Bottled Water. Is It Safe?

[DP25]

Mostly drink filtered tap water. My building has one of those filter machines that dispenses water at 1 baht per liter. Tastes great, would want something like it if I bought a house

[Donnyboy]

the local authorities may say its safe to drink, and it could be where it starts off clean, but by the time it reaches your house tap, who knows what is in it.

We have a filter, and I looked to replace the cartridge the other day, it was mucky brown.

[rogerman]

I have two different supplies of drinking water....... I either filter it at home with one of those stainless triple filters, but down at the nursery we have three of those big concrete urns filled with normal tap water that has been let to sit for a few months.....totally safe to drink, but i only let it go halfway down before I tip out the rest and clean the urn.....Never had a problem yet over the past 5 years.

Previous to that i was living out in the sticks in Cambodia and we had no running water at all....Soley rain or river water for us..... Urns are the only way to go. It's just a matter of hardening up and getting used to it...... 

[Travel2003]

<snip>

In the UK water is treated with Fluoride to help prevent tooth decay.

That will not be true of any water source in Thailand.

Consider using a toothpaste with extra fluoride.

We drink the natural spring water from either Lotus or Carrefour (same water, sold under their own brand name) that actually has a high fluoride content. I wonder if the natural presence of fluoride could account for the generally good teeth of Thais, given their addiction to sugar?

Isnt the water also threated with Chlorine as well?

[LanxangBillybob]

We get our water from the dispensing machines (1 baht/liter). We found that one machine dispenses 'stale' tasting water, while one a little farther away is fine.

But it made me think, how can you be sure that the filter is cleaned regularly, or at all?

[billd766]

We have 2 x 3,000 litre stainless steel tanks for rainwater and they are probably down to about 1,000 litres in each from last years heavy rains.

However we don't open them up to refill until at least 3 days of heavy rainfall on the roof.

We live out in the country at the edge of Mae Wong national park.

[F1fanatic]

The price for a big bottle of water here is 10 baht.

No idea whether its 'safe' as such, but its certainly safer than the tap water!

[jfchandler]

But it made me think, how can you be sure that the filter is cleaned regularly, or at all?

You can't....Back in the U.S., they did consumer protection studies showing that a lot of the pay bottled water dispensers were putting out worse water than tap water, because they weren't being maintained properly...

And of course, that was the U.S. This is Thailand, so just take a guess.... :(

[Beetlejuice]

In Thailand who knows?

It`s luck of the draw.

[rexall]

The secret life of drinking water

27 JANUARY 2010 JOE CUMMINGS

Thirsty folk: the average Thai downs 118 liters of bottled water each year

<snip>

Only 118 liters per year ??? That's appalling. Just from casual observation, I have gotten the impression that Thais don't seem to drink much water. After a yoga class, for example, you ought to see a line at the water cooler to rehydrate, but not at the studio I go to.

118 liters per year is something like 1/3 liter per day; 1.3 cups! That's nothing . . . although there is some difference of opinion about whether the recommended 1-3 liters per day is actually necessary when you consider other liquid intake other than pure water.

Aloha,

Rex

[ubonrthai]

Nearly every time I eat with Thai friends and family, I'm the only one chugging down several glasses of water.

Only 118 liters per year ??? That's appalling. Just from casual observation, I have gotten the impression that Thais don't seem to drink much water. After a yoga class, for example, you ought to see a line at the water cooler to rehydrate, but not at the studio I go to.

118 liters per year is something like 1/3 liter per day; 1.3 cups! That's nothing . . . although there is some difference of opinion about whether the recommended 1-3 liters per day is actually necessary when you consider other liquid intake other than pure water.

Aloha,

Rex

[Travelish]

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2003 Jan-Mar;4(1):31-8.

Mutagenicity of the drinking water supply in Bangkok.

Kusamran WR, Tanthasri N, Meesiripan N, Tepsuwan A.

