The drinking water in certain areas of both Ireland and Scotland may be the best water you have ever had.

However, do not drink the water from the cold tap in your bathroom unless you are sure it is 'mains' water. Many older properties will have a water tank stored in their roofspace which has been there for years. This tank is filled from the mains and used to service toilets, showers and bathroom sinks. By law it should be checked for Legionella but that does not mean that the water is safe to drink as Legionnaires' disease is contacted through inhalation not ingestion. It simply means the water is safe to shower!!

For the past 15 years or so all new properties have 'Mains Only' water in which case the water from your tap in the bathroom is the same as the water used in the kitchen - perfectly safe to drink.

If in doubt ask the landlady of your B&B and if the water in your room is not mains ask her to fill your water bottle from her kitchen tap.

Apologies to the original poster.

My "ignoramus" remark was meant to apply more to those who feel that energy-saving lightbulbs are infringing on their civil rights, as claimed in the recent bill before Congress. I then extrapolated to those who believe that America is best in EVERYTHING.

<i>By law it should be checked for Legionella but that does not mean that the water is safe to drink as Legionnaires' disease is contacted through inhalation not ingestion. It simply means the water is safe to shower!!</i>

Since one does not inhale but ingest the water, I do not see the danger of catching Legionnaire's disease.

We had one experience in Edinburgh where a very unfriendly waiter refused to serve us tap water because it came from a tank, or so he said.

'Since one does not inhale but ingest the water, I do not see the danger of catching Legionnaire's disease.'

The legionella bacteria is inhaled from the aerosol spray created when showering etc. It causes a type of pneumonia which can be fatal. It does not cause stomach upset though the bacteria can be inhaled if contaminated water is drunk and the bacteria is transferred to the lungs.

<i>The legionella bacteria is inhaled from the aerosol spray created when showering etc.</i>

So the water is not safe to shower, as you originally claimed.

Legionella bacteria ARE inhaled.

Legionella pneumophila, first identified in the mid 1970s following an outbreak of a previously unknown respiratory disease at a conference of the American Legion. (Which is why it is Legionella and why the disease is Legionaire's disease).

Often associated with air conditioning, so takes up huge amounts of our Food and Water lab's time and effort as the hospital needs checking regularly.

After living in Scotland for most of my life,I can assure you that I haven't died from drinking water.I live in the countryside and the water is really nice where I am ( I have my own well,so that is probably why).Some of the water contains chlorine which is still safe to drink,but isn't as nice as well water.

After living in Scotland for most of my life,I can assure you that I haven't died from drinking water>>

lol - something has to get you sometime, Mau_dGirl!

perhaps the water will get you eventually.

'So the water is not safe to shower, as you originally claimed.'

Michael I did not claim that the water is unsafe to shower, please read what I said.

I was responding to a previous post (silly me I did not quote it) which said:

'Some places mark the tap water as DO NOT DRINK. this is to cover them in case someone gets ill not because there is anything wrong. Some places have dedicated filtered taps marked DRINKING WATER. All water kept in tanks is legally subject to testing for Legionnaires and the like, mains water is treated chemically and tested twice weekly. Our water is group scheme drown from an underground lake and distributed to about 60 houses and 20 farms. Typical of rural Ireland and perfectly safe (if a little "hard"). Bottled water is readily available at low cost for anyone feint hearted.'

I was concerned that people would ignore the 'DO NOT DRINK' as it was tested by law for Legionella and so safe to drink.

If it is not mains water IMO don't drink it but it is perfectly safe to shower in Ireland and Scotland and all countries in the EU (I assume the US also) the water is rigorously tested and safe for showering, hot tub, air conditioning etc.

The worst water I ever have encountered was in Kewanee, Illinois. Was it safe to drink? Sure. But it smelled of sulfur and tasted godawful. So was it okay to drink? Not in my book.

So maybe that is what the OP meant; the question was not "Is it safe to drink" but rather "Is it okay to drink?" Big difference.

this is why is Scotland I ONLY drink eau de vie - whisk(e)y and never touch a drop of water - for health concerns.

I'm entirely certain the Scots don't call it "eau de vie".

