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Anna Gower

Piano teacher, Piano teacher

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What water do you drink where you live?

I am curious to get a shapshot of peoples lives. Drinking water is important to living a healthy life. I've been told drinking water varies around the world and I know it does but haven't heard directly from people what water they are drinking. I boil my drinking water and take it as tea. I live in Scotland and the drinking water quality is good. I don't buy bottled water to drink. I don't like drinking cold water. My water tastes a little metallic but is very soft. I'm proud of our water quality it has improved this year.

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    peter lindsay 30+

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    Sep 14 2012: I live in Newcastle Australia. Most of our tap water is drawn from sand beds which capture rain water. It's about as pure as town water can be. It is much purer than any bottled water even with the chloriine and flouride added.
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      Frans Kellner 100+

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      Sep 14 2012: Do you really mean they add fluoride to tap water and chloride?

      I'm astound.
      Down the sixties there was a debate here in Holland to add fluoride to tap water and this gave lots of upheaval for it served no purpose and it could influence the mental will of the people in a negative way. Chloride isn't necessary anymore and it shouldn't be with you if they treated the water properly.
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        Anna Gower

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        Sep 15 2012: We have chloride in our water in Scotland, sometimes you can smell it. A chef told me to put the water in a jug and the chlorine gas will naturally filter out. Not a scientific approach but he uses this process before cooking. Our establishment say they are proud of there 100 year old tradition of adding chloride to the water. I just get on with drinking the water as I know how privelleged we are the water doesn't kill you outright.
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        peter lindsay 30+

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        Sep 16 2012: The flouride prevents tooth decay. Studies done at Australian universities indicate children that drink bottled water that has no flouride have higher levels of tooth decay. The resulting gum disease has been linked to heart disease in later l;ife. Low levels of chlorine are added as part of the treatment process but very little of it makes it through to the consumer. The residual amount stops bacteria multiplying in water that is accidentally contaminated by the consumer. (useing a dirty glass etc).
        I guess we still use sand beds because they produce alot of water very easily. They cover around 1000sqkm
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          Frans Kellner 100+

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          TED Translator
          Sep 17 2012: The claim that fluoride prevents tooth decay is just as feeble as that it's undermining the autonomy of the people.

          At that time in the sixties/seventies follow up studies showed that it had no effect at all and for those that believed fluoride to be beneficial they could take it with toothpaste or pills.

          As the following overview shows is that in the end, adding fluoride to tap water is rather harmful to teeth than that it does any good.


          http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/fluorideharm.html
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        peter lindsay 30+

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        Sep 18 2012: You realise that's a British website. Their rotten teeth are legendary. I can't find any studies that show flouride has no effect. The general consensus is that flouride in a water supply will prevent around 40% of cavities. It's main effect is on those who have a poor diet and bad dental hygiene. The WHO recomends 1.5mg/l which for a water supply based on captured rain water must be added. If you use ground water it probably already has that much flouride in it anyway.

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_fluoridation
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        peter lindsay 30+

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        Sep 18 2012: BTW the guy that runs second-opinion (Barry Groves phd) has a phd in electrical engineering.???
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      Anna Gower

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      Sep 15 2012: I have never heard of sand beds that capture rain water, but a gentleman from Holland mentioned this also on this chat.
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        Frans Kellner 100+

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        Sep 15 2012: In Holland the time of capturing rainwater from under the sand like our dunes is long past. Water from the rivers is used and pumped into sand beds where it has to sink through first before it is mechanical cleaned, mostly by active carbon and reverse osmotic filters.

        Chlorine gas will escape from the water but it will take some long while if it is standing water.
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          Anna Gower

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          Sep 15 2012: So the sand acts as a giant filter. I have seem small active carbon units at work but am just about to learn about osmotic filters. thank-you for your feedback.

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