Biochemistry and Chemical Carcinogenesis Section, Research Division, National Cancer Institute, Bangkok 10400, Thailand. [email protected]

Seventeen samples of tap water in Bangkok and 2 neighboring provinces were collected in winter and summer, concentrated and tested for mutagenic activity using the Ames Salmonella mutagenesis assay. Preliminary results demonstrated that concentrated tap water exhibited clear mutagenicity towards S. typhimurium TA100 and YG1029, but not towards TA98 and YG1024, in the absence of S9 mix, and the addition of S9 mix markedly decreased the mutagenicity to both tester strains. Amberlite( ) XAD-2 resin, but not blue rayon, was able to adsorb mutagens from water at pH 2. Our data clearly demonstrated that all tap water samples prepared by chlorination of Chao Phraya River water were mutagenic to strain TA100 without S9 mix, inducing 3,351 + 741 and 2,216 + 770 revertants/l, in winter and summer, respectively. On the other hand, however, tap water samples prepared from ground water were not mutagenic. Furthermore, it was found that boiling for only 5 min and filtration through home purifying system containing activated charcoal and mixed resin units were very effective to abolish the mutagenicity of water. Storage of water also significantly decreased the mutagenicity, however, it took 2-3 weeks to totally abolish it. Additionally, we also found 1 out of 6 brands of commercially available bottled drinking water to be mutagenic, with about 26 % of the average mutagenicity of tap water. The results in the present study clearly demonstrated that chlorinated tap water in Bangkok and neighboring provinces contain direct-acting mutagens causing capable of causing base-pair substitution. Boiling and filtration of tap water through home purifying systems may be the most effective means to abolish the mutagenicity. Some brands of commercial bottled waters may also contain mutagens which may be derived from tap water.

PMID: 12718698 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12718698

[dazbandit]

The price for a big bottle of water here is 10 baht.

No idea whether its 'safe' as such, but its certainly safer than the tap water!

YES our big bottles get delivered to us at 10 baht...... Been Drinking it for over two yrs now ????

gotta die of something, MY luck it will be from water poisoning !!!!!!!!

AND people say Alcohol is BAD !?!?!?!

[craigt3365]

I would never drink tap water here in Thailand. Especially since manufacturing plants can, and do, dump what they want in the water. Just bribe an official and your off to the races....

Remember that article about the Chao Phraya river and how seriously contaminated it was? That's where a good part of BKK water comes from. No way everything gets filtered out. Even bottled water. But at least with bottled water, you don't have to worry about your apartment's storage tank, or old/rotten pipes, or what happens to it between the plant and your building. Lots of things happen along the way...most are not good.

Our water guys delivers the water in a covered truck. He even tells us not to store the bottles in the sun. We pay 45B per bottle, delivered, walked to our cooler, and installed. I don't have to lift a finger...at least until it runs out and he is not here...

Here is something interesting about RO. It's a big debate right now:

=================================================================================

It’s true that RO units remove minerals—about 95% of the mineral content anyway—but he isn’t really telling you the whole story. The mineral issue is probably the most controversial question in drinking water purification. Experts on both sides of the issue speak convincingly. My own view, after reading much of the expert opinion, is that the mineral content of water—either high or low—isn’t nearly as important as they would have you believe. That is, minerals in water are inorganic and hard for your body to use. You get most of your minerals from food, which provides organic, easily assimilated minerals. The human body is a sophisticated instrument capable of adapting to a wide range of circumstances and capable of thriving in areas having water of high or low mineral content. As long as water is palatable, it’s within the body’s acceptable range. The main issue with water is chemicals, not minerals. Whether water contains 30 or 3 parts per million calcium isn’t really significant, but the difference between 0.5 and 5 parts per million chloroform is of life or death importance.

[Peterphuket]

The price for a big bottle of water here is 10 baht.

No idea whether its 'safe' as such, but its certainly safer than the tap water!

YES our big bottles get delivered to us at 10 baht...... Been Drinking it for over two yrs now ????

gotta die of something, MY luck it will be from water poisoning !!!!!!!!

AND people say Alcohol is BAD !?!?!?!

