How good is our tap water really is? On the one hand, drinking water is regarded in this country as the best monitored food. On the other hand, our soils are impacted by intensive agriculture, as manure and pesticides get into the groundwater. These drug residues and other undesirable substances that must be filtered out come.
The Stiftung Warentest has cross taken by Germany drinking water samples and in the laboratory a rigorous test. In fact, traces of critical substances were found, overall, the product testers give the all-clear: “The result of calm”, – stated in the test report. “Water is not a health concern.”
Tap water in the Test – from big city to country
For the sample of 20 places in Germany that are exposed to particular risks were selected test – including the five most populous cities of Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne and Frankfurt, as well as regions with intensive agriculture, or by natural substances-contaminated soils. These samples were examined on a total of 126 unwanted substances.
The laboratory results have encouraged quite a Surprising reveal. Although manure leads to increased nitrate content in groundwater, the Nitrate contamination in the tap water of the selected livestock-rich regions in North Rhine-Westphalia and lower Saxony are relatively low. In addition, could be found in areas with intensive agriculture of the 45 pesticides that were tested, only in a few cases residues, all of which are far below the limit values. The infamous plant protection products glyphosate found the Tester in any water.
Drugs in the Berlin water
Most of the traces of drugs found in the Berlin water, it contained residues of pain and epilepsy resources. In addition, five municipal water minimal amounts of x-ray contrast agents on the meadow. The orientation values for trace substances from drugs but were exceeded in the Test nowhere.
Also naturally in Rocks occurring substances such as uranium, arsenic, and chromium can pollute the water. The cancer-causing chromium in 18 of the 20 water undetectable in three cases – Achern in Baden-Württemberg, Rottenburg in Bavaria, Alsfeld in Hessen – it was just over the conductance. The resulting risk is the test but as a very low.
The bottom line is that Stiftung Warentest advises more for tap water than for bottled water from the bottle. In particular, non-carbonated mineral water is often contaminated with bacteria and often contains less minerals than the water from the faucet.
More about non-carbonated mineral water you can read here
The complete drinking water test it for a fee here