Worst waters I've had = San Diego in the 70s and Trophy Club, Texas, where it tastes like it's come from a swimming pool.

uisge beatha

'Tell many Americans that 99.9% of the world uses the much more logical Celsius thermometer and they fall to pieces. I've been too many places where when they are told it's 15 degrees outside, they have no idea what that means. Tell them petrol costs £1.39/liter, they don't have a clue.'

ahem, I'm with them I'm afraid, as a 40-odd year old English woman I still think in farenheit (I've just about got the idea of 70-90 C, but don't really have a feel for the lower numbers), and I think in gallons of petrol and mpg. And miles and feet and yards and inches (although I can do a quick conversion in my mind if I need to). And lbs and ozs not grams and kilos. And pints. It's quite common to have both systems in use here in the UK. We may be officially metric and continental but in practice the old measures are used either in tandom or more than the new ones. You buy a pint of beer, a litre of petrol, a pint of milk but 500g of shampoo, we are measured in cms at the docs or other official things but no one uses anything but 5'5" for me in real life, our road signs all show miles, but we do 400m athletic races...

so don't pick on the Americans for their little quirks...

<<After reading the responses to this posters question I would imagine she is having second thoughts about visiting>>

I'd say she might only have second thoughts about visiting Fodors.

If you put the words "drink water Mexico" in the search box, you will get 2 posts answering the questions of whether or not to drink the water in Mexico. No irate responses, no offended people. Come on - what's so different about asking the same question about Scotland? Doesn't the OP deserve a civil answer?

<<there is an image out there of us being some sort of flea bitten, rancid third world outpost>>

I don't think the OP would be going there if she thought that way!

heymom - I lived in Scotland for a year and drank tap water. No problems. Scotland is beautiful and the people are very nice. Have a great trip!

Some of the best water I EVER tasted came from Wales, but Scotland and Ireland are close seconds.

I think the question is fine. I don't drink the water when I go to Florida.

>>>>>
And unfortunately, it speaks volumes about the naïvété/ignorance/lack of education of so many Americans. It also smacks of a certain type of American superiority that is really deplorable
>>>>>>

we will never settle on whether or not the water is 'ok to drink', however, i think we all agree that this is not a stupid question, it does not mean the OP is ignorant and without education, naive or superior.

quite the opposite, i think that it is naive, ignorant, lacking in education and arrogant to assume that everywhere in the world is blessed with the same plumbing as in america. as cambe has explained, we britons have some of the dodgiest plumbing in the free world. only those of us with educations and intelligence are aware of this.

You can get a reasonable indication of overall water safety by looking at the incidence of Cryptosporidium disease. Although most cases are a result of exposure to untreated, often recreational water (lakes, canals etc), there is occassionally a city wide outbreak, usually following flooding/severe rains where the watr treatment plants are overwhelmed.

Unlike bacteria, Cryptosporidium cannot be killed by chlorination. When we get the occassional "people in the (XXXX) area are advised to boil their water before use" messages, it is nearly always Cryptosporidium.


"only those of us with educations and intelligence are aware of this."

I have an education, I spent far too long at sewage works and water purification plants while studyig microbiology. As part of my job I regularly see the public health bulletins regarding outbreaks of water borne pathogens in the UK.

What are your qualifications for discussion of water safety and comparitive plumbing ?

I saw the title and wondered if anyone was still standing after a few days of mud slinging....... Yep, as expected. Horns in guys and breath....

>>>>>
What are your qualifications for discussion of water safety and comparitive plumbing ?
>>>>>

i have a phd in great british plumbing and i have designed most of the plumbing in use today.

in looking around at the plumbing in the so called 'civilised' countries, i found that the pipes are put inside the walls. presumably this is for a 'neat' or 'uncluttered' look. then one day i went to the great city of paris and saw this beautiful building that the french call the georges pimpido centre. it has all of its pipes on the OUTSIDE. i thought that i could replicate this artistic concept in my plumbing designs and take a different approach than the so called civilised countries. additionally, my work also includes some wonderous features such as pipes that come out of the walls and just end there.

in my studies, i have also researched the use of these new 'mixer taps' in the so called 'civilised' countries. i decided that we need to keep things simple and take a different approach. people aren't intelligent enough to operate such complex 'mixer taps'. what people really want is cold water or hot water. we give them some choice but not so much choice that it confuses them with unnecessary options such as 'warm' or 'cool' water. Furthermore, there has not been enough studies to ensure that mixing foreign substances (hot water and cold water) does not create a hazardous substance.

finally, the so called civilised countries hook directly to their 'mains'. forget that. we wanted to take another approach. let's store the water up in the loft and distribute it to the taps in low flow drips. the so called civilised countries are so obsessed with this concept of 'water pressure'. i don't understand the need for such pressure. storing the water in the loft allows us to age it. everyone knows that wine gets better with age but only us britons know that water also gets better as it ages in our specially constructed vats.