Here in the province of Petchaburi, near by Thayang we pay 8 baht/20ltr, delivered at home,but sometimes it is a bit yellowis, and for that reason a dought from time to time about the quality, in the future i think it will better to boild it before drinking. And yes with some interruption I drink it now for more then 10 years! Maybe it is better to mixed it up 1:1 with Leo or Singha ;-).

[beppi]

There are so many misconceptions about drinkable water in this thread, as well as in the general population.

There are two distinct types of harmful contaminants occuring in water: microbes (which cause stomach problems instantly) and heavy metals (which accumulate in your liver and cause problems after a longer time of regular use - you don't see or feel anything after short-term use, but it's still harmful!).

Microbes are killed by boiling, adding silver nitrate, UV irradiation or ceramic filtering, but this does nothing at all to heavy metals. Both of them are removed by reverse osmosis or distilling (but distilled water per se is not drinkable - some minerals must be added!) . Other methods of filtering only remove dust, none of the really harmful stuff.

Tap water can have both, but in Thailand usually only the heavy metals (the source is bad piping, not bad water supply).

Rain water can have microbes (and additional chemicals it picks up from polluted air), but no heavy metals. It also takes with it any dust and soot in encounters (some of that is cancerogenic). Acid rain is harmless to humans (any fruit juice is more acidic!), it only kills trees.

Water from a tank, if untreated, almost certainly has microbes. It might also have other contaminants.

Bottled water, or water from those street vending machines, is safe in all respects if the filtering mechanism is functional and the filter exchanged regularly. Are you sure it is?

The only safe bet is buying and maintaining your own filter.

[featography]

Don't drink the rain water. Every hear of acid rain? Well, Bangkok (or Thailand) ain't the Swiss Alps.

In BKK & Chaing Mai...do not drink 'rainwater'. Anywhere else in Thailand...do drink the rainwater.

Most of those urns catch the rain run off, from roofs, that I have seen. My late mother in law died from flu like symptoms while in the hospital. She lived, and family still lives on a farm in Phetchburi. Tests resulted in the findings that she died of bird flu, and it was surmised she caught if from birds doing their duty on the roofs and the rains carrying the virus down to the urns.

As far as the 20L, 15B bottles, I have always disbelieved the safety in those. Compare the price per liter with those bottles, and ask yourselves, How can they make any profit at that price, and maintain quality control, much less health safety concern?? I'll continue to go with the smaller bottles. At least you can see in, and thru them.

[geriatrickid]

An excellent question. Let's start with what we know;

- In the west Nestle uses tap water to make its bottled product as does Coca Cola. The studies done have shown that the bottled water can contain more bacteria and more contaminants than tap water. Basically, people are wasting money for bottled water in the west.

Ok, so what about in Thailand? Unlike most western cities, the Thai tap water supply is unreliable, despite all the assurances that government officials give. The testing is not done on the same frequency and the standards are not the same. So right away, there is a difference. Nestle will filter that water, so there is a discernable benefit. When is the last time the local water officials provided a detailed analysis of heavy metals and organic compounds in tap water? For that reason alone, the bottle water source carries an advantage.

- Integrity of the potable water supply system: Western cities are plagued by the rupture of watermains, some of which are over 100 years old, Water officials know they have a problem with the pipes and the agreed upon solution is to keep the pressure up to prevent something seeping in. Water leaks out of the pipes because the water pressure is kept high. When the system is breached, the municipal authorities will close valves and flush the pipes. However, in some Thai municipalities, the water pressure fluctuates and there are regular breaches of the water pipes that allow contaminants to enter. The water may have been ok at the source, but sometimes by the time it gets to where it is going, it is contaminated. Thai municipal authorities are reluctant to flush pipes on a regular basis because water is a valuable resource. The Thai position is understandable because what is being delivered is still better than the option alot of people might otherwise have.

- Integrity of the water source. Years ago in North America, one brilliant city planner put the water system intake downstream from the sewage discharge pipe.Not very bright and it is an expensive error that earns a reference in public hygiene classes. It's all about the source of the water. Folks in the northern parts of Thailand are lucky because their water supply is more abundant. There is more rain. In Phuket, the water source is crappy to start off with, so it boils down to where you live. (bad pun, sorry).

