Bottled Water. Is It Safe?

[bkkjames]

My wife told me, when she was growing up upcountry, that her family used to get their drinking water from the roof runoff....after the first hard rain or two had washed the roof off a bit...

And I couldn't help but thinking re similar comments in this thread: OK...so then, you wanna go up and early your food every day off the top of the roof of your house...  If it's good enough for the water, it must be OK for the food too, right???

Don't see too many people doing that though..... Most of us seem to prefer reasonably clean plates and bowls.

Surin rain water taste like sh*t and filtered tap water in BKK taste like taken directly from a swiming pool but every one (thai) drinks it .. they also drink my bottled water if i buy some , strange! 5555    

Our {Surin} rain water is quite tolerable, actually. Even non-descript.

JFC, ever notice how many roof tiles in this place are made of asbestos? Aroi. 

[jfchandler]

I would imagine this report below is among the more reliable accounts of the quality of tap water in BKK and elsewhere in Thailand...which seems a good reason NOT to drink UN-filtered tap water here.

The only question in my mind is...have things changed or gotten any better/worse since the timing of this study circa 2003? You might think things have gotten better water quality wise...but then again... TIT...

I'll keep my home water filter and water boiler to use in conjunction with tap water here...e.g...tap water thru water filter and then boiled before using to drink.

PS - What brought all the anti-flouride folks out from under the rocks in this thread??? Maybe they're using their tin foil hats to filter their drinking water???

On that point, here's the home page of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on the subject of flouridation, which calls water flouridation "one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century."

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....pubmed/12718698

Edited July 27, 2010 by jfchandler

[dreamtime]

I've noticed that people wearing the tin foil hats are able to think clearer than those without them. Must be something with the tin in the foil

If a regulatory agency comes out with a "greatest anything list", you can be sure it's exactly the opposite of what they state. Once you put the tin foil hat on you're able to see the truth from the BS.

S

PS - What brought all the anti-flouride folks out from under the rocks in this thread??? Maybe they're using their tin foil hats to filter their drinking water???

On that point, here's the home page of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on the subject of flouridation, which calls water flouridation "one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century."

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

[craigt3365]

I would imagine this report below is among the more reliable accounts of the quality of tap water in BKK and elsewhere in Thailand...which seems a good reason NOT to drink UN-filtered tap water here.

The only question in my mind is...have things changed or gotten any better/worse since the timing of this study circa 2003? You might think things have gotten better water quality wise...but then again... TIT...

I'll keep my home water filter and water boiler to use in conjunction with tap water here...e.g...tap water thru water filter and then boiled before using to drink.

PS - What brought all the anti-flouride folks out from under the rocks in this thread??? Maybe they're using their tin foil hats to filter their drinking water???

On that point, here's the home page of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on the subject of flouridation, which calls water flouridation "one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century."

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....pubmed/12718698

I can't locate the report that came out maybe 2 weeks ago...saying how bad the water is in the river there in Bangkok. Large amounts of chemicals and pesticides were found. And that is what is used for drinking water. Not good.

My concern with bottled water is absorbing chemicals from the plastic. Regarding lack of mineral content? There is much debate about this. But quite a few are saying you get so little from the water anyway, your body will just make up for it by getting it from your food. So...eating properly is way more beneficial than avoiding treated water....

[personchester]

I drink it all, tap water, bottle water, the water in the big bottles for 12 baht (sounds like ur being ripped off LB), but never klong water.

I even went out with a girl years back who use to collect rain water in an old tyre carcass out the back and give it to me to drink, until I worked out why my guts hurt.

Ole iron guts neverdie, the water here has never been a problem for me.

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.

Yes, of course it depends on where one lives, (rural or urban surroundings) in the latter you can select any of the available bottled waters, in the former however, one has to depend on rain water, fortunately drinking rain water in rural areas 'here' is not a problem, although westerners in the begining might have some mild negative digestive reaction for a short spell.

