Tap water is safe to drink in the UK. In fact, the quality of tap water in the UK is one of the best in the world.
While water from the mains connection in your kitchen is safe to drink, the same cannot be said of the water in your bathroom.
Drinking water from your bathroom tap is alright if you have a mains connection in your bathroom. However, drinking warm water in the bathroom isn’t advisable. This water will normally come from a storage tank or water heater, where it could have picked up dirt and impurities.
Limescale is prevalent in most water supplies, especially in areas with hard water. Although ingesting limescale is not harmful, a smart water filter can reduce limescale and improve the water quality.
Unlike limescale, lead can have harmful effects when ingested. The good news is lead is rarely found in tap water. But the bad news is water can absorb lead from old lead pipes.
You’re at a higher risk if you live in a locality with soft water, as hard water typically has a higher concentration of limescale, which can effectively block lead contamination. Hence, replacing old lead pipes with copper or PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) pipes can prevent water from absorbing lead.
Let’s examine the safety aspect of drinking water directly from your bathroom tap in this question-answer format blog.
- What Is the Quality of Tap Water in the United Kingdom?
- How Is Tap Water Treated in the UK?
- Is it Safe to Drink Water from Bathroom Tap at Home?
- Is it Safe to Drink Water from Bathroom Tap in Hotels?
- FAQs about Bathroom Tap Water
1. What Is the Quality of Tap Water in the United Kingdom?
The Relevance of Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) in Ensuring Water Quality and Safety
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) monitors water quality regularly, ensuring the water is clean and safe to drink. The DWI looks for health hazards such as E. coli and other microbes across water reservoirs in the UK.
The DWI also handles enquiries from the public and investigates consumer complaints about the quality of drinking water.
The DWI Standards for the Overall Quality of Tap Water in the UK
The DWI has set stringent Drinking Water Standards and Regulations regarding the presence of added chemicals and harmful microbes in drinking water. The drinking water standards clearly state that drinking water must be wholesome.
The DWI checks tap water daily, but tests bottled water only once a month. Therefore, you can count on tap water to be safer than bottled water.
According to Discover Water, the quality of tap water in the UK is one of the best in the world, with a rating of 99.96% (please see page 12 in this DWI 2022 report). So, you are in safe hands if you have been drinking water straight from the kitchen tap.
2. How Is Tap Water Treated in the UK?
The Water Treatment Process in the UK
Storage
Storage is the first step in the water treatment process. Water is usually stored in a reservoir for several weeks. Some reservoirs are so large that local communities use them for fishing, sailing, bird watching, and nature walks.
Storage results in the natural clean-up process. This step is convenient because heavier particles don’t need to be taken out as they settle to the bottom.
Screening
In this step, the stored water is collected and passed through a screen to capture branches and leaves. They have to be removed as they can clog the entire treatment process.
Removing Particles
Flocculation
In this step, a solution is added to the water to make the particles bigger in size and easier to remove.
Filtering
In this step, the invisible particles are removed by passing the water through the following two filters:
- Rapid Gravity Filters
A tank full of coarse sand acts as an efficient filter and traps minute particles as the water is passed through it.
- Slow Sand Filters
Large beds of much finer sand remove even tinier particles as the water is passed through them before it goes for final treatment.
Some water treatment plants also use extra methods – namely, ozone, carbon, and ion exchange – to ensure all invisible and dissolved particles are removed from the water. These methods lead to chemical reactions in the water, resulting in the removal of fine particles.
Final Treatment
In this last step, a tiny quantity (less than 1mg per litre) of chlorine is added to the water. Any remaining microbes are killed, keeping the water safe until it reaches the taps of homes.
At each stage of the treatment process, the water undergoes extensive tests. A team of samplers and scientists test the water in advanced laboratories.
3. Is it Safe to Drink Water from Bathroom Tap at Home?
If you’ve ever drunk water from the bathroom tap in your home, you may have noticed that the water in your bathroom tastes slightly different from kitchen water and is often at a slightly warmer temperature.
But is drinking the water you use to brush your teeth every day really such a bad idea? Let’s consider the following study:
According to research conducted by Brunel University, London, each time you enjoy a life-sustaining glass of tap water, you could inadvertently be drinking a very low dose of other people’s medications. The reason being today’s pharmaceuticals are stable and long-lasting.
Although the dose of this cocktail in tap water is reliably consistent, a significant amount of these prescribed drugs that people excrete goes out into wastewater.
Eventually, a proportion of these drugs – although, in very low doses – re-enters the domestic supply, unchanged through the sewage filtering system.
Main Factors to Consider When You Drink Bathroom Tap Water at Home
1. Water Storage Tanks
According to Hafren Dyfrdwy Limited (formerly Dee Valley Water Limited), the water in your bathroom taps has usually been stored in a tank in the loft. Hence, unlike the water in your kitchen tap, this water isn’t fresh from the mains.
And this water has possibly been retained in the plumbing system of your home for a while. It’s possible that this water contains small amounts of dust and debris from the storage tank in your home.
Therefore, while there’s no harm in drinking water from a bathroom tap at home once in a while, it’s much safer to drink water from your kitchen tap connected to the mains.
2. Old Pipes
As already mentioned, water pipes in older homes can be a health hazard. Since the 1970s, the use of lead pipes for plumbing has been banned in the UK.
