SydneySiders - Do you boil drinking water first?

[MilkOnTap]

I have been moving between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane quite a bit the last 6 months - and every time I come back to Sydney (home) I get SICK! I have been wondering if it is cause of the pollution here, or maybe its the drinking water?

So I went to the naturopath at the local Natural HealthCare shop who suggested that I buy all my drinking water and avoid milk products.

I guess my main question is for Sydney Siders - do you boil your drinking water first? Or drink it straight from the tap as I have been doing up until now?

[babylover111]

We have a filtered water tap that comes out a seperate tap at our kitchen sink, but not because the water made us sick we just prefer it filtered. I drink a lot unfilted unboiled water during the week and havent been sick but maybe thats because ive grown up with it? Thats really interesting ive never heard of this before with sydney water!

[Beany]

I don't boil it first but then again I'm not one for drinking water straight out of the tap, either - simply not cold enough. I fill a bottle and stick it in the fridge.

[elissas]

I'd go as far to say that it's quite likely the level of treatment in the water. I'm in Melbourne and they treat the water with chlorine - you can taste it :thumbsdown: We have a water filter for our drinking water, as well as on our showers and baths.

The chemicals used to treat water and make it "ok" to drink, will kill good bacteria as well as bad bacteria. So perhaps Sydney has higher treatment levels, given the problematic recent history with its water supply?

I'd start drinking probiotics or take a supplement like Inner Health Plus, which helps the good bacteria in your system.

Or better still, avoid drinking tap water all together. When we drink tap water we're essentially drinking domestos, and it still doesn't kill all the nasty stuff, so I'd rather steer clear of it altogether.

[miss_moe]

I am in Sydney have lived here for hmmm 5 years and I have always drunk water straight from the tap. Actually I have where ever I have lived or visited ... except Thailand.

I think I am a fairly healthy bod ... no nasty illness I can recall.

Here is a quote from Choice

"For most of us, there’s no good reason to believe bottled water’s any healthier than tap water. Tap water generally has to comply with strict standards, and it’s thoroughly tested — with the bonus that it costs virtually nothing."

http://www.choice.com.au/ Bottled water (http://www.choice.com.au/viewArticle.aspx?id=104793&catId=100286&tid=100008&p=1&title=Bottled+water)

[almond eyes]

We don't boil our water but we do have a filtered water jug. That's what we fill up with tap water then stick in the fridge. :)

[Karina]

I live in Sydney and have never ever boiled tap water before drinking it, and havent been sick from it. I didint even boil it like 8 or 9 years ago when we had major water problems.

[m_jelly]

I'm a brissie girl but I would have to say if you think the water is making you sick, it probably is!
I get headaches from drinking town water, its all the chemicals, I just have a reaction to them. I filter all my water now, and my headaches stopped.
I've found some bottle water brands to taste worse or the same as town water, so filtering was just a cost effective, guaranteed way to avoid sickness.

[Pixie]

Always filter Ally, Sydney has bad blue algae iss-ewes due to water shortage :ecomcity::ecomcity::ecomcity: I filter and bottle it :D

[Mister Noodle]

I've never boiled, filtered or bothered with bottled water.

Except during the giardia outbreak all those years ago, that is. (managed to get it anyway, despite all the precautions :/)

If the water's not safe to drink, it's a massive public health issue, and you WILL know about it. Otherwise, I think it's just scare tactics designed to sell bottled water and expensive filters.

[Natsmummy]

I've never found our tap water to be unsafe but I'm not keen on the taste of it and there are often little white particles floating in it, so we just buy bottled water instead.

[rubyredlips]

Same here really, Ive never bolied the tap water just stuck it in the fridge! Think You may need to search deeper for the cause of your ailment! xxx

[elissas]

If the water's not safe to drink, it's a massive public health issue, and you WILL know about it. Otherwise, I think it's just scare tactics designed to sell bottled water and expensive filters.

Just because a governing body claims something is safe, doesn't mean we should believe them. There are many examples of cases where the public have been shielded from the truth, whether it be for political or financial reasons, or simply to prevent mass panic.

I have no doubt that most people don't have an immediate problem with the water supply.

But there are so many health problems out there becoming "epidemics". We need to look at things like water supply as a potential cause over extended periods of usage.

I know that my DH has a very sensitive belly. If he drinks straight tap water for a few days or so, he is ill afterwards. Spends hours on the loo. It takes a few days of throwing good bacteria products down his throat and drinking filtered water to get him right again.

And, as soon as we got the tap filters, his belly settled (hardly had any problems since), his dermitis cleared up, and his energy levels increased (chlorine is known to reduce energy levels with continued exposure). We didn't know these were attributed to the water at the time. We got the filters and by "coincidence", all these problems he'd been experiencing for years disappeared within a month or so.

[MilkOnTap]

I'm thining that a filter jug might be the best way to go... Definitely the cheapest way of making sure we are getting clean water (well, at least purified to some extent)