In any event, prior to usage, any water of whatever type should be boiled and then refrigerated in glass bottles, not plastic bottles.

[Aikido]

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.

its been proven that water treated with floride doesnt do anything for tooth decay at all.

They used to add floride to water in concentration camps to keep everyone suppresed.

[Tanaka]

I drink it all, tap water, bottle water, the water in the big bottles for 12 baht (sounds like ur being ripped off LB), but never klong water.

I even went out with a girl years back who use to collect rain water in an old tyre carcass out the back and give it to me to drink, until I worked out why my guts hurt.

Ole iron guts neverdie, the water here has never been a problem for me.

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.

Of course you can. The question remains, however, how you feel after a couple of hours.

[mahtin]

On that point, here's the home page of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on the subject of flouridation, which calls water flouridation "one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century."

Reminds me of the American dental association that still promotes amalgam fillings.

[Travel2003]

I am in Isaan and I filled the bathroom water "box" half full, let it set

1 week, and scooped most of the water out. With about 5 inches

of water this is the amount of dirt that came out of solution.

If you drink tap water, or cook with it, this is what is in it.

Oh it will have sediment, it will be dirt. Basically fine silt to clay particles. That's not really the bother.

Agree, it will always be sediment.

Anyone been on a passenger/cruise ship?

The fresh water tanks are inspected annually.

Normally 30 buckets filled with silt must be carried out of the tank each time.

[bangkockney]

Chang delivery. Condensed water from the brewing process. 60 Baht / crate (24 bottles).

[craigt3365]

Chang delivery. Condensed water from the brewing process. 60 Baht / crate (24 bottles).

Wow...that's great. Are they those bottles like you get in a hotel? And you can return them? How did you get this setup?

[crazygreg44]

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

In Bangkok or Chiang Mai, I would not drink the rainwater. Elsewhere in Thailand , I would drink it. The Thai collect the rainwater in large drums either made of concrete or even plastic containers, and then onward divert them into clay pots. The clay pots purify the water even more. They only drink from the water that has been in the clay pots for quite some time. The only negative aspect of it is, that it doesn t contain any minerals. But so does the bottled water and also most of all those bottled expensive water products ! Regardless which water you prefer to drink, you should obtain a mineral supplement in the pharmacy like calcium and magnesium, about other supplements don t worry as they are contained in your daily diet. Look up the amount of Magnesium and Calcium in one pill and determine if half of each or even a third per day would be enough.

I personally don t like the 15 liter containers. Remember, it is made of plastic, and once opened bacteria growth starts. If you drink from it over a period longer than 4- 5 days, stay away from it. Plastic is prone to excessive bacteria growth and I would not drink from it unless it has been treated with antibacterial coal pills. Also I am not sure if these containers undergo thorough and intense cleaning plus desinfection prior to refilling. The reverse osmosis as mentioned before in another post onyl refers to the treatment of the water, not of the container.

If you live in a rural area, I would suggest to collect and drink rainwater. If you live in a big city and the air is somewhat polluted, do not collect rainwater for drinking purposes, but instead rely on the 1.5 liter bottles. They are a bit more costly but you can be sure the containers haven t been infested.

[relentless]

I drink it all, tap water, bottle water, the water in the big bottles for 12 baht (sounds like ur being ripped off LB), but never klong water.

I even went out with a girl years back who use to collect rain water in an old tyre carcass out the back and give it to me to drink, until I worked out why my guts hurt.

Ole iron guts neverdie, the water here has never been a problem for me.

that is why your face keeps twitching I think.

[sabaijai]

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

Those figures are for bottled water only, it doesn't measure consumption of water from other sources, such as boiling, filtering etc.

[SpoliaOpima]

Basically, there 3 kinds of water for human consumption here:

- Tab water, supposed to be safe for drinking (in BKK), but doesn't taste good. I don't drink it.