- People that draw their water from wells in Thailand's chemical and industrial belt are drinking a strange brew that the government does not discuss publicly. I believe there is a reason why no one publishes birth defect results by region and district. Europe and North America struggled with their own drinking water tragedies (Remember Love Canal in NY State? - It's a classic textbook case study). And yet here in Thailand, it's as if a similar event has never happened.

- I am not a big fan of lightly filtered rainwater for drinking because of the concentration of metals and beasties. Obviously, a proper filtration system changes that and location is a big factor.

Ok, so back to the OP's question. IMO yes, bottled water is safer. However stick to the major brands that have standards. I don't like the taste of Nestle but it does the trick. Personally I try to use Singha since it is the same water used for brewing and for their beverage line. The biggerst risk with bottles is the outside contaminatns. Wipe your bottle spouts with a mild bleach soaked cloth and let dry for a couple hours before cracking the seal. I used to have a lab mate that was obsessed with disinfecting his bottles, even the little ones. He was convinced that he was going to catch something. On the other hand, he used to eat his lunch in a room filled with bits and pieces of human flesh some of which were in various stages of rot, so I guess it is all about one's threshold.

On a parting note, for those that think there is no risk in drinking unfiltered water in Thailand. Wait. Sometimes those little viruses and bacteria take time to work their magic. You can avoid the parasite for years, but then wham bam off you go with all sorts of squiggly wigglies eating you from the inside out.

[fxe1200]

That's how I've always been....and I've lived in the 'undeveloped' environment most of my life. I can drink any sort of water.

I stopped the drinking of the cheapo tank water (Hat Yai 12 THB for 20 liters, comes in white halfway tapesealed tanks)when I found some spots of black mould on the bottom of a tank.

I switched to the brand "Mountain Spring water", which is NOT mountain spring water, but comes in perfectly sealed tanks, the price is 30 THB per tank. The water was recommended by a coffee shop owner who serves high quality coffee. He told me that the water quality of the "white tanks" never met his expectations.

[glegolo]

Me and wifie drink the rain water here in the jungle,when we get the rain that is,she drinks the water from the concrete vats as i call them i drink the water from a stainless steel tank,all from the roof but before the water goes into the storage tanks there must be a lest 30 minutes of rain before we transfer the water,

taste ok for me,but when our water supply runs ou,t i do use the 15bt bottles, don't know why but i prefer rain water,done no harm to me yet, still can open a bottle of leo

sorry, Oh my god, this is to take it too far for me. Plse remember from where you come,

we are not Thais we are falangs

Glegolo:jap: :jap: :jap:

[asiawatcher]

So many options - Tesco plastic glass water tastes like plastic. Evian and others have a horrid taste and why pay for a brand. Its BS. Singha water and Minerve seem to have a reasonable taste. After an Amway b*tch tried to scam my wife into parting 30k for a water filter I bought a system of ceramic and sand that works fine for about 7,000 and the replacements are readily available. But bottled water? As kids we drank anything and everything so I really don't think it makes much difference. Tap water in Bangkok is palatable apart from the slight chlorine taste and my kids will drink it when thirsty and we are not around bottles so mostly all this seems to be much ado about nothing. Your immune system - if functioning - will take care of problems and all else seems to be conjecture.

[Shiver]

Seriously we used to use tap water for washing and cooking. This was in Chonburi province.

The tap water was passed though a triple filter, carbon/resin/ceramic to produce our drinking water.

In the UK water is treated with Fluoride to help prevent tooth decay.

That will not be true of any water source in Thailand.

Consider using a toothpaste with extra fluoride.

Flouride is bad advice. Apart from it making enamel harder (read Brittle!) it's one of the stronger halides (flourine, iodine, bromine, chlorine). Iodine is the only beneficial one, but is the weakest, meaning that any other halide will displace it.