Despite the ban, millions of new houses are still plumbed with hazardous lead pipes. To counter this risk, water companies normally add orthophosphate to the drinking water as a plumbo-solvency agent.
While adding tonnes of this compound to the drinking water each year is a cost-effective solution compared to replacing all the lead pipes in the country, it’s not 100% reliable. There have been cases of lead poisoning in the recent past.
The best solution is to replace old lead pipes with safer new copper or PEX pipes to prevent water from absorbing lead.
3. Water Filter
While most water filters can remove dirt and debris from water, they cannot remove lead. You’ll need to use a heavy metals water filter to remove lead.
If you have a lead plumbing system in your home and you drink bathroom tap water, you can install a ZeroWater filter in the bathroom to remove lead. After the installation of a heavy metals or ZeroWater filter, the lead-free water is safe to drink.
4. Is it Safe to Drink Water from Bathroom Tap in Hotels?
The major worry with bathroom tap water in hotels is that older buildings usually have lead piping in the bathroom, which can make the water dangerous to drink. Even if the hotel has been newly constructed, the plumbing system may have copper pipes that have been joined with lead solder.
Whilst 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 potentially any hot water taps in the bathroom, the water has probably been in the plumbing system of the hotel for a while. Chances are this stagnant water in the pipes has absorbed tiny amounts of lead.
Next, lead isn't the only issue. A tank stored in a neglected area can potentially be intercepted by small creatures like vermin and birds. It's not a pleasant thought. But it is a possible source of contamination and something over which you have no control in a hotel. You should be careful, especially if the tap water smells funny or looks suspicious.
Another serious concern with hotel bathroom tap water is the possibility of a build-up of harmful bacteria and germs. Let’s be practical here.
The water in an unoccupied hotel room can stay stagnant in pipes for several days to a few weeks, making the water pipes a breeding ground for harmful microbes. This can certainly make the water unsafe to drink.
On the flip side, you may not face this issue in hotels with high occupancy rates and stringent hygiene standards. This is the only similarity between drinking bathroom tap water in your home and a hotel.
5. FAQs about Bathroom Tap Water
a. What are the common contaminants found in bathroom tap water?
The top contaminants found in bathroom tap water include:
- Lead
- Chlorine
- Chloramines
- Mercury
- VOCS (Volatile Organic Compounds)
- Pharmaceuticals (natural or synthetic chemical compounds)
- Herbicides
- Pesticides
- Cysts
- MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether)
b. How does the quality of bathroom tap water compare to kitchen tap water?
The quality of kitchen tap water connected to the mains is much better than bathroom tap water from a storage tank. However, if the storage tank is cleaned periodically, then the quality of bathroom tap water compares favourably to kitchen tap water.
c. Is bathroom tap water safe for brushing teeth?
As long as you're not swallowing the water, your bathroom tap water is perfectly safe for brushing your teeth. Just be extra aware of small children – when they are brushing their teeth, remind them to spit the water out.
d. Should I install a water filter in my bathroom to make the water safe for drinking?
Yes, installing a water filter in your bathroom is a great idea. A water filter can remove potentially hazardous substances such as lead from the water, making it safe for drinking.
A water filter can also remove traces of chlorine and harmful bacteria from the water. As a result, filtered water tastes better.
e. Can bathroom tap water be used for cooking and food preparation?
In the UK, the quality of tap water is better than bottled water. One more favourable factor is that during the cooking process, water will exceed its boiling point killing all microbes.
Hence, bathroom tap water can be safely used for cooking and food preparation.
f. What are the long-term health effects of consuming bathroom tap water?
If the bathroom tap water is not safe to consume, lead poisoning is a real possibility. High levels of lead in water can result in damage to the kidneys and nervous system.
A dead rodent or bird in an uncovered tank can also cause a range of gastro-intestinal infections.
g. Are there any countries where it’s safe to drink water from bathroom taps?
Drinking water straight from bathroom taps poses a health risk. Despite advances in sanitation worldwide, there are more than 180 countries where tap water is considered unsafe for tourists.
In these countries, it would be doubly unsafe to drink water from bathroom taps.
If you get it wrong, you could face a string of harmful and potentially fatal infections. However, the local populace will have a higher level of immunity to the common pathogens in the water supply than tourists who are on a brief visit.
One factor you need to be alert about is that while the natives are unaffected by the unsafe drinking water, it may not be the same for tourists.
h. Which are some of the countries where it is safe to drink water from taps?
The top countries in regard to the best quality of tap water include:
- Finland
- Iceland
- Switzerland
- Canada
- New Zealand
- Greenland
- Colombia
- Singapore
- Sweden
- Germany
The tap water in these countries is doubtless among the cleanest and safest in the entire world. The quality of tap water in the countries listed below is also exceptionally good.
- Norway
- Luxemburg
- France
- Austria
- Italy
- United Kingdom
Conclusion
While the general consensus in the UK is that you should never drink water from your bathroom tap, it’s strictly your personal choice.
Drinking water from the kitchen tap connected to the mains is definitely the best option.
That said, drinking water from your bathroom tap once in a while is safe enough. But if you're likely to get thirsty in the night, bring a glass or bottle of kitchen tap water with you to bed.
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