So mixer taps and decent water pressure ensures safe water (which was the topic of conversation)? Thanks do much for your insight.

why does Volvic water which has been filtered through rocks for millions of years have a sell by date on the bottles?

The law(s) say(s) so.
And sparkling water in plastic bottles loses the bubbles within 1-2 years as carbon dioxide diffuses through PET.

Big Russ, I'm confused by you claiming that the Atlantans and Confederates burned Atlanta. I'm pretty sure it was Sherman.

Wow. Can't believe how many people decide on their own that "ok" and "safe" must mean the same thing. I know of plenty of places where water is potable and I could say 100% that it's intended to be "safe" - but I'd have to qualify an "ok". The poster used "ok", not "safe."

One thing's for sure after looking at this thread - either way, isn't any ignorance being resolved here on this one. I can't imagine that if this poster was simply naive about the world, that they'd ever come back here to ask another question, nor send any of their non-traveled friends this way either.

There's a mental picture I have of an angry old man screaming at people to get off his lawn. And by lawn, I mean forum.

<i>Can't believe how many people decide on their own that "ok" and "safe" must mean the same thing.</i>

But they can mean the same thing. Moreover, I don't think that the OP would ask the question if it were just a matter of taste.

And in this case, they absolutely mean the same thing. The 2 words are interchangeable in this context.

We don't know the context. But you can assume you know the context if you wish.

The context is the original question...is it OK/safe to drink the water...

*You* added the "safe" in order to add the context

No, I just meant they are interchangeable. I thought after I pushed the button I should have done that differently, so oh well. No one would ask if it's OK to drink the water and not mean is it safe to drink it, that's all. Not a big deal.

Clearly 'ok' means safe in this context.

Because the question was 'is it ok to drink the water'

not

'Does the water taste ok?'

Y'all are probably right. Maybe. I just don't know that people don't sometimes put things differently than they intend. Case in point, kwren's latest. (sorry, not to play gotcha, just saying...). For all I know, it's maybe even some regular having a go.

But on the chance that it wasn't intended to be some purposeless dig or ignorant insult at the entire countries of Scotland or Ireland, might they collectively survive the sheer indignation if we were to just answer the question. Even if just to deliver it with the usual veiled condensation this board is known for, rather than outright hostility? 5 words that end in a question mark hardly seems to warrant the energy.

Sorry. 7 words. Maybe the extra 2 will tip the scales.

<< usual veiled condensation >>

Did you perhaps mean condescension?

Maybe you should just accept that it's not for you to decide a) whether the Scottish should be offended or not by the question and b) how anyone should choose to answer.

You can provide your own viewpoint. You can't speak for anyone else.

no, condensation. It's all full of drips. (yes, I did, lol. damn spell check suggestions)

----

RM67 - I have provided my own viewpoint. You're reading it as we exchange thoughts. So I guess it is for me to decide both points a and b, at least as much as it is for everyone to decide what they think of this woman's yes or no question.

For what it's worth, I see a certain amount of irony here in this dustup as it relates to national exceptionalism. Which I wouldn't bother mentioning if it weren't a concept so often leveled at others by those now upset. If someone were to have asked the same question about Romania (or plug in any number of countries), I feel certain not a poster here would have batted an eye, much less argued the intent or the OP's audacity for asking. Yet it has gone to the same trouble to make it's drinking water safe as most western countries. ("Geez, don't you know anything? We're somebody!" vs "well... it IS Romania after all...")

Yes, I agree that it *probably* was a safety question. I don't know for sure, and I don't care, but maybe so. If it was asked about any of the places I've lived, it would bother me - but everyone's sensitivity level is different. Granted. For me, I posted because I see that subtext going here - how could you ask that about US! - when in reality, we all have varying levels, in ever grayer concentric circles, about what we know about the parts of the world we've never been. But those circles are in different shades and lay out differently for each *person*.

So you'd <i>think</i> that the most logical thing to do when you really didn't know something was to ask those who did...

But if you had a look at this thread, you'd realize that'd be a pretty bad idea.

Our friends in Kansas do not drink the water out of the tap because the water is polluted by too much fertilizer that has worked itself into the ground water. However, I do not know if it is the official position of the authorities that the water is unsafe or if the water simply tastes lousy.

As a resource for anyone who reads this and isn't sure and now knows not to ask here, this is a pretty good resource for travelers around the world:

http://canidrinkthewater.org