For context, I live in Hong Kong where most people drink tap water after boiling first. Some may install water filter but may still boil the water. Very few drink bottle water unless they’re outside and too lazy to bring their own bottles.

Now, I’m researching whether I can drink tap water in Iceland (I’m going there in August), and while it looks like the answer is affirmative, almost no web article mention whether I need to boil the water first. People in Japan (a country I’ve visited a few times) also seems to be used to drink tap water directly without boiling.

The further I searched, the more it seems to me that in developed countries (like US, Canada and the above examples), tap water is safe to drink directly. Is that true? Do you drink tap water without boiling?

It sounds like a stupid question but I just can’t believe what I saw. I think I experienced a cultural shock.

Edit: wow, thanks so much for the responses and sorry if I didnt reply to each one of you but I’ll upvote as much as as I can. Never thought so many would reply and Lemmy is a really great community.

2nd Edit: So in conclusion, people from everywhere basically just drink water straight out of tap. And to my surprise, I checked the Water Supplies Department website and notice it asserts that tap water in Hong Kong is potable, like many well-developed countries and regions.

However, as the majority of Hong Kong people are living in high-rise buildings, a small amount of residual chlorine is maintained in the water to keep it free from bacterial infection during its journey in the distribution system. Therefore it is recommended to boil the water so that chlorine dissipates.

So, in short, I actually do not need to boil the water unless I hate chlorine smell and taste. But I guess I’ll just continue this old habit/tradition as there’s no harm in doing so.

  • @jg1i
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    11 year ago

    I’m in the US. I don’t know too many people that drink directly from the tap. Almost everyone I know passes the water through a filter first.

    Although, technically, I think the water is safe to drink. My city sends little informational cards saying how they’ve tested the water and it should be good to drink straight from the tap.

    I think we in the US scare easy, so I’m guessing Big Water Bottle and Big Filter have brainwashed us into being scared to drink straight from the tap.

    • @[email protected]
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      21 year ago

      Ehhhh I’ve been on one well or another for most of my life and the times in between when I was on city water it was not good, My parents ran the water association for the neighborhood that we were in and I know how much work they had to put into to make it viable and tested well… And not taste like bleach. Yuck

      • @jg1i
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        1 year ago

        And not taste like bleach

        Oh, yeah! I tend to order water in restaurants and I’ve definitely had some bleachy gross tasting water before… probably from the tap?

        • @[email protected]
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          21 year ago

          Likely, yes. From the water line in the soda dispenser, so, equivalent, except probably worse?