[elguano]

Sorry to be off topic but I just can't get past the nagging question : Just what is a Belizean Ethnologist, and what would a 29 yr old one do? And why?

[Trentham]

I have been boiling Bangkok tap water for years now and then keep it in ordinary plastic water bottles. I have never had a problem. My concern with filtered water, as an amateur, is that filters can remove bacteria but virus are too small. Are they removed by filters too? I doubt it. The cost of the electricity to boil the water is cheaper than the cost of buying water too.

[garrfeild]

In the UK water is treated with Fluoride to help prevent tooth decay.

That will not be true of any water source in Thailand.

Not entirely true, though the percentage is on the low side.

There are some countries where Fluorosis, too much fluorine from natural resources are a major health problem.

International Water and Sanitation Center

We bought the 20ltr bottled water a couple times but it tasted funny. So we used to buy the branded type when ever we stay in Phuket. But now we live up country, the water comes from an underground aquifer and this goes through a filter system in the house. Coming from the UK where as you say the water is treated with fluorine. I have noticed that here in Thailand my teeth don't get covered in limescale or what ever it is! as they did in the UK. Also I'm not drinking water people pissed out the day before up north. Which is what happens in the UK. All be it that it is treated before hand.

[Shiver]

If you're reasonably happy with the water source with regard to mineral content, one thing you could do is throw some silver shot in the bottom of a glass bottle (the more surface area of silver the better), and leave it out where there's plenty of UV light.

[craigt3365]

I have been boiling Bangkok tap water for years now and then keep it in ordinary plastic water bottles. I have never had a problem. My concern with filtered water, as an amateur, is that filters can remove bacteria but virus are too small. Are they removed by filters too? I doubt it. The cost of the electricity to boil the water is cheaper than the cost of buying water too.

Boiling doesn't remove the chemicals...I use to do that, but found the water tasted bad, and then did some research. Here in LOS, lots of chemical pollutants in the water. Like the article below ways, even natural spring water can be bad.

My friend lives at 5,500 feet in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. Snow capped mountains a good part of the year, right off Sequoia National Park. Beautiful. They get their drinking water from a natural spring. I've seen where it comes out of the mountain...the source. Every year or so, they are told not to drink any water. Some kinda bacteria is in it. My other good friend up there is the water guy. Tests the spring water every week as it supplies a community of about 200 people.

=========== Interesting Comments ================================================================

It is not possible to tell whether water is of an appropriate quality by visual examination. Simple procedures such as boiling or the use of a household activated carbon filter are not sufficient for treating all the possible contaminants that may be present in water from an unknown source. Even natural spring water – considered safe for all practical purposes in the 1800s – must now be tested before determining what kind of treatment, if any, is needed. Chemical analysis, while expensive, is the only way to obtain the information necessary for deciding on the appropriate method of purification.

Boiling will not provide any safeguard against other things such as heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals etc that may contaminate a water supply. It may remove chemicals which have a lower boiling point than water but what about the others? Neither does it remove turbidity, foul tastes and odours.

In short, boiling water does not purify your water. It is certainly effective at eliminating the target pathogens but will not be effective against other contaminants - you really need a decent water purifier for that. However, drinking boiled water is certainly better than dehydration.

[earlse25]

here in ubon ratchathani we drink rain water each year before the rains come we wash inside our stainless steal container and wait till the roof is well washed when that task is done we allow the rain to run though filters. in the north east there is no acid rain and the water is safe to drink

[drBouz]

Beer is much better than water............

depends where you are. last month i spent all over europe, mainly in germany. so yes - i agree. in fact, i do not. beer is not much better, beer is much much much... better than water. speaking on german beers. but, water is also excellent.

while i was in thailand, good water, at least deacent beer, was on the top of my "missing things" list. in fact were No.2, and No.1 on the list. and fresh air also...

[MJP]

The only risk I see with bottled water is not drinking enough of it. Guilty of this myself, we forget to re-hydrate as we get used to the heat.

I've been boiling tap water up here in Issan for the past two years. No problems.