How bad could tap water really be?!
Answers: I guess i'm worried most about lead?
Not bad at all.
Modern water treatment systems do an excellent job of ridding your water from harmful biologicals. So much so that many bottled waters start their lives in the municipal water supply.
Dasani Bottled Water, for example, is from the public water supply (tap water) of Bishopville, SC.
Some tap water contains dangerous bacteria. some contains excess lead or copper.
Lead is least of your concerns because that is more easily filtered. It's the chlorine and fluoride that cause more problems than anything. Coming from a family full of scientist and doctors we take our health very seriously. We buy deionized water to ensure we aren't consuming any contaminants.
In most places, it's not that bad. The general rule of thumb is the older the infrastructure, the more risk of high lead amounts you have. If you're concerned, you can collect a sample of water and have it analyzed for a low cost. It may be anywhere from 30 to 75 dollars, depending on where you live and who you get to analyze it.
I agree with the concerns over chlorine and fluoride. One will lead to brittle teeth and bones the other will plaque your arteries. Sounds like a lethal combination to me
They test municipal water systems *at* the treatment plant - but it's a lead-pipe cinch that no city founded prior to 1950 has lead-free plumbing to supply your water.
Oooh, did I say lead-pipe cinch? That's a funny, isn't it? Sheesh, I'm sorry about that.
But I'm drinking bottled water anyway, and I have a whole-house water filter, but I still wish I could bathe and wash my clothes in lead-free water.
Flouridated water is very bad for you.The stuff they put in the water is not medical grade. It comes from smoke stacks at aluminum smelting plants, untreated.
Even if were good for you, (which it's not) it's unethical to medicate someone without their consent.