The answer is yes, English tap water is completely safe for human consumption and actually is ranked as some of the cleanest in the world. In fact, an article published by English newspaper The Telegraph declares it is safer to consume tap water than bottled water because the latter is not subjected to the same strict safety tests. Plenty of tests are carried out on a yearly basis to ensure that Britain's mains water adheres to standards from the World Health Organisation.
Many first-time travellers to England and the United Kingdom want to make sure whether our tap water is totally safe to drink; as we all know, there is nothing like a stomach bug to put a downer on your holidays. Our tap water is indeed completely safe to drink. This might come as a relief to those backpackers and travellers traveling on a budget, because bottled water in England is charged at a premium, particularly in London. So filling up your water bottle from your tap is a very easy way to save some pounds and cut costs.
But despite the high quality of British tap water, water treatment experts have warned tap water home consumers of the possibility of the appearance of Legionella bacteria – which causes the potentially fatal Legionnaires’ disease – in their homes if they do not take the necessary preventive action.
The most common way to become infected with Legionnaires' disease is by inhaling microscopic water droplets containing Legionella bacteria. The problem appears if you choke or cough while drinking, since water can get in your lungs, and if it contains Legionella, you may develop Legionnaires' disease, which is basically a form of pneumonia. Although this disease primarily affects the lungs, it can cause infections in wounds and other parts of the body, including the heart.
Legionella bacteria are widespread in natural water sources. However, outbreaks of the illness occur from exposure to legionella growing in purpose-built systems where water is maintained at a temperature high enough to encourage growth (between 20–45 °C) and where there are nutrients that support bacterial growth such as rust, sludge, scale, organic matter and biofilms. The bacteria are dormant below 20 °C and do not survive above 60 °C.
So, what can we do as home water consumers to avoid the presence of Legionella bacteria running through our taps?
Paul Abbott, a Legionella Consultant at HydroChem Group, recommends tap water home consumers to run their bath, sinks and shower regularly and for a minimum of five minutes before using them if they have been away for a fairly long period of time.
Also, it is important to keep your cold water as close to the incoming cold mains supply temperature as possible, and the hot water stored at least at 60°C and distributed so that it reaches a temperature of 50 °C (55 °C in healthcare premises) within one minute at the outlets. So, this basically means making sure your hot water is hot and cold water is cold as the Legionella bacteria is killed above 60 degrees and it discourages it from growing below 20 degrees.
Other ways of prevention include: being careful around standing water - i.e. glasses of water that have been sitting for days - and keeping water systems covered - like tanks, water coolers and water butts - and clean.
Finally, if you are a landlord with a residential property, although you are not legally required to do so, you may want to consider carrying out a water hygiene compliance audit to ensure that the water in your water system is completely safe to drink.
Keefe Plumbing Company, Inc. provides the very best plumbing services with 24 hour emergency services in Chattanooga at the most affordable prices. Visit http://www.keefeplumbing.com/ or call 423-622-3178 now for more details.
