When used at recommended levels, chlorine in drinking water has no adverse health risks--in spite of what the aluminum foil hat crowd claim on their internet websites.

Yes, all water has some microscopic critters in it--they generally have no adverse health impacts because our systems are adapted to them. However, the variety of critters varies from location to location, so it is possible to have unpleasant symptoms from "strange" water. The sensitivity to new critters also varies from individual to individual--I never have problems, Mrs. Fly frequently does.

In "westernized" nations, bottled natural water is more likely to have contaminatants than tap water. The safest bottled waters are the boiled and filtered types--these usually start out as plain tap water.

I only drink the tap water in the privacy of my European hotel room. The bottled water police have not, to my knowledge, installed cameras in hotel bathrooms. However, I always sip from European-brand bottled water when in full public view, and always receive approving nods from the natives on the trams and subways. Little do they know I filled the bottle from the hotel sink (Ha ha!!).
This cat-and-mouse game may not go on for much longer, however. On my last trip, I noticed a stern-looking government official carrying a water testing kit.

AnthonyGA,

"Small towns can't afford fancy water treatment"

Wrong yet again. In UK water is not provided by local authorities but by large regional undertakings which apply common standards which are subject to national and EU regulation.

If you can name a small town in Europe in which the water is not potable, do so. If you can't, go away.

Well put wasleys.

It's a wonder some people even step outside their own front door these days, with all the hysteria or paranoia....and I don't just mean this thread, but modern society in general.

non-potable water all over Europe, muggers and scam artists lurking at every ATM, pickpockets on every street corner, SARS, bird flu, mad cow, antibacterial soap, the list goes on.


Then again, maybe they don't.... virtual travellers online in the safety of their living room. I sure hope they have anti-virus s/w, anti spyware, anti adware and all anti-social s/w up to date, lest they catch something...

Quite an amusing but truthful IMHO in the SF Chronical this morning. Website is www.sfgate.com. Click on travel and scroll down to John Flinns article. Some of you will really enjoy it, guess some of you might not. Neil, you will!

Thanks, LoveItaly - a very sensible article, one for the Nervous Nellies.

AnthonyGA, I think the mistake you're making, surely with the best of intentions, is to assume that everywhere in the world small local communities have to fund their water supply entirely from local taxes. This may be the case where you come from, but is far from universal. Your central point therefore has only limited applicability.

Anthony,

Small towns do not supply and regulate their own water in the UK. Our water is supplied by a handful of very large regional 'water boards' - there are no small towns with their own wells any more. Sure, local reservoirs are used but these are supplied, funded, controlled by and tested by the large water boards.
I have to pay water rates (fee for water) to a company based well over 100 miles away from where I live and they control the water supply for several counties.It simply doesn't happen on a town by town basis here.

My point (almost) exactly, nona1, in regard to Australia. I know this is the Europe board, but AnthonyGA has been making global generalisations.

At last, some figures. The Earth Policy Institute of Washington DC has released a report* on the increasing consumption and serious environmental costs of bottled water, which it notes can cost up to 10,000 times as much as tap water, and in most developed countries offers no health benefits. The plastic (PET) from which the bottles are made is derived from crude oil, and in the US 40% of bottles end up as landfill.

The top consumers are the US (26 billion litres in 2004), followed by Mexico, China, Brazil, Italy and Germany. Per capita, Italians are the worst offenders (a ridiculous 184 litres pp pa), followed by Mexico, the UAR, Belgium, France, Spain and Germany. The US ranks 11th at 95 litres.

Ten of the "top 15" countries are in Europe. On this basis there's certainly reason to suspect that too many Europeans have more money than brains.

The UK isn't ranked, which tends lends some support to Britons' long-held belief in their own common sense.

The US$100 billion spent on bottled water annually would go a long way towards providing undeveloped countries with safe tap water.

* www.earth-policy.org/
Updates/2006/Update51.htm

Interesting info in the statement on bottled water use/costs worldwide. But if bottled water disappeared from the face of the earth today, I doubt that people would actually donate the money saved to providing clean water to undeveloped countries.

Bottled water is often the cheapest thing at the supermarket, at least in France, where it is often sold at or near cost in order to bring in customers who buy other things.