is it okay to wash your teeth with the bathroom tap water?
As long as you don’t drink it, your bathroom tap water is absolutely safe to brush your teeth. Just keep an eye on tiny children when they brush their teeth and remind them to spit up the water.
Should I install a water filter in my bathroom to ensure the water is safe to drink?
Yes, placing a water filter in your bathroom is a fantastic idea. A water filter can remove potentially hazardous elements like lead from the water, making it safe to consume.
Water filters can also remove chlorine and harmful germs from the water. Consequently, purified water tastes better.
Can you use bathroom tap water to cook and prepare food?
In the United Kingdom, tap water is of higher quality than bottled water. Another advantage is that during the heating process, water will exceed its boiling point, destroying all microorganisms.
As a result, bathroom tap water can be used safely to cook and prepare food.
What are the long-term adverse effects of drinking the bathroom tap water?
If the bathroom tap water is unsafe to consume, lead poisoning is a real threat. High levels of lead in water can harm the kidneys and neurological system.
A dead rat or bird in an open tank may cause a variety of gastrointestinal diseases.
Are there any places where it is safe to drink water from bathroom taps?
Drinking water directly from bathroom taps is harmful to one’s health. Despite global sanitary developments, tap water in over 180 nations is considered dangerous for tourists.
In some countries, drinking water from bathroom taps would be doubly risky.
If you do it incorrectly, you may suffer a series of severe and potentially fatal illnesses. However, locals will be more immune to common infections in the water supply than guests on a short visit.
It’s important to know that the unsafe drinking water might not affect the locals, but it might affect guests.
Which countries have safe tap water?
The top countries for the best quality of tap water are:
- Finland
- Iceland
- Switzerland
- Canada
- New Zealand
- Greenland
- Colombia
- Singapore
- Sweden
- Germany
The tap water in these countries is undoubtedly among the cleanest and safest in the world. While not quite making the top ten, the quality of tap water in the following nations is likewise remarkable.
- Norway
- Luxemburg
- France
- Austria
- Italy
- United Kingdom
Summary
While there is a broad understanding in the UK that you should never drink water from your bathroom tap, this is entirely up to you.
Drinking water from a kitchen tap that is connected to the mains is undoubtedly the finest option.
However, drinking water from the bathroom tap is often safe, but if you tend to get thirsty throughout the night, carry a glass or bottle of kitchen tap water with you to bed.