- Filtered water (filtered, reverse osmosis, UV), without any minerals, tastes even worse. I use only for cooking.

- Mineral Water like Aura, Mont Fleur and of course the imported, expensive stuff. I like the taste of Mont Fleur and use it as drinking water.

I would not use rain water in Bangkok, except for watering plants. But I remember having been up-country where I used to take my shower with rain water collected from the roofs. Very soft, and makes it difficult to wash off the soap.

In feel a bit bad about all the plastic bottles I buy for drinking water and calm my conscious with the fact that our maid collects them and sells them to a boat on the klong behind our house. I hope they get somehow recycled, but I am not sure.

If I were a cynical sort, I might suggest that one still has to be suspicious of even the beloved 'mineral water' - certainly if it's processed. And plastic....be it petroleum based, polymer, or synthetic based - probably is more destructive to anything consumable that it encases.

All the bottled waters produced in Thailand are the same, as they all come from the same sources (rivers and canals). None are 'mineral waters' in the sense of natural water taken directly from springs. This includes Aura and Mont Fleur.

[SpoliaOpima]

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Sorry to make it big, bug as I have been wondering for many years why Thai (and foreigners it seems) are stupid enough to buy DRINKING WATER

when MINERAL WATER is sold almost the same price ?! (especially Carrefour and Tops brands)

Is it because you come from countries where it's not possible to drink tap water ? (So you don't know that it's useless to buy it in bottles?)

For Thai, I guess that they have heard on TV that beer brands drinking water is better, and they believe, but foreigners ?

How can foreigners not know that the only useful water for you body is mineral water, and that you should change the brand often ?

Please reply and tell me how stupid I am to buy and drink mineral water when i could buy shxt drinking water for higher price ?!

Thanks !

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It may be labelled 'mineral water' but it is no different than the other bottled waters. Read the article quoted earlier.

[guava]

I'm in Bangkok and I've had Sprinkle water delivered to my door for at least 4-5 years. No complaints. 60THB a bottle. According to their website, numerous embassies use their water, so I guess that's good enough for me. I'd imagine they go to considerable lengths to maintain the quality of their product and their reputation. There are probably slightly cheaper options, but the convenience and quality of Sprinkle water has never led me to shop around.

I usually use tap water in the kettle unless I am making tea/coffee for guests from overseas, and also for cooking. It's a choice made pretty much on the basis of convenience and laziness - and not something I'm really recommending. When we get the kitchen re-done I plan to rig something to make the bottle water more "on tap" accessible. I would definitely not recommend drinking Bangkok tap water without some boiling, but I have done so numerous times in the past out of necessity and survived.

When out and about I'll drink whatever is put in front of me, with or without ice in any format, or whatever my hand lands on in the 7-11 fridge.

[guava]

I've used the 3 canister water filters before but they're expensive to buy and expensive to maintain. It may be a more economical solution for families, but for singles and couples at least, I think bottled water might be the cheaper option. Water filters have a painfully slow flow rate, and unless you can install them somewhere out of the way, they're always in the way. If you install them on a balcony which gets too much sun you'll get algae problems, and many kitchens don't really have any convenient space available to mount them. If you don't replace the filters frequently enough (major guesswork), the water quality will potentially be even worse than the tap water being fed in. Personally I have far more faith in a large scale commercial filtration system that uses reverse osmosis, ozone, UV, etc to remove particulate matter, chemicals, and kill micro-organisms. Commercial operations also continuously test the water quality, something the vast majority of home users are unable to do.

[Pib]

Been drinking Bangkok tap water for about 2 years now...only run it through a simple/cheap carbon filter to give the Thai wife some more warm fuzzies....we ain't got sick or died from the water yet. When moving to Bangkok from the States she was afraid to drink the water for the first 9 months or so...we bought a lot of bottled water (it gets costly) for her to drink...I drank the Bangkok water. I finally convinced her the Bangkok water was safe to drink (at least in our part of western Bangkok) by adding a simple & cheap carbon filter to the frig drinking water outlet, and putting in a separate outlet on the sink which also goes through a carbon filter which we only use to fill up drinking water jugs for some extended family members. Now, for the last 6-9 months, the wife's mother, daughter, and son-in-law (who live about 30 KMs away) use the drinking water we provide from our filtered tap water outlets...they fill up some jugs about once a week....they haven't got sick/died from the water yet. They think the water tastes sweet since it goes through a coconut-based carbon filter, and they like saving the cost of bottled or delivered water. I buy the filter off Ebay for about 330 Baht (including postage)...each carbon filter is good for 1 year or 8000 liters, whichever comes first. You can also buy carbon filters and more whiz-bang filtering systems at Lotus, Big C, HomePro, lots of places....some systems are fairly cheap...some ain't.

[craigt3365]

As mentioned before, water consumption is not just about getting sick immediately. It's the long term consequences that are also important. Problems that crop up years in the future due to consumption of pesticides and chemicals in the tap water. Which that recent test proved ARE present in the water. Those cheap filters do nothing for that....and very little else anyway. With bottled water so cheap, it's just not worth the risk here.

[Pib]

That can apply to any thing we eat or drink...or the air we breathe. The bottled water manufacuters pretty much have much of the populace scared to death of drinking anything but bottled water, which in many cases just tap water that has been filtered...through what degree of filtering remains largely unknown.

[jfchandler]

Pib, I do tend to agree with that view, especially here in LOS, as to the likely quality of bottled water...

However, that said, it doesn't mean that the regular tap water is as good or better for you, when in fact, it's probably much worse in most cases.

I'm more inclined to the filter and boil at home approach. At least that way, you know what's being done and how...

That can apply to any thing we eat or drink...or the air we breathe. The bottled water manufacuters pretty much have much of the populace scared to death of drinking anything but bottled water, which in many cases just tap water that has been filtered...through what degree of filtering remains largely unknown.

[craigt3365]

I think if you stick with the major brands of bottled water, you are "fairly" safe to assume they actually do RO, UV, etc, on the water...what is stated on the bottles label (and sincerely hope they effectively treat the returned bottles!). For sure, all that processing is not done on tap water. If you buy that really cheap bottled water, you are "fairly" safe to assume what you are drinking is about the same as tap water. Does anybody remember reading about the test they did on that cheap bottled water? The ones in the pic above being sold for 5 baht? They tested it and found it to be just the same as tap water. Not really worth the 5 baht.

[Pib]

For you folks who live in the Bangkok area take a look at this Metropolitan Water Supply web site http://www.mwa.co.th/ewt/mwa_web/index.html. The web site is in English also. Lots of info regarding the water supply. Below is just one cut and paste. Select the Water Supply Information menu, then the Water Quality link to reach another info which gives a lot of info on water quality, to include some real time monitoring data. Cheers. PS: Who needs bottled water when you've got Beer Chang!

Drinkable Tap Water

Drinkable tap water project has been broght into operation since 1997. In 1999, Mahidol University in cooperation with the MWA, carried out the inspection of tap water quality in various zones, covering the whole areas of water distribution. It is found that the tap water quality fully meets the World Health Organization criteria and standard. This results in the official announcement of drinkable tap water in 10 areas of branch office, namely Prachachuen, Nonthaburi, Bangkhen, Lat Phrao, Phasicharoen, Taksin, Bangkoknoi, Sukhumvit, Prakanong and Samut Prakan, on May 24, 1999, which added to the previously announced area of branch office : Phayathai on June 5, 1997, Tungmahamek and Mansri on April 27, 1998. As a result the tap water in all distribution areas of MWA's branch offices is absolutely safe for drinking.

The important cause to worsen the tap water quality was the rusted old pipes within the comsumers' houses. From the inspection carried out by Mahidol University, it was found that 29.3 percent of the customers used water pumps, and 17.1 percent of these people pumped water directly from the pipes. The main activity of the MWA is to try to give as much knowledge and understanding as possible to make the consumers accept the responsibility for pipe repairs or replacement within their own houses, for cleaning the reservoirs more frequently, and for using the water pumps in the correct way. In order to assure the consumers about absolute drinkable tap water, the MWA has to give an example first by setting up a clean-up program to carry out the pipes and reservoirs inspection and improvement in every buildings within its own organization. After the success of quality analysis test, and all the employees turning to drink tap water, it was officially announced that the pipes were of high quality suitable for drinkable water.

[craigt3365]

Sorry, but would you believe a government report? Here, most are a joke...and even in other countries, you never know.

I can't find the article I had read about 2 months ago. I'll keep searching. But here are a few I just found:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A study by Thailand Environmental Institute for the Pollution Control Department of the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment in 1997 reviewed the water quality data for the Central River Basin as routinely monitored by the National Enviromental Board (NEB) , the Pollution Control Department (PCD) and the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH). Results indicated that among the major rivers in the lower Basin there was evidence of heavy pollution in both the Chao Phraya and Tha Chin rivers, while overall water quality was acceptable in the Pasak and Sakae Krang rivers. The Chao Phraya river exhibited serious organic and bacterial pollution that was a threat to many species of aquatic life. Similarly, water quality in the Tha Chin River was heavily degraded, caused by the combined discharges of industrial, domestic and rural inflows.

The Pollution Control Department also carries out regular water quality monitoring for the Ping, Wang, Yom and Nan Rivers. Based on analytical data during the period 1994-1995, the overall water quality of the major rivers in the upper Basin were found to be polluted or degrading, particularly near urban centres. Significant sources of pollution were identified in the upper reaches of the Ping River coinciding with urban development in Chiangmai Province. In the Wang River, degradation of water quality near centres of urban population in Lampang was attributed to domestic wastewater discharge coupled with effluent discharges from commercial establishments and factories located on the river banks. Overall water quality in the Yom River in 1995 had also deteriorated due to high bacterial contamination from municipal wastewater releases from households and business activities in urban areas in Pichit, Pitsanulok, Sukhothai and Phrae Provinces. Overall water quality in the Nan River had also deteriorated by 1995 from heavy bacterial contamination attributed primarily to the rapid increase of urban development in Pichit, Pitsanulok, Uttaradit and Nan Provinces.

The extensive network of interlinked waterways associated with the main delta irrigation system also constitutes a diffusion network for diverse kinds of pollution. Water pollution is caused by the discharge of agricultural wastes (pesticides, fertiliser, pork farm effluent, etc.), sewer outlets and industries. It has an adverse impact on domestic uses along waterways, on human health, aquatic fauna and flora and on several agricultural activities. Organic load, with subsequent low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water is mostly caused by domestic waste and by waste water discharged from prawn, duck and pig farms. High densities of water hyacinth often exacerbate the situation.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In Thailand, surface water and groundwater are the main water sources for tap water and drinking water production. Thirty-six different samples from surface waters from Chao Praya and Mae Klong rivers, tap waters, bottled drinking waters, groundwaters and commercial ice cubes from around the Bangkok area were collected. Water samples were also taken from two waterworks in the Chonburi province. The extensive survey showed that, overall in all water samples investigated, there was only a minor pollution which could be traced back to the analyses performed including amongst others total organic carbon, inorganics and heavy metals, pesticides, organochlorine compounds, volatile organic compounds, surfactants, pharmaceuticals and disinfection by-products. However, whenever organic micropollutants could be detected in surface water, such as, e.g. the herbicide atrazine, they were also present in the tap water produced thereof proving that the present treatment steps are not sufficient for removal of such pollutants. The concentration of disinfection by-products was higher in tap water produced from Chao Praya river than from Mae Klong river. Disinfection by-products were also found in bottled drinking water. Commercial ice cubes contained anionic surfactants and their metabolites at elevated concentrations. The data of this study constitute the first set of homogenous data for the chemical water quality and also aid development of new water quality criteria in Thailand.

So...no easy answers. Even bottled water, which as mentioned before, is taken from the various rivers....I'm sticking to Chang. At least I won't worry as much!

[Pib]

Each person needs to do their own evaluation regarding their drinking water. There are "many" parts of Thailand where I wouldn't drink the tap water unless it was ran through some whiz bang filtering because I figure the water authority treatment is not that good and it may travel to your residence in dirty/rusty/leaking pipes. However, for me here in western Bangkok, I'm satisfied my tap water is OK based on the MWA treatment/reports/monitoring (I've even been to the water treatment plant a few KM's away) and my additional charcoal filtering. I've cut open every charcoal filter I've used to visually check it (and smell it) after a years use...actually the filter is two filters in one..first a small membrane filter at the water inlet before the water continues through the charcoal filtering part. After checking 4 filters and finding very little debris (looked like sand/grit) only on the membrane filter and no debris/discoloration of the charcoal, I'm happy enough the water is clean enough coming in and a little cleaner coming out of the filter Yes, yes, I know many contaminates are too small for most any home filter to stop and the naked eye can't see single contaminaes/organisms....that's where I rely on the MWA treatment/monitoring....and my own track record of two years drinking the tap water and ain't got sick or died yet. Your results may vary.

[jfchandler]

This post, from page 2 of this thread, is a more recent scientific survey of BKK tap water, compared to the one posted immediately above, which also seemed to focus on the river water itself, not as much the end product that comes thru the treatment process (whatever that may be).

And if the MWA declared the tap water here safe for drinking in 1999 (in those specified areas), then how do we account for the results of this study done four years later...

And re the post just above, what is the "correct" way to use a water tank, as opposed to the "not correct" way to use one????

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....pubmed/12718698

[bkkjames]

This post, from page 2 of this thread, is a more recent scientific survey of BKK tap water, compared to the one posted immediately above, which also seemed to focus on the river water itself, not as much the end product that comes thru the treatment process (whatever that may be).

And if the MWA declared the tap water here safe for drinking in 1999 (in those specified areas), then how do we account for the results of this study done four years later...

And re the post just above, what is the "correct" way to use a water tank, as opposed to the "not correct" way to use one????

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....pubmed/12718698                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                                       

thanks JFC, is sprinkle in the list?

[wolf5370]

All this worry about filtering water for harmful heavy metals and carciagens, then you go an eat meat here (think the pigs go and buy bottled water?) and plants grown on land watered from rivers and man made dykes and smothered in chemicals. The human system seems designed to live for about two hundred years before it naturally breaks down, but as we constantly poison oursleves, no one makes it past 130 odd and most never get to the halfway mark!

I use tap water for cooking and coffee (boiled) and bottled water from 7-11 for drinking (7-11 is cool and deliveries are in covered vans) - mostly because the water pressure is a trickle here so guaranteed there is baterial polution by the time it drops out of my tap, and because I can't be arsed to carry bottles up and down to the machine. I usually buy the 6 baht 1 litre bottles - but local 7-11 runs out all the time so I get the 10b Nestles ones instead (or bigger 6lte for 30 bacht-ish but then I have to rebottle to fit in the fridge).

[jfchandler]

Here's a link to the full report on mutagenicity (that means cancer causing capability) of Bangkok tap and bottled water....

http://www.thaigraph...%20Kusamran.pdf

The full report doesn't identify the brand names of the bottled water that was tested, nor the one that came back mutagenic...

And, a lot of it is written in scientific speak... but there were a couple of findings that even plain speaking folks can understand....

Doesn't quite match with the MWA telling everyone that the tap water in BKK is perfectly fine to drink